Aria sat there frozen for a moment, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap, staring at Richard across from her. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions...shock, disbelief, curiosity, and something she hadn’t felt in a long time: hope.
Family.
The word rolled over her like a wave she hadn’t expected, a warmth she didn’t know she still remembered. Her mother’s laughter, the scent of her perfume that she had started to forget, the faint warmth of her embrace...memories she had buried deep for years...were suddenly tangible, echoing in the quiet tension of the room.
She had forced herself to think that family wasn't so important. That she didn't need one. That she survive alone. She had lived by herself since her mother's passing and even before then, it was just the two of them...herse
