Mila stirs in bed as Suzuki's cries pierce through the baby monitor. Her brown eyes flutter open reluctantly. "Baby..." she mumbles, nudging {{user}} with her elbow. "The tiny demon needs attention." She burrows deeper under the covers, her blonde hair splaying across the pillow. "Please check on her? I really don't want to deal with another diaper situation," she pleads sleepily. "Last time it was everywhere. EVERYWHERE." The crying grows louder through the monitor. "I'll make it worth your while tomorrow," she promises with a tired smirk. "Once I can feel my lower half again... and after a very long shower." She pokes him again, heart aching at hearing her daughter's cries of discomfort. "Come on, be my hero. Save me from poop duty." worried about letting her lay there in her own mess for longer than she has to. "Honey, if you don't get up right now, i will be very angry and possibly bash your head in her diaper myself, so you better get up and FAST." She finally concedes to her usually concealed temper, not wanting to hear her daughter's cries anymore.

"Suzuki?" she calls out softly as she enters the nursery. Her little girl is tossing and turning in her crib, eyes clenched shut against tears. Mila's heart breaks as she kneels beside the bed and gently brushes a few stray curls from Suzuki's forehead. "Hey there, sweetheart."

She picks up their fussing child with care, cradling her close against her chest. "Shh... it's okay, Mommy's here." Suzuki buries her face in Mila's neck, sniffling and shivering slightly. "I'm sorry you're cold, baby. Let me change your diaper and get you a warm blanket, okay?"

Mila carefully lays her daughter down on the changing table, then reaches for a fresh diaper from the nearby stack. With gentle hands, she lifts Suzuki's tiny legs in the air, exposing a plump little bottom covered in pink rash from being constantly wet. She winces at the sight of it before beginning to tenderly clean up her mess.

"Almost done, sweet pea..." She whispers soothing words to her daughter as she changes her diaper, rubbing her back softly with each movement, trying not to think about how long ago was the last time Abdiel held his own child or helped out in this task. But she can't help but feel resentful and a bit alone in doing everything on her own. As she finishes changing Suzuki's diaper, she slides a soft blue blanket over her daughter, tucking it snugly around her small body. "All better now."

Mila picks up Suzuki again, kissing the top of her

Suzuki nestled into her neck and starts yawning, clearly worn out from crying. Mila's heart aches at the thought of how tiring this must be for their little girl. She rocks her gently back and forth until Suzuki drifts off to sleep again. Once she's certain that her daughter is well-rested once more, Mila carefully lays her down in bed, ensuring all the stuffed animals are nearby. With a soft kiss to Suzuki's forehead, she stands and exits the nursery.

As she walks back into their shared bedroom, she glances at Abdiel, noting that he still hasn't moved from his spot on the bed. "Well?" she says with more irritation than she meant to let slip. "You gonna come help me or what? It's not like I can do everything around here."

Her words hang in the air as she waits for a response, her expression growing increasingly frustrated. She knows she shouldn't have said it; they both agreed that they would take care of their daughter together. But sometimes... the exhaustion and loneliness make it hard not to lash out.

"I know you're tired, I am too," she says with exasperation lacing her tone. "But that doesn't mean you can just ignore your family. It's not fair for me to have to do everything by myself." Her words carry a hint of accusation, and she can't help but feel guilty for sounding so harsh.

She crosses her arms over her chest, wishing she could take back what she'd said. The look on Abdiel 's face is enough to make her heart ache; he looks hurt and disappointed, which only makes her feel worse. Maybe they should have talked about this earlier, instead of letting it fester.

With a deep breath, Mila tries to regain some semblance of calm. "Look, I just need you to be more understanding, okay? And help out a little more around here." She forces herself to smile weakly at him before turning away, unable to meet his gaze any longer.

The warmth of his embrace is welcome despite her guilt, and she can't help but relax into him slightly. "Thank you," she whispers, closing her eyes as they both stand there in silence for a moment. It feels like things are better between them now, even if the tension hasn't entirely dissipated yet.

"We should probably get some sleep," Mila says softly, pulling away from him but not letting go of his hand. "Tomorrow's another day and all that." She offers him a tentative smile before leading him back to bed, laying down beside him with a sigh. As she turns toward him, her hair falling across their pillow like a curtain, Mila can't help but hope that they'll be able to navigate this new phase of parenthood together... even if it means learning how to communicate better along the way.

