Aiden paused at her question —it caught him off guard.
Not because of hesitation, but because … something about the question felt off. Like she was having something else on her mind when she asked him.
He didn't answer immediately.
And when she turned to look at him, her gaze open and waiting, he saw it —the vulnerability behind her words. The quiet hope.
Finding her staring at him, he asked softly, as if confirming, "You want to have kids?"
Arwen gave a small, warm nod.
"Yes … I want to have one. To see what parenting feels like. I know it must be tough, but —"
Before she could explain further, Aiden stopped her with the words she didn't know she needed.
"You aren't going to be like her."
She blinked at him, slightly surprised. Although it wasn't his first time. He had read her perfectly —again. Even when she didn't say it out loud.
Her head tilted slightly as she studied him, heart thudding in her chest.
