Chloe Reed’s heart was a tangle of complicated emotions.
"Chloe, what are you thinking about?"
Fiona Linton’s curious voice sounded beside her.
Chloe Reed snapped out of it, turned to look at her, and then shook her head.
"Auntie."
Just then, Noah heard their voices and turned to look. When he saw Chloe Reed, his eyes lit up, and he held out his arms to her.
"Cuddle."
Chloe Reed looked at him with a complicated expression, walked over, and picked him up.
Only after lifting him did she realize just how small he was—a little boy not yet four years old.
His worldview hadn’t even begun to form. He was just starting to understand the world and express it with words.
And yet, he had already experienced so many complicated and dark things.
For him to still be able to open his heart to others under these circumstances was truly a rare and precious thing.
Chloe Reed looked down at him, at the face that so closely resembled Julian Grant’s, and the wall of ice around her heart completely shattered.
He was Julian Grant’s child.
He himself had done nothing wrong.
The one at fault had always been Sunny Reed.
She shouldn’t project her negative feelings onto a child.
Chloe Reed couldn’t help but hug him a little tighter.
Noah loved being held by her. He felt so warm—warmer than in his own mother’s arms.
He lifted his little face and asked, "Auntie, can you tell me a story?"
Chloe Reed gave a helpless smile and shook her head.
Judith Pierce said, "Noah, your auntie is hurt. She can’t speak right now."
Noah turned to look at Judith Pierce, then back at Chloe Reed, before reaching out to touch her throat.
"Does it hurt?"
"If it hurts, I’ll blow on it for you."
As he spoke, he really did lean in and blow on it with great earnestness.
Chloe Reed’s expression stiffened for a moment, and she shook her head.

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