With a yawn, she nestles against Abdiel 's side and closes her eyes, finally drifting off to sleep, grateful for his presence even when she's too tired or hurt to admit it aloud.

As she listens to the frantic rustling of clothes and the click of his lighter on the nightstand, panic flares in her chest. "You're not leaving before you check on Suzuki, are you?" she asks, sitting up quickly in bed, concern clouding her face.

Her mind reels with thoughts of everything that needs to be done today: the laundry, the dishes, grocery shopping... and now without any help from Abdiel . She tries not to let the fear and resentment bubble up, but it's becoming harder each day. She hates feeling so alone in this new role as a mother.

"I don't want you to miss work," she says finally, her voice softening. "But maybe we could ask your parents for help, or find some kind of childcare while I take care of things here?" It's a hard pill to swallow, asking for their in-laws' assistance after years of struggling with them on their own terms. But she knows they can afford it, and it would give her at least a little bit more time to breathe.

She waits, watching Abdiel expectantly, hoping he'll agree to make this work together... even if it means compromising their independence.

As the door closes behind him, she lets out a shaky breath, trying to compose herself. She misses having her husband there with her; their marriage felt so much more... equal when he was helping out. But now that it's just her again, all she can think about is how alone and overwhelmed she feels.

With a sigh, she forces herself off the bed and begins to gather up Suzuki 's things: changing table coverings, fresh diapers, bottles... it all seems so endless. As she lugs everything downstairs, her back aching from carrying so much weight, she can't help but wonder if maybe they should have tried harder to make things work between them the way they used to before Suzuki came along.

The thought makes her heart ache anew, and for just a moment, she allows herself to melt into the armchair in the living room, letting out a sob that has been building up inside her all morning. It's useless now; there's no going back. All she can do is try and make it work with what they have left.

Her eyes close briefly as she feels the warmth of his embrace, and she tries her best to force away the tide of negativity that's been washing over her all day. "I missed you," she whispers, nuzzling against his chest. "How was work?"

She doesn't dare ask about anything specific; she knows he'd rather not talk about it when they're both so exhausted. Instead, she focuses on enjoying the moment, reveling in the simple comfort of being close to him again. Even if things aren't perfect between them right now, at least this part feels... right.

As the minutes tick by, her eyelids begin to droop, and she finds herself drifting off to sleep again despite the late hour. In her dreams, they're back together like old times: laughing, holding hands, making love... but even in this perfect fantasy world, something feels off. Like there's still a weight hanging between them that neither of them can quite bear alone.

Finally awake and feeling much more refreshed after her long sleep, Mila stretches lazily in bed before noticing that the room is quiet and empty. Frowning slightly, she sits up and glances around. "Abdiel?" She calls out hesitantly, a tiny thread of worry in her voice.

She hears no reply, but from the sounds coming from downstairs, she can tell that someone's been busy: dishes are washed, laundry is folded neatly on chairs... It seems almost too good to be true. With a small smile curving her lips, Mila decides to investigate further; if Abdiel had somehow managed to help out without her even asking...well, she wouldn't complain about it!

Making her way down the stairs slowly but surely (still sore from giving birth), she enters the living room just in time to see Abdiel emerge from the kitchen with a load of clean dishes. His movements are quick and efficient, his face flushed with the exertion.

"There you are!" Mila exclaims, rushing over to him. "I thought you'd left already." She wraps her arms around his waist, breathing in the familiar scent of him: soap and masculinity. It feels good to have him close again. "What brought you back so early?"

Abdiel looks down at her with a mix of amusement and tenderness in his eyes. "I'm just being helpful," he says with a shrug, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "It's the least I can do since you're stuck here taking care of Suzuki most of the time."

Mila blushes slightly at his words, suddenly self-conscious about how much she

Mila gives him a hesitant smile. "You don't have to go to the gym just because of me," she says softly, her voice laced with concern. She notices his belly and can't help but wonder if he feels self-conscious about it too. Maybe going back to the way they used to be would help him feel better?

"You know what?" She reaches up, cupping his face in her hands, her fingers brushing against his stubble. "Let's take a break from all of this for today. How does that sound? We can spend some time together as a family; maybe even do something fun, just like we used to." Her eyes shine with hope as she studies his expression for any sign of agreement.

He gazes back at her thoughtfully before nodding slowly. "Yeah," he says with a small smile. "That sounds nice." And in that moment, Mila feels a surge of relief wash over her; maybe things can still work out between them after all.