It was late afternoon, the sun spilling gold through the tall windows of the living room. Eli sat on the floor in his soft onesie, surrounded by colorful blocks. His chubby little hands slapped against them, giggling, while Stiles knelt close, clapping her hands gently.

“Come on, baby,” she cooed in her softest voice. “Say something for Stiles… hmm? My clever boy.”

Derek lounged on the sofa with a book in hand, pretending to read but really just watching the two of them, heart swelling. Sara sat nearby, scrolling her phone, not really paying attention.

And then it happened.

Eli’s mouth opened, babbling as usual—but this time, the sound was different. Clearer.

“Ma… ma…”

The room froze.

Stiles’s eyes widened, lips parting in shock. Her heart hammered as she stared at the baby who was staring right back at her, smiling.

“Mama,” Eli giggled again, reaching his arms out toward her.

Derek sat up straight, stunned. “Did—did he just…?”

Sara’s head jerked up, phone clattering onto the coffee table. She stared at Eli, then at Stiles, her expression darkening instantly.

“No,” she snapped, voice sharp. “He did not just call her mama.”

Stiles’s lips trembled. “I—I didn’t—”

“You manipulated him!” Sara’s voice rose as she stood. “You’ve been feeding him, clinging to him like some desperate tramp—of course he’s confused! You’ve made my son think you’re his mother!”

Tears welled in Stiles’s eyes. She shook her head quickly, hugging herself. “No! I would never—he just—he said it on his own, I swear!”

Derek’s fists clenched on his knees, his jaw tight. He wanted to shout, to defend Stiles, but Sara’s shrill voice echoed too loud, and he held his tongue.

Eli, sensing the tension, began to wail, his little hands reaching out desperately toward Stiles.

“No, Eli,” Sara hissed, stepping forward. “I’m your mother. Not her.”

But Eli cried harder, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, his tiny voice breaking. “Mama… mama…”

Stiles couldn’t hold back anymore. She rushed forward, scooping him into her arms, clutching him to her chest. “Shhh, baby, shhh… don’t cry, my love.” Her tears slipped free as she rocked him gently, pressing her face against his soft hair.

In a trembling, baby-like voice, she whispered into his ear, “I’m not your mama, Eli… no, baby… but I’ll always love you, hmm? I’ll always hold you… always feed you… you’ll never be alone, sweetheart.”

Her words were too soft, too intimate for Sara or Derek to catch fully. Sara only saw Stiles murmuring into the baby’s ear, and her face twisted in fury.

Derek’s eyes, though, stayed fixed on the sight before him: Stiles holding Eli close, her tears falling, the baby calming slowly in her arms. His chest tightened with something he dared not name.

Because in that moment… Eli looked more at peace with her than he ever had with Sara.

And Derek couldn’t ignore the truth any longer.