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Sienna’s POV

I was just starting to drift off to sleep on the couch when the front door creaked open. I instinctively straightened, my heart beating faster. For a moment, I panicked, afraid it was just another bad dream arriving uninvited. But then a deep, familiar voice called out.

“Sienna? Noah? I’m home.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I still stood up. bI /bunwrapped my knees and walked out of the living room

toward the entrance.

“Liam,” I whispered softly, “be quiet. Noah’s just gone to bed.”

Liam stopped in his tracks and turned to me. His eyes looked tired, but there was a small glimmer in them, as if he had returned with something different this time. In his hands, I saw severalrge stic bags, making me frown.

I squinted, leaned closer, and pointed at the bags. “What are those?” I asked, half suspicious, half

confused.

Liam held the bags higher, his smile thin but unmistakable. “Fried chicken and pizza,” he replied lightly.

I let out a long sigh, then unconsciously hit his arm lightly with the back of my hand. “You’re like this! bYou /bshould have told me before you were going out to eat. I was already getting ready to cook.”

Liam just chuckled, as if enjoying my nagging. “But you haven’t started cooking yet, have you?” he replied, giving me a look full of excuses.

I snorted, turning to the kitchen. True, I’d just put the groceries in the fridge and hadn’t had a chance to take out any ingredients yet. So technically, he wasn’t wrong. But I still felt like I’d lost the argument.

“Yeah, but still. I already had a menu in mind for tonight,” I said, half protesting, half resigned.

Liam approached, cing the stic bags on the dining table. “Come on, don’t be mad. Wake Noah up. Let’s eat together while it’s still warm.”

I stared at him for a few seconds. There was something rxed about his demeanor tonight, as if he wanted to lighten the mood. Maybe this was his way of trying to smooth over the issues between us.

I sighed, then finally smiled a little. “You, really,” I said softly, shaking my head.

“Wake up Noah,” he repeated, softer this time, almost like a request.

I stared at his face for a moment, then turned toward Noah’s room. I opened the door carefully and stepped into the room, lit only by a small nightlight on the corner table.

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“Noah.” I whispered softly, sitting on the edge of his bed. I stroked his hair, making him squirm slightly.” Honey, wake up for a minute. Daddy’s home with fried chicken and pizza.”

His eyes slowly opened, still half–conscious. “Pizza?” he mumbled hoarsely.

I chuckled and nodded. “Yes, pizza. Come on, let’s eat together.”

Within seconds, his enthusiasm returned. He sat up quickly, rubbed his eyes, and climbed down the bed with small, stillzy steps. I took his hand and walked out of the room, holding back augh at how food

could wake him up faster than any rm clock.

As soon as he reached the dining table, Noah immediately eximed, “Yeay!” I saw arge pizza box on the table,plete with a bag of delicious–smelling fried chicken.

Liam turned to me with a proud smile. I just shook my head and pulled out a chair, inviting Noah to sit

first.

We started opening the boxes. The savory aroma immediately filled the room. Pizza with melted cheese, crispy fried chicken, and still–warm fries all looked tempting.

“Noah, take this first,” I said, pushing the te toward him.

b“/bYou can choose your own toppings, right?” he asked, pointing to the pizza.

“Of course,” Liam replied quickly, his voice full of childlike enthusiasm.

Noah took a slice of pizza with his favorite toppings, then a piece of fried chicken. His eyes lit up, his smile wide. I looked at him with a warm heart; this simple moment felt so precious.

I then took my share, and so did Liam. The three of us sat at the dining table, enjoying our meal together. Noah told me about the yground at the cafe, how he had made a new drawing, and how a friend had almost run him over while going down the slide. The story flowed, filled withughter, without pause.

Liam and I asionally nced at each other during Noah’s story. A small smile appeared, a smile that had long since disappeared, now slowly returning. We didn’t need many words that night. Just listening to Noah with an open heart was enough to fill the empty space in our chests a little.

Noah chewed eagerly, his cheeks puffed out, then quickly swallowed his food so he could continue his story. “And then, Mommy, when I drew a dinosaur, my friend said its head was too big!” He giggled to himself, his eyes sparkling.

bI /bsmiled as I fed him a small piece of fried chicken. “Is its head too big, honey?” I asked, pretending to be

serious.

“No,” Noah replied quickly, shaking his head vigorously. “It’s a super strong dinosaur. So its head has to be big so it can bite a lot,”

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Liam chuckled, his voice crisp, making me turn my head too. “Good logic,i” /ihe said, giving Noah a thumbs olliup. “Daddy agrees with you.” /li/ol

Noah grew even more enthusiastic, his hands moving as he exined. “Right? Daddy understands! Well, then I added horns to his head, like a triceratops. So it’s even stronger!”

I sighed withughter, staring at my son’s innocent face,pletely lost in his imagination. “You’re so creative, Noah. Mommy is so proud.”

The boy blushed, then nced at Liam. “Is Daddy proud too?”

Liam stared at him for a long moment, then nodded with a soft smile. “So proud. You’re an amazing kid,

Noah.”

There was a brief silence after that, not because of awkwardness, but because Liam’s words felt so honest, they pierced something deep inside me. I looked down for a moment, tidying up the crumbs on the table, trying to hide my suddenly surging emotions.

Noah spoke again, breaking the silence. “Daddy, when can youe back to school? Some of my friends are asking why Daddy never picks me up.”

The question was simple, innocent, but it almost took my breath away. I turned quickly to Liam, waiting

for his answer.

Liam looked stunned for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Daddy will try, Noah. If I’m not busy with work,

Daddy wants to pick you up.”

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