The black sedan slowly came to a halt before the ancestral mansion. Before the driver could open the door, Mira had already stepped out. Her eyes wandered across the old estate. It was unfamiliar for her.
The sprawling garden. The wooden swing beneath the banyan tree. The stone pathway lined with flowers.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
Yet, somehow...
it also felt like home.
Leon walked beside her and quietly intertwined his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hand unconsciously.
At the entrance stood Leon's parents.
The moment they saw Mira, tears welled up in his mother's eyes.
Without saying a word, she walked over and gently embraced her.
"You've come home."
Mira didn't know why, but she found herself hugging the lady back.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered softly.
His mother smiled through her tears.
"No."
"You came back."
"That's enough."
Leon watched quietly, and introduced them, Luca Deskmore and Jina Volt;
His father cleared his throat.
"Come inside."
As they entered the mansion, Mira's gaze wandered across the family photographs decorating the walls.
In almost every frame, there was a tiny little boy.
Sleeping in Leon's arms. Holding onto his fingers with his tiny hands.
She stopped before one photograph. Her fingertips lightly touched the glass.
"...He's beautiful."
Leon stood beside her.
"Yes."
"He is."
Just then...
a soft giggle echoed from the garden.
Everyone turned.
A tiny boy, barely steady on his feet, was waddling across the lawn after a colorful ball.
Every few steps he stumbled, only to regain his balance with determined little steps.
A nanny followed nervously behind him.
"Young Master... slowly."
The ball rolled toward the front porch and stopped near Mira.
She instinctively bent down and picked it up.
The little boy looked up.
His round eyes blinked.
For a brief moment, he simply stared.
Then his tiny face brightened.
His little hands stretched toward her.
"Ma..."
He babbled happily.
"Ma...ma..."
The sound was unclear yet it struck everyone's heart.
Mira froze.
The ball slipped from her hand.
The little boy toddled toward her with uncertain steps.
When he finally reached her, he wrapped both tiny arms around her leg.
His cheek rubbed against her dress as though he had found the safest place in the world.
Mira's breath caught.
She slowly crouched down.
Tiny fingers reached for her face.
Then clumsily touched her nose.
The little boy giggled.
Without thinking, Mira lifted him into her arms.
The movement came naturally.
One arm supported his little body. The other gently patted his back. The child immediately relaxed.
He rested his head against her shoulder and softly played with a strand of her hair.
Mira's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't remember him..."
she whispered looking at Leon desperately.
"But..."
She hugged him a little tighter.
"Why does holding you feel so familiar?"
Mehul looked up at her.
His tiny palm rested against her cheek.
Then he smiled. A bright, innocent smile that carried no resentment.
Leon quietly stepped closer. His hand rested on Mira's shoulder.
Watching his wife cradle their son, he felt months of fear quietly dissolve.
No memories had returned.
And yet... he know, some relationships existed beyond memory.
They simply belonged to the heart.