Nothing about what came next was romantic.
There were no dramatic speeches.
No screaming matches.
No music swelling in the background.
Just paperwork, lawyers, and decisions that would last longer than feelings.
The Legal Groundwork
The meetings took place in quiet offices with frosted glass and neutral colors—spaces designed to drain emotion from everything spoken inside them.
Thomas listened more than he talked.
Custody agreements.
Parental responsibility.
Financial obligations.
Public conduct clauses.
The final arrangement was clear and firm:
Shared parental responsibility, with Estrella as the primary guardian.
Thomas granted structured visitation, supervised at first, gradually transitioning as long as all conditions were met.
Mandatory counseling and parental education programs.
Strict legal boundaries regarding media exposure and public appearances.
No loopholes.
No favors.
No shortcuts.
Thomas signed every page without hesitation.
"I'm not asking for mercy," he said quietly. "I'm asking for the chance to do this right."
That mattered more than he realized.
Co-Parenting, Redefined
The word co-parenting sounded simple.
In reality, it meant learning how to exist in the same space without reopening wounds.
Estrella made the rules clear.
"This doesn't mean we're pretending everything is fine," she said, voice steady. "It means we're putting the baby first. Always."
Thomas nodded.
"I follow your lead," he replied. "Every time."
They spoke calmly.
Deliberately.
Like two people who understood that love alone was not enough—consistency was.
Damiano's Final Role
Damiano had stayed quiet longer than anyone expected.
No interviews.
No statements.
No public defense or condemnation.
But behind closed doors, he was immovable.
He sat in on legal meetings.
Reviewed contracts.
Spoke when it mattered—and only then.
When Thomas asked him directly what his place was now, Damiano didn't hesitate.
"I'm not here to control you," he said. "And I'm not here to punish you."
He paused, eyes sharp, protective.
"I'm here to protect my daughter and my grandchild. That's it."
There was no threat in his voice.
Just certainty.
Damiano made it clear:
Any violation of agreements would be met immediately.
Any attempt to manipulate Estrella would end access entirely.
Any harm—emotional or otherwise—would be answered without warning.
But he also did something unexpected.
He offered guidance.
Not forgiveness.
Not friendship.
Structure.
"Do this right," Damiano told Thomas. "And I won't stand in your way. Fail—and I will."
Thomas understood.
That was mercy, in its own way.
Aaliyah Watches It Settle
Aaliyah didn't interfere.
She observed.
Measured.
Listened.
And when everything was signed, finalized, and sealed, she spoke once.
"This isn't the end of your story," she told Estrella softly. "It's the part where you stop surviving and start deciding."
Estrella exhaled.
For the first time since everything had exploded, the future didn't feel like a threat.
It felt—fragile, uncertain, but real.
Closing Scene
That night, Rome was quiet.
Contracts locked away.
Phones turned off.
The world held at a distance.
Estrella stood on the balcony, hands resting over her stomach, city lights flickering below.
Thomas stood a few steps back—close enough to be present, far enough to respect the line.
And inside, Damiano closed the door, finally allowing himself to believe one thing:
Not everything broken stays broken.
Some things are rebuilt—
stronger, stricter, and forever changed.