Ruby stepped forward, her posture calm, though she could feel the weight of Martha's eyes on her. Before she could answer, Kaelan spoke, his voice low but steady. "Mom, she is Ruby… Karl's wife."
At that, Ruby glanced sideways at Kaelan. His eyes lingered on her longer than necessary, filled with emotions she couldn't quite place.
Martha, however, noticed. She had always been able to read her son too well—his silence, his gaze, the subtle shifts in his expression. And in that moment, she saw it clearly: the way his eyes softened when they landed on Ruby, the way his composure slipped just slightly. So… after Emma, he's found someone again, she thought, a quiet warmth blooming in her chest.
For Martha, seeing her son fall in love again—after all the hurt he had carried—was nothing short of a relief. She masked her realization with a polite smile, but inside, she was glad.
Because for the first time in a long while, Kaelan's heart seemed to be alive again.
