Mia sat quietly at the edge of Aiden’s little bed, her heart heavy and full at the same time.
第79%醫
She had just tucked him in after their nightly routine… brushing teeth, reading his favorite picture book, and singing that silly lullaby he always requested. Her sweet boy was in his favorite blue pajamas with tiny yellow stars on them, his blanket pulled halfway to his chest, hugging his stuffed tiger.
She watched him now, three years old and already growing so fast, staring up at her with wide, trusting eyes that seemed too innocent for the kind of conversation she was about to have.
“Baby,” she started gently, brushing his curly hair back with her fingers, her voice soft and steady, “can mummy talk to you about something really, really important?”
Aiden nodded, blinking sleepily but alert. He reached out and held her hand like he always did when he knew she had something serious to say.
“What is it, Mama?” he asked, his little voice curious, sweet, and calm. His innocent eyes stared up at her, like he was trying to understand everything about the world just by looking into her face.
Mia swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. He was so small, but he had been through so much with her. More than any child should have to. He was her miracle- her strength through the chaos of her life. She didn’t want to shake up his world again, but she had to do what was best for them.
She took a deep breath, squeezing his tiny hand gently.
“What do you think about living in a different place, baby?” she asked carefully, watching his expression.
Aiden shrugged his little shoulders. “Is Mommy going to be there?” he asked immediately.
Mia let out a soft chuckle, touched by how pure his question was.
“Of course, baby. It’s going to be me and you,” she said, smiling through the ache in her chest.
He tilted his head. “Do I get to play my Pocho game?” he asked seriously.
Mia’s heart melted a little more. The Pocho game
–
his favorite racing game was his whole world right now. The way he said it, with his wide eyes and hopeful tone, made her want to scoop him up and never let go.
She nodded, smiling at him. “Of course you can, baby. You can play your Pocho game whenever you want.”
Aiden looked thoughtful for a moment, as if weighing the decision with all the importance a three–year–old could muster.
“Okay,” he said simply.
But Mia wasn’t done. She needed him to understand a bit more.
“Baby,” she continued gently, brushing her fingers along his arm, “you won’t see your friends anymore.”
Aiden blinked, his small mouth puckering slightly as if he was thinking hard.
He looked up at her again. “What about Grandma and Aunt Lily? Will they come too?”
Mia’s heart squeezed. She hated this part. She wished she could take everyone with her. But she couldn’t.
She shook her head slowly, still smiling, still soft. “No, baby. It’s just going to be me, Uncle Ethan, and you.”
Aiden let out a small, thoughtful “Oh.” His little brows furrowed slightly, and she could almost see the gears turning in his head.
She stayed silent, letting him think.
1/4
37950
Chapter 168.
“Can I visit?” he asked after a moment, his voice small but hopeful.
Mia felt her heart expand. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
“Of course, baby. And they can come visit us too, whenever they want.”
Aiden nodded slowly, staring at the ceiling like he was still thinking about everything.
Then he looked back at her, his hand still gripping hers.
“Okay, Mama,” he said softly.
Mia stared at him, her eyes suddenly stinging. She knew he didn’t fully understand what he was agreeing to not really–but the fact that he trusted her so completely broke something inside her. He trusted her to lead them. To protect him. To make the right decisions.
He always had.
He might seem normal to him but it meant the world to her.
She blinked quickly, swallowing the tears, and gave him a watery smile.
“Is that a yes, baby?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aiden nodded, his sleepy eyes fluttering now.
“Yes, Mama,” he said, his voice fading.
1
Mia leaned over and kissed his cheek again, lingering there for a moment. She closed her eyes, breathing him in the soft scent of baby shampoo and cocoa butter. Her baby. Her reason for everything.
She tucked the blanket around him again and stood slowly, turning off the lamp by the bedside.
As she walked to the door, she looked back once more and saw him curled up, hugging his stuffed tiger close, his chest rising and falling in the calm rhythm of sleep.
Mia stood there for a while, just staring.
She had made up her mind, but she needed this moment. This quiet moment of peace before everything changed.
