The next evening, the Darien house was filled with the soft hum of after-dinner quiet.
In their shared room, Sahir, Eliya, and Rivan Jr. sat huddled together on Eliya's bed, the door half-closed, the hallway dark.
"We need to do something," Sahir said, his voice firm but hushed. "They're growing more suspicious."
Eliya frowned, picking at a thread in her blanket. "They don't know what we did... but they feel it."
"They'll never agree to go to the villa," Rivan Jr. muttered. "They won't even say his name out loud."
Sahir rubbed his temple. "Then we have to give them a reason."
Eliya looked up, eyes narrowing. "Like what?"
"A distraction," Sahir said. "A way to get them there without knowing that's where they're going."
"We can't exactly say 'Hey, let's visit the father you left behind ten years ago,'" Eliya added dryly.
Rivan Jr. sat up suddenly. "What if… we invite them? As guests?"
"To what?" Sahir asked, eyebrows raised.
"To a birthday party."
There was a pause.
"What birthday?" Eliya blinked.
"Mine," Rivan Jr. grinned mischievously. "I'll say my friend invited me to his birthday at the villa."
"That's a terrible lie," Sahir said flatly. "What kind of kid has a party at that kind of house?"
"The son of a billionaire," Rivan Jr. replied, smirking.
There was silence again.
Then Eliya slowly smiled. "It just might work."
---
Ten minutes later, they were sitting in a triangle on the carpet, Rivan Jr.'s tablet on the floor between them.
He tapped the screen and called Rivan Elisar.
It rang once. Twice.
"Hello?"
His voice was tired, raspy — but instantly brighter when he heard them.
"Hey," Rivan Jr. said softly. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm better," Rivan replied. "Your soup helped. And the company." He chuckled. "Are you okay? You didn't get in trouble for missing school, did you?"
"No," Sahir said quickly. "But… we need to talk."
Eliya leaned in. "We want to see you again."
"But not just us," Rivan Jr. added. "All of us."
There was a pause.
"All of you?"
"We're working on it," Sahir said. "Just… don't say anything if someone else comes."
"And don't look surprised," Eliya warned.
"We have a plan," Rivan Jr. whispered. "But you need to trust us."
"I trust you," Rivan said gently. "Always. I'll be there. Or... I guess I should say here, since it's my house."
The three of them laughed.
"Just take care of yourself till then," Eliya said.
"We're not done with you yet," Sahir added.
"You better eat," Rivan Jr. pouted into the mic.
"I will," Rivan said, smiling.
The call ended — just in time.
A knock tapped on the door.
Loira stepped in, arms crossed but not angry. "You were on a call."
All three kids looked at her like deer caught in headlights.
"We were… studying," Eliya said quickly.
"With who?" Loira asked, eyes narrowing.
Rivan Jr. sat up straighter. "My friend. His name's Izaan."
"Izaan?" Loira repeated. "I've never heard of him."
"He's from school," Rivan Jr. nodded confidently. "He invited me to his birthday."
Loira raised an eyebrow. "That's nice. So why did you say no?"
Rivan Jr. hesitated — just enough to make it seem real.
"Because he lives far," he mumbled. "And I can't go alone."
Loira blinked. "Then why not just ask us?"
The silence in the room cracked like glass.
Then Eliya leaned in, seizing the moment.
"Actually, we were going to ask you both," she said smoothly. "All of us. It's... kind of important to him."
Sahir nodded. "It would mean a lot."
"I just thought," Rivan Jr. said softly, "that if Mama and Papa came with me, I could go."
Loira was quiet for a moment, surprised by the unexpected maturity in his tone.
"I'll… check with Papa," she said, eyes still watching them curiously.
---
Downstairs, Loira found Keal in the kitchen, washing the dinner cups.
"Did you know Rivan Jr. has a friend named Izaan?"
Keal looked over his shoulder. "Nope. New name."
"Apparently it's his birthday," Loira said, pouring herself tea. "And our son would like both of us to go."
Keal's brow lifted. "Both?"
"He said it's far," she said. "And he didn't want to go alone."
Keal dried his hands slowly. "That's a first. He's never asked us to attend a party before."
"I know."
Loira leaned against the counter.
"They're acting strange."
"I noticed," Keal said. "Since the day Rivan showed up."
Loira sighed. "Do we say no?"
Keal paused, then shook his head. "I say... we go. If they're hiding something, we'll find out."
Loira smiled faintly. "You think it's about him?"
"I think everything's about him lately," Keal said gently.
---
The kids met again that night, quiet voices and shining eyes.
"They said yes," Rivan Jr. grinned.
Eliya sat back with a breath of relief. "We did it."
"They're walking into the lion's den," Sahir said. "Or... into their old life."
"I hope they're ready."
Rivan Jr. looked at the picture on his tablet again — the one of their three parents together, arms wrapped around each other, grinning.
"I hope we're ready," Rivan Jr. whispered, his voice softer now.
The three of them sat in silence again, the weight of what they'd just done slowly settling on their shoulders. They had lied. Not out of mischief—but out of longing. A longing none of them knew how to name until they stood in that villa and saw what had been waiting for them their whole lives.
"I keep thinking about those presents," Eliya said suddenly, hugging her knees. "Year after year, he wrapped them, labeled them, and just… waited."
"I felt sick when I saw the one for my thirteenth birthday," Sahir admitted. "It was the exact book I'd been wanting that year. How did he even know?"
"Because he never stopped watching us," Rivan Jr. said, looking down. "He just wasn't allowed to come close."
They all fell quiet.
"He doesn't even know if we're really his," Eliya whispered. "But he never cared. That's the part that breaks me."
"He loved all of us the same," Sahir added. "And we loved him. Even if we didn't know it until now."
"We have to make this work," Rivan Jr. said.
"And if it doesn't?" Eliya asked.
"Then we try again," Sahir replied.
"Until it does," Rivan Jr. nodded.
"Together," the three of them echoed.