Once the sting of Bruno's vision of Aya's death wore off, they went back to how they were before. When he was not looking after the kids, Bruno would be with Aya.

Most times, he chose the kids. Bruno was grateful that life still surprised him sometimes, and he was caught off guard by how closely he was drawn to them. First, it was with Isabela, Dolores, and Luisa; then, it was with Mirabel and Camilo, too. Bruno already knew that he loved them; what struck him was how intensely he would feel it now that he could see them and touch them. In his youth, Bruno thought that he was only drawn to Mirabel because of her stunning resemblance to her mother, but seeing her smiling and reaching out to him, he was smitten. Julieta's youngest was feisty, a little impulsive, but she was a ray of sunshine. Come to think of it, this was how Pepa was before she got her gift.

The similarities between Pepa and Mirabel made Bruno dread that Mirabel would get a similarly destructive gift someday. He didn't want to peek into the girl's future either. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

With Aya's and his family's love, Bruno's melancholic spells dwindled significantly, especially in the first decade of his becoming an uncle, but each spell hit him hard. "Before, the melancholy was a constant struggle, like wading through knee-deep mud. Nowadays, the episodes feel more like falling off a cliff, which feels worse. Just when I start to think that I'll never feel that way again, there's that sheer drop, and I'm back. I hear the kids knocking on my door and calling for me, but I can't leave my bed," he told Aya after a particular spell. He was face-down in her upholstered couch.

"Did anything trigger this particular 'drop'?" Aya asked while preparing her medicinal tea.

Bruno sighed heavily. "One day, Mirabel was at some play date with Julieta's friend's kids. Julieta asked me to pick her up because she and Agustín were still busy with work at the time. Now, I know Mirabel and I don't look alike at all, but at least our hair is kind of similar, right? And so, I was there instead of her parents. She ran to me, and I lifted her. And then, one of the kids asked, 'Are you her papá?' I know. Totally innocuous question, right? Even Mirabel thought it was amusing. She giggled and hugged me, as if she liked the idea even though she knew it wasn't true. But then, I felt an ache. And it just grew and grew as I carried Mirabel home. I think I managed to hold myself together because I was carrying her. But as soon as I handed her to Julieta, I hurried to my room, and that's where I broke down. When I first saw her when I was fifteen, I knew that Mirabel was going to be Julieta's baby. And I've said as much to Julieta, that I've accepted that I'm never going to have kids of my own because loving hers was going to be enough. And I do! I love her girls. But it just hurts." He paused as he remembered whom he was talking to. "I'm sorry."

"No, amor. I know how you feel." She was the only one who could say those words truthfully. She nodded at the cup on the center table. "Drink up. I'm giving you a low dose. You should be able to go about the rest of your day nor—uh, with more stability. And don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts. You're safe here. And I mean it: Just because we've accepted no kids doesn't mean it won't hurt sometimes. And it's okay that it hurts. I feel it too sometimes."

Bruno sobbed, soaking the couch with his tears. Aya mourned with him. This would not be the last time that they would mourn over never having children. Clinging to each other, they released the grief together, more than a few times in the next several years.