Aurelia said with a soft smile, "When I was pregnant, I kept dreaming about a child who had crawled up next to me, flashed that dimpled grin, and told me he was back. I just know it was Liam, our little angel. He never left, you see. He's come back to us, right here in my belly."
Leopold darkened his expression, a storm brewing behind his eyes. "Are you fabricating these fairy tales to manipulate me into being kinder to William? Is that it?"
Aurelia took a delicate bite of her cake, letting the richness of the cocoa melt on her tongue before responding. "You might not believe it, but that's how I feel. Why else would I have come to terms with losing Liam? It's because he's returned my heart. William is Liam's reincarnation."
He tightened his grip on his glass, the milk inside rippling with tension. After a long silence, he took a sip and said, "Liam wouldn't just become Arnold's son."
A sigh escaped Aurelia. His Liam did end up with Arnold, and he didn’t want to acknowledge Leopold.
"Maybe it's his way of spitting you. After all, you couldn't protect him. He was snatched away by evildoers the moment he entered this world. Can you blame him for harboring some resentment?"
His heart ached, the wound deep and unhealed. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes as Aurelia's words struck home.
"So, the little William annoys me now and then because of some grudge from a past life?"
"Yep," Aurelia nodded, her head bobbing affirmatively.
He flicked her forehead playfully. "Quite the storyteller, aren't you? Do you take me for a toddler?"
She pouted. "Believe it or not, that's up to you."
Dinner was ready.
Skyler and the children came running back from the garden, ready to wash up for the meal.
Today's spread was a feast fit for kings: roast beef, lamb chops, and baked goose... all the kids' favorites.
"Time to eat!" Skyler announced, growling his stomach in anticipation.
"Skyler, could you pass me some of that baked goose leg? It's my absolute favorite," Mira said in her sweet and childlike voice.
"Coming right up!" Skyler served her a generous portion.
Jessica chuckled. "It's nice to have the house full of kids. They really bring life to this old place."
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