Aria's POV – Few Days Later
The penthouse felt different now. Brighter somehow, despite the gray November sky beyond the windows. Maybe it was Noah's laughter as he built another elaborate dinosaur fortress. Maybe it was the way Damien hummed while making coffee, content and present instead of distant and brooding.
Or maybe it was just me—lighter, freer, finally allowing myself to be happy.
"Mama, look!" Noah ran over with a LEGO creation that vaguely resembled a pterodactyl. "I made a flying dinosaur to protect our house from bad guys!"
"It's perfect, baby." I pulled him onto my lap carefully, mindful of my still-healing ribs. "Very fierce."
"Mr. Peterson says when bad things happen, we gotta make good things to balance it out." Noah settled against me, his small weight warm and reassuring. "So I'm making lots of good things."
"That's very wise." I kissed the top of his head. "Mr. Peterson is smart."
