Chapter 86

Lauren's POV

While still sitting there on my couch, lost in a spiral of thoughts, I felt the soft brush of a small hand against my hair. My head tilted almost instinctively, and when I looked up, there she was Aria. Her big curious eyes gazed at me, her tiny fingers smoothing my hair as though she could fix whatever was wrong inside of me. My chest tightened, and for a second, I almost forgot about everything else.

I turned my head slightly, my eyes catching her plate on the dining table. It was empty. I frowned in disbelief. Aria never finished her food unless I sat with her, coaxed her, and made sure every last bite was gone. If I didn’t supervise, she’d always push her plate aside halfway through. Yet tonight, she had finished.

That told me everything. She had noticed.

“Are you alright, mummy?” she asked softly, her voice filled with the same worry I used to hear from Elena whenever I was down. That same gentleness, that same awareness far