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Chapter 101 – Arya's POV
"The Heart Always Finds Its Way Back"
Pregnancy had never been a walk in the park for me.
With Liam, it was exhaustion and back pain.
With this one? Cravings that didn't make sense, wild mood swings, and a stomach that growled like it had its own personality.
But this morning… I felt something different.
Not physical.
Something in my heart.
Peace.
The kind that seeps in after long nights of tears and longer weeks of healing. The kind that wraps around you when someone stays—when someone loves you through the broken parts.
I rolled over in bed and found Damon still asleep, snoring softly, hair messy, one hand protectively resting near where my belly curved under the covers.
It made me smile.
He'd done everything—gotten the weirdest food orders, massaged my swollen feet, endured my mood swings, held me when I cried without saying a word.
And the thing was… I knew he wasn't just doing it out of guilt.
He wanted to.
Because he loved me.
Because we were real now.
Flawed. Messy. Forged through fire.
But real.
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After brushing my teeth, I wandered into the living room in Damon's oversized hoodie, only to find a sticky note taped to the wall.
In big, bold, childish letters:
> "MOMMY FOLLOW THE ARROWS!!! 💙"
I raised an eyebrow and looked down.
Sure enough, blue arrows drawn with marker pointed toward the kitchen.
I followed them, amused.
Another note on the fridge.
> "LOOK IN THE OVEN BUT DON'T TURN IT ON!!!"
I opened the oven.
Inside sat a plate wrapped in foil. On top of it, a note:
> "TO: MOMMY FROM: YOUR #1 SON WHO THINKS YOU'RE THE BESTEST MOM IN THE UNIVERSE EVEN WHEN YOU YELL BECAUSE YOU'RE HUNGRY."
I choked out a laugh, already tearing up.
I unwrapped the foil and nearly lost it when I saw what he'd done.
On the plate was:
A slice of mango.
Blueberries.
Crushed chips.
A gummy lasagna built from fruit roll-ups, marshmallows, and jelly beans.
And on top?
A single chicken nugget.
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I sat down at the table, blinking back tears as Liam popped out from behind the hallway.
"Surprise!!" he yelled, arms out.
I laughed, wiping my eyes. "Liam, what is this?"
"It's your favorite!" he said proudly. "I couldn't cook real food, but I made a Liam-style version."
I pulled him into a hug so tight he squeaked.
"This is the sweetest, most disgusting-looking breakfast I've ever seen," I whispered into his hair.
He giggled. "You're gonna eat it, right?"
I gave him a look. "The lasagna looks like it might crawl off the plate."
"I worked so hard on it!"
I picked up the fork. "Then I guess I'm eating it."
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Damon entered the room seconds later, clearly woken up by our laughter. His eyes landed on the plate, then on Liam, then on me.
"I'm assuming this is an emotional trap," he said.
"Be careful," I warned. "The lasagna bites back."
He kissed the top of my head, then bent down to hug Liam. "Good job, buddy."
"I made her cry," Liam said proudly.
"In a good way," I added quickly.
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Later, while Liam watched cartoons, I sat outside with Damon, sipping herbal tea as the morning sun warmed my legs.
"I don't know how we got here," I said softly.
"But I'm glad we did."
Damon reached over and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek.
"We got here because we didn't give up," he said. "Because you didn't let your pain harden you. Because I realized love isn't something you claim once — it's something you prove every day."
I leaned into him.
"You proved it," I whispered. "Even when I didn't make it easy."
"I'll keep proving it," he promised.
And in that moment, with our baby fluttering inside me and Liam laughing in the distance, I believed him.
Because we weren't perfect.
But we were home.
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End of chapter 100 - Arya's POV