It was time. For both of them.
And somehow, knowing her son was okay with it, even just a little, gave her the strength she didn’t know she needed.
“Thank you, baby. Thank you for trusting Mama.” She whispered softly into the darkness of his room
Then she gently closed the door behind her.
She walked quietly into the living room, where the rest of her family sat.
Ethan looked up as she entered. “Hey, just telling them about the offer you got in Singapore,” he said, nodding toward the others.
“A very good one too,” he added with a proud smile.
Mia smiled softly, lowering herself into the armchair across from them. But before she could say anything, her mother spoke.
“The way you’re pushing this whole thing, is there something you’re not telling us?” her mom asked, her voice light, but there was a question beneath it. A concern.
2/4
Chapter 168
3779%
Ethan rolled his eyes. “The only thing I haven’t said is how amazing the job offer is. You guys are acting like she’s moving to Mars.”
They all chuckled a bit, but Mia noticed the slight tension in the air.
“Anyway,” Mia said, tucking her legs beneath her, “Aiden’s on board. So… I’ll accept it. Honestly, the fact that they’re even considering me without a single ounce of working experience is amazing.”
She smiled, but her eyes drifted to her mother’s face. And then Lily’s. She saw it then–the fall of their expressions, the way their eyes dimmed just a little. It wasn’t disapproval. It was sadness.
She understood.
They were too close to ethan
Especially Lily.
But then again, nothing surprised her anymore. Not these days.
Her family had changed so much. Sometimes, she wondered if she would wake up from a long coma one day and discover that everything…Aiden, the past few years, her degree, the pain, the love, had all been a strange dream. A long, painful dream.
But this was real. Her life.
“I will always bring him to visit,” Mia said softly, looking directly at her mother.
Her mom offered a tired smile. “It’s okay, Mia.”
But then Lily leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “I would suggest you go without him. For his safety.”
Mia blinked. “What? Why?”
Lily didn’t flinch. “Firstly, Aiden is the ridiculous spitting image of his father.”
Mia froze.
Those words, his father, it was barely ever spoken anymore. Not because they had forgotten, but because it was silently forbidden to speak of him or about him
She knew what Lily meant though. Aiden didn’t just resemble Alex. He was Alex.
The boy had his exact eyes, that same soft hazel that looked golden in the sun. His nose. His smile. His damn smirk when he thought he was being clever. Even his posture sometimes. The way he sat with one leg crossed over the other, like a mini adult.
Mia often joked in her head that the universe had found a way to give her Alex without actually giving her Alex. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t the universe being poetic. It was just biology. Genes. Science.
Still, she hated that her son had to carry that man’s face.
“There are times I feel like the universe decided to give me a version of Alex since I couldn’t have him,” she admitted in her head, but didn’t say it aloud.
She wouldn’t say that out loud.
Because the truth was, no matter how much Aiden looked like Alex, he wasn’t him. He was her miracle. A gift she never expected but would never trade.
Lily’s voice broke the silence again. “No matter how much we tiptoe around the fact that he carries his father’s entire face, strangers outside won’t do that. Anyone who knows Alex Blackwell will connect the dots. I think it’s risky.”
Ann sighed. “It’s Singapore, not Willowcrest though. I think he’ll be fine.”
3/4
32
379%
7153
Chapter 168
Lily turned to her. “Are you willing to gamble on that?”
Her mom shifted on the couch. “It’s a small world, but not that small for someone to connect him to his father or even for you to meet anyone from Willowcrest in Singapore. Too far–fetched. Drop it.”
A long beat of silence followed.
No one said anything for a moment. The air felt heavier now.
Mia rubbed her palms against her thighs, thinking.
Was it possible? Was Lily right?
She hated the fear in her chest.
But she also hated the idea of being apart from her son. Even for a while.
She looked at Ethan, who gave her a small nod, supportive and quiet. Always in her corner.
“So,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “It’s settled?”
“Yeah,” her mother said with a soft exhale, reaching for her hand.
Mia held on to it tightly.
It was settled.
4/4
