Chapter 230: Another one?
The entire ride to The Sanctuary Heights almost remained quiet.
Eira stayed nestled in Adelyn’s embrace, hugging her close as if afraid she might slip away the moment she loosened her hold. Adelyn didn’t mind at all. If anything, she welcomed it. One of her hands kept stroking the girl’s soft hair absentmindedly, her fingers moving in slow, gentle motions while her mind wandered elsewhere —lost in thoughts she hadn’t yet sorted through.
Dylan noticed.
His gaze lingered on her for a brief moment before he spoke. His tone was light but attentive. "What have you been thinking so deeply?"
His voice pulled her out of her thoughts almost instantly.
Adelyn blinked, turning her head toward him with a faint trace of confusion, as if she had momentarily forgotten where she was. Then, giving a small shake of her head, she replied, "Oh, nothing. I was just ... a bit curious." She paused briefly before adding, "Has my mood been that obvious on my face?"
Dylan watched her quietly.
Though she framed it as simple curiosity, he could tell —it wasn’t just that. There was surprise there. A quiet disbelief. As if she couldn’t quite accept that someone had seen through her so easily.
But he wasn’t surprised.
Raising Eira for all these years, he had learned something very clearly —his daughter was not an ordinary child. There was a peculiar depth to her, a balance of fire and calm that didn’t quite match her age. And more often than not, it was entirely her choice which side she chose to reveal.
"Why don’t you ask her and see?" he said simply.
For a second, Adelyn thought he was just humoring her.
But when she looked into his eyes—those deep, steady, almost abyssal eyes —she realized he was serious. Completely serious. As if he believed that Eira hadn’t guessed ... but had known.
And that thought felt absurd.
Eira was just a child. Barely four.
How could someone so young understand emotions with such clarity?
Still, curiosity got the better of her.
She glanced down at the little girl in her arms, then back at Dylan. He gave her a small nod, silently encouraging her.
Letting out a soft breath, Adelyn shifted her attention fully to Eira. Her fingers gently combed through the girl’s hair as she called softly, "Baby ..."
Eira tilted her head up immediately, her big, bright eyes meeting Adelyn’s.
Her face was so small, so soft —so heartbreakingly adorable —that for a fleeting second, Adelyn felt the urge to kiss her cheeks again. But this time, she held herself back.
Instead, she smiled and asked gently, "How did you know I was upset earlier? Did you guess it?"
Eira shook her head.
"Then ... you knew it?" Adelyn asked.
This time, the girl nodded —firm and confident.
Adelyn’s gaze flickered briefly toward Dylan. As expected, he didn’t look surprised in the slightest.
Turning back to Eira, she asked softly, "How did you know that?"
Eira thought for a moment, her tiny fingers curling into the fabric of Adelyn’s sleeve as if grounding herself while she searched for the right words.
"Mhm ..." she hummed softly. "Eira knew it when Eira hugged Mama earlier."
Adelyn blinked, slightly taken aback. "When you hugged me?"
Eira nodded again, more thoughtfully this time.
"When Eira hugged Mama ... Mama felt different."
Adelyn’s expression softened with confusion. "Different ... how?"
Eira tilted her head, her brows knitting slightly —not out of distress, but concentration.
"Mama’s heart ..." she said slowly, placing her small palm gently against Adelyn’s chest. "It was beating fast ... like always. But not happy-fast."
Her voice softened further, almost like a secret meant only for her.
"It felt ... messy," she added after a pause. "Like when Eira drops all her toys and doesn’t know if she wants to pick them up again or not."
Adelyn froze.
The comparison was simple —childlike.
But it struck something deep inside her.
Eira continued, her tiny fingers now moving up to lightly touch the corner of Adelyn’s eyes.
"And Mama’s eyes ..." she whispered, "they were smiling ... but not really."
She leaned closer, her forehead nearly touching Adelyn’s.
"They were shiny ... like when Eira wants to cry but doesn’t ... because Dada says crying isn’t always the brave thing to do."
Dylan’s gaze shifted at that.
For a brief moment, his eyes lingered on his daughter before returning to Adelyn. But he didn’t interrupt.
Eira remained focused.
"So Eira knew ..." she concluded softly, nodding as if confirming her own reasoning. "Mama was upset ... but hiding it."
Silence settled inside the car.
Not heavy.
But full.
Adelyn stared at the girl in her arms, her throat tightening in a way she hadn’t expected.
How could a child ... see through her so clearly?
Even she hadn’t been able to articulate her own feelings like that.
Even she hadn’t fully admitted to herself that —despite everything, despite cutting ties, despite convincing herself she had moved on —Charlotte’s words had still affected her.
Not because of cruelty.
But because of something far more complicated.
The bias.
The quiet favoritism.
The unspoken imbalance that had always existed ... yet never really realized. Not until today.
Her hand slowly rose, cupping Eira’s cheek, her thumb brushing gently against her soft skin.
"You ..." she murmured, a soft laugh slipping through her lips, "how did you grow up to be so perceptive, hmm?"
Eira blinked at her.
Then smiled —bright, innocent, as if that deep moment had never happened at all.
"Because Mama feels big things," she said simply. "So Eira has to notice big things too."
It was such a simple answer.
Logical, even.
And yet ...
It felt right.
Adelyn’s eyes softened further. This time, she didn’t hold herself back.
Leaning down, she pressed a lingering kiss against Eira’s forehead, holding her just a little tighter than before.
Dylan watched quietly.
His gaze lingered on Adelyn for a moment longer than necessary —deep, thoughtful, unreadable.
Then, as if nothing had shifted, he leaned back slightly against the seat, his tone returning to its usual calm.
"Looks like," he said, glancing at her, "we’ve got another one who can thoroughly expose you."
Adelyn let out a small breath, shaking her head lightly. "Seems like it," she replied.
But then—
Something in his words caught her attention.
Her head turned toward him, brows knitting slightly in confusion.
Another one?
