The words came out of his mouth before he'd fully processed them, shocking even himself.
Lianhua's eyes went wide, her whole body going rigid around him.
"Wh-what?" Her voice was tiny, disbelieving.
He didn't know why he'd said it. Didn't know where the urge came from—maybe some lingering instinct from Lin Feng's absorbed memories, maybe his own subconscious desire for something 'real' in this fucked-up situation—
But now that the words were out there, he committed to them.
"I want you to give me a healthy child," he repeated, slower this time, deliberate. His hands moved to cradle her face, thumbs wiping away her tears. "A child that's ours. Living proof that you survived, that you rebuilt yourself, that you're 'mine'."
Her lips trembled, silver eyes searching his face like she was trying to understand if this was real.
"You... you want a child? With me?" The hope in her voice was almost painful to hear.
