Chapter 280 Almond Eyes

• Aidan closed the door to his apartment, the satisfying click echoing through the quiet space. His heart was still light, a warmth in his chest that hadn't left since he and Emily had met earlier that day. They had walked through the park, talking and laughing, the tension between them slowly fading as if the years of separation had never happened. He couldn’t stop smiling as he thought about it. The way her hair caught the light, the softness in her eyes when she looked at him—it was like they had never been apart.
• He stood in front of the mirror, running a hand through his hair, his smile lingering as he replayed their conversations in his head. She had agreed to spend more time with him, to try and rebuild what they had lost. The thought of being with her again, of having her by his side, filled him with a hope he hadn’t felt in years. He looked at his reflection, his blue almond-shaped eyes staring back at him, and for a moment, everything felt right.
• But as he gazed into the mirror, something shifted. His smile faded slightly, and a memory flickered in his mind, unbidden. It was from a few weeks ago, at the shopping mall. He had been walking through the aisles when a little girl had bumped into him, her tiny hands clutching a toy. She had looked up at him with wide, curious eyes—eyes that, at the time, had seemed oddly familiar.