Chapter 20

Liana’s POV

“Is this not…” her voice trailed off as she rubbed her eyes, looking between Killian, Ryan, and me. Her expression was a mix of confusion and realization.

Her gaze settled on Ryan, who was now hiding shyly behind my leg.

“Liana,” she said slowly, cautiously, “is this your child?”

I nodded gently. My heart was racing. “Yes, Mother. This is Ryan.”

Killian stood beside us, saying nothing, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

I knelt beside Ryan and brushed his curls gently. “Baby, say hello to Grandma.”

Ryan blinked, a little unsure, then stepped forward a bit. “Hi… I’m Ryan,” he said softly, his voice unsure but polite.

Mother just stared at him. Completely frozen.

She looked at his face, then glanced at Killian again. Her eyes were slowly scanning every part of him. The resemblance wasn’t small, but she said nothing. Her lips pressed into a thin line as if she wanted to say something but chose to