He Buried Me But I Painted My Own Resurrection novel Chapter 263

She looked up, meeting her parents' eyes, which were brimming with anticipation and a touch of nervous anxiety.

Evelyn gripped the hem of her shirt so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

Even Arthur found himself subconsciously holding his breath.

The room was completely silent.

In that moment, Sienna's impenetrable emotional defenses finally began to crack.

She didn't reach for the legal documents.

Instead, her gaze drifted to the steaming plate of sweet and sour pork in the center of the table. For the first time, she reached out and picked up her chopsticks.

She delicately picked up a piece of the glossy, ruby-red pork and brought it to her lips.

The tangy, sweet flavor instantly bloomed across her taste buds.

It tasted exactly like a hazy, distant memory she could barely place.

A perfect reflection of her complicated, chaotic emotions in that exact moment.

Watching her finally take a bite of the food, Evelyn's eyes instantly welled with tears.

She quickly looked down, discreetly wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

Arthur felt his own eyes burn, a lump forming in his throat that made it impossible to speak a full sentence.

This family dinner, delayed by over two decades, finally carried the true warmth of home.

...

The next morning, the first rays of light slipped through the crack in the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

The faint chirping of birds drifted in from outside, blending with the rhythmic hiss of the garden sprinklers below.

Sienna was woken by the buzzing of her phone.

The vibration was soft but persistent, tapping rhythmically against the wooden surface of the nightstand.

Her eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, allowing a sliver of morning light to fall diagonally across her pillow.

She reached for her phone, her movements still sluggish with sleep.

When her fingertips brushed the icy metal frame, a chill ran up her arm.

The screen glared harshly in the dim bedroom, forcing her to squint until her eyes adjusted.

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