"Huh?"
Lia's voice cracked as the single word escaped her trembling lips. Her eyes widened, heart pounding violently in her chest, barely able to comprehend what she'd just heard.
She stared at her mother as if the world had turned upside down.
She... she didn't hate Aether?
That couldn't be true, right?
But all this time... everything Mary had said, everything she had done — the cold glares, the forbidding warnings, the firm commands not to see him. It all screamed hatred. It always felt like her mother truly despised him.
So then... what was this?
Mary's eyes softened as she watched the pure confusion twisting her daughter's expression. Her lips curled into a loving smile, her chest swelling at the sight of her baby girl looking so lost and adorable.
She couldn't resist.
With a chuckle, she leaned forward, reached out, and pinched Lia's cheek gently before planting a kiss on it. Her voice came out soft, laced with both pride and warmth as she said,
