Chapter 71

From the moment he was born until now, this might've been the first time he truly felt cared for. That kind of warmth-he'd been chasing it his whole life, and finally, here it was. With his eyes shut, he inhaled deeply, drawn to the soft scent clinging to her. It grounded him, as if all the chaos inside quieted down a bit. That warmth-they both felt it, easing into the cracks in their hearts. Ariella needed a hug just as much, didn't she? Her heart had long been exhausted-beaten down over and over again. Missing pieces in her memory, the loss of her biological parents, and all the humiliation Lucian had thrown at her-it all left her scarred. They stayed like that for a while, until Forrest let out a low chuckle and joked, "You've got serious mom vibes, you know that?" Only then did she finally let go, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. All she wanted was to comfort him earlier-never even thought about the whole men-and-women thing. But that joke? It made her suddenly self-cons