One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- - Chapter 186: Chapter 186
You are reading One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband ---, Chapter 186: Chapter 186. Read more chapters of One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband ---.
It started with a single text from Ava:
> “What if we made them a film? Like… us. For them. About us—all of it.”
The group chat exploded.
Amara: “Yessss. Like a documentary?”
Zane: “I call editing. Nobody touch Final Cut.”
Skylar: “What if we each interview each other?”
Julian: “We need structure. Timeline. Themes.”
Aiden: “We need heart.”
Leila: “We need Mom’s cinnamon cookies for mood.”
They called it Project Hearth.
One by one, they showed up with mics, tripods, and trembling honesty.
First interview: Aiden and Zane.
“Did you ever feel like you had to compete with me?” Aiden asked.
Zane chuckled. “Only when it came to Mom’s attention. And maybe… your quiet. I used to wish I didn’t need to be loud to be seen.”
Aiden’s voice cracked. “I was always jealous you could be.”
Silence.
Then laughter. Then tears.
Julian and Amara.
“You were always so fearless,” he said.
“I was terrified,” Amara replied. “But I knew if I acted brave, maybe one of you would believe it—and that’d be enough to keep me going.”
Julian touched her hand. “You fooled me. In the best way.”
Ava and Leila.
Ava fidgeted with the lens.
“I didn’t protect you enough,” she said. “When they teased you in middle school…”
Leila reached over. “You gave me a book. About a girl who found her voice. That saved me more than fists ever could.”
They filmed each other smiling.
Skylar filmed everyone.
Behind the camera, they asked questions others wouldn’t:
“What do you remember about the worst day of our family?”
“What’s one thing you’ve never told Mom and Dad?”
“What does love look like to you now?”
Footage compiled like puzzle pieces:
Clips from childhood birthdays.
Fuzzy dance recitals.
Family karaoke disasters.
First steps, broken arms, late-night pillow fights.
And in the middle of it all:
Two constant faces.
Arielle. Damien.
Always present. Always steady.
Zane stayed up three nights stitching scenes.
Julian wrote the narration.
Ava composed the score.
Leila made the opening title card by hand: “This is Us: From the Roots Up.”
They planned a surprise premiere in the garden—twinkling lights, popcorn, a borrowed projector.
Arielle and Damien took their seats, confused.
Then the screen glowed.
Julian’s voice came through:
> “You taught us how to live. How to fall and rise. You built this home with heartbeats and late nights and love in its loudest and quietest forms. So this… this is our thank you.”
For an hour, the night was filled with memories.
Laughter.
Cries.
Gasps of “I forgot that!” and quiet “Oh my God, I remember…”
When it ended, Damien’s face was wet.
Arielle whispered, “This is the most beautiful gift anyone’s ever given me.”
They both stood.
And pulled all eight into a hug that didn’t need music, didn’t need words—
Just breath.
Just love.
Just memory, in motion.
> “What if we made them a film? Like… us. For them. About us—all of it.”
The group chat exploded.
Amara: “Yessss. Like a documentary?”
Zane: “I call editing. Nobody touch Final Cut.”
Skylar: “What if we each interview each other?”
Julian: “We need structure. Timeline. Themes.”
Aiden: “We need heart.”
Leila: “We need Mom’s cinnamon cookies for mood.”
They called it Project Hearth.
One by one, they showed up with mics, tripods, and trembling honesty.
First interview: Aiden and Zane.
“Did you ever feel like you had to compete with me?” Aiden asked.
Zane chuckled. “Only when it came to Mom’s attention. And maybe… your quiet. I used to wish I didn’t need to be loud to be seen.”
Aiden’s voice cracked. “I was always jealous you could be.”
Silence.
Then laughter. Then tears.
Julian and Amara.
“You were always so fearless,” he said.
“I was terrified,” Amara replied. “But I knew if I acted brave, maybe one of you would believe it—and that’d be enough to keep me going.”
Julian touched her hand. “You fooled me. In the best way.”
Ava and Leila.
Ava fidgeted with the lens.
“I didn’t protect you enough,” she said. “When they teased you in middle school…”
Leila reached over. “You gave me a book. About a girl who found her voice. That saved me more than fists ever could.”
They filmed each other smiling.
Skylar filmed everyone.
Behind the camera, they asked questions others wouldn’t:
“What do you remember about the worst day of our family?”
“What’s one thing you’ve never told Mom and Dad?”
“What does love look like to you now?”
Footage compiled like puzzle pieces:
Clips from childhood birthdays.
Fuzzy dance recitals.
Family karaoke disasters.
First steps, broken arms, late-night pillow fights.
And in the middle of it all:
Two constant faces.
Arielle. Damien.
Always present. Always steady.
Zane stayed up three nights stitching scenes.
Julian wrote the narration.
Ava composed the score.
Leila made the opening title card by hand: “This is Us: From the Roots Up.”
They planned a surprise premiere in the garden—twinkling lights, popcorn, a borrowed projector.
Arielle and Damien took their seats, confused.
Then the screen glowed.
Julian’s voice came through:
> “You taught us how to live. How to fall and rise. You built this home with heartbeats and late nights and love in its loudest and quietest forms. So this… this is our thank you.”
For an hour, the night was filled with memories.
Laughter.
Cries.
Gasps of “I forgot that!” and quiet “Oh my God, I remember…”
When it ended, Damien’s face was wet.
Arielle whispered, “This is the most beautiful gift anyone’s ever given me.”
They both stood.
And pulled all eight into a hug that didn’t need music, didn’t need words—
Just breath.
Just love.
Just memory, in motion.
End of One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- Chapter 186. Continue reading Chapter 187 or return to One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- book page.