The city was unusually quiet.
After the gala, Aria returned home alone, her heels clicking against the cold marble floors of her penthouse as she removed them with a sigh. Eli was fast asleep in the guest room, his tiny arms wrapped around a stuffed dinosaur. The apartment smelled faintly of lavender and silence.
She changed into an oversized robe, washed off her makeup, and stood by the window with a cup of tea cooling in her hands. The city lights blinked like distant memories.
Then—three knocks.
She turned sharply.
No one should be visiting her this late. Certainly not unannounced.
She hesitated, then approached the door and looked through the peephole.
Her breath caught.
It was Margaret Blackwood.
Elias's mother.
Aria opened the door slowly. "Mrs. Blackwood…"
Margaret looked every inch the matriarch—poised, elegant, draped in a dark green shawl and pearls. But her eyes were softer than Aria remembered. Sadder, too.
"I hope I'm not intruding," she said gently.
"You… You're not. Please, come in."
Margaret stepped inside with practiced grace. She looked around, her gaze lingering on a framed photo of Eli on the console table. A silent pause passed between them.
"I came because there are things I never said," Margaret began, sitting down in the armchair. "Things I should have said years ago."
Aria remained standing. "You didn't approve of me."
"No," Margaret said, not denying it. "I didn't. I thought Elias needed someone who would match his world. I thought you… were too soft."
Aria's lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.
"I was wrong," Margaret continued. "You were never soft. You were strong in ways I couldn't see. You loved him purely, and that scared me. Because I knew my son would ruin it."
Aria sat down slowly across from her. "Then why didn't you stop him?"
"Because I was proud," Margaret admitted. "And because Elias is very much like his father—hard-headed, emotionally guarded. He pushes away what he fears losing."
Silence settled between them again. Aria traced the rim of her cup with a fingertip.
"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked.
"Because I saw the way he looked at you tonight," Margaret said softly. "He's still in love with you. And I can see that part of you still feels something for him."
Aria shook her head slightly. "Love wasn't enough before."
"No, it wasn't. But maybe time changes what love means."
She stood, her shawl slipping slightly from one shoulder. "I don't expect forgiveness. I just… wanted you to know that if there's any part of you still considering staying—not just for business, but for life—I won't stand in your way this time."
She walked to the door, pausing only once.
"You gave my son the best parts of yourself. And now you've given him a son."
Aria's breath hitched.
"You always were the one," Margaret whispered. "Even if we were too blind to see it."
Then she was gone.
Later, Aria sat beside Eli's bed, watching him sleep. Her fingers brushed his soft curls, her heart tightening with a weight she didn't know how to carry.
She didn't hear the footsteps approaching at first.
"Mommy?" Eli's sleepy voice broke through the silence.
Aria leaned over him, offering a gentle smile. "Shh, go back to sleep, sweetheart."
"Who was that lady?"
Aria blinked. "You were awake?"
Eli nodded, rubbing his eyes. "I heard voices. She looked like the grandma in the movies. The nice kind."
"She is… your grandmother," Aria said softly.
Eli's brows furrowed. "Daddy's mommy?"
Aria paused. "Yes. Daddy's mommy."
Eli stared up at her. "But why haven't I seen her before?"
Aria swallowed. "Because… sometimes adults make choices they think are right, even if they're not. But maybe we're trying to fix that now."
"Will I meet Daddy?" he asked, voice trembling a little.
Her heart cracked. "Soon. Maybe. I promise you'll know him one day, when the time is right."
"Okay." Eli yawned and cuddled back into his dinosaur. "He better like dinosaurs."
Aria smiled faintly, brushing a kiss on his forehead. "He will."
She woke the next morning to a message from Elias:
"Let's talk. Tonight. No boardroom. No business. Just us."
And beneath it, a simple line:
"I think I know the truth. I just want to hear it from you."
Aria stared at the message for a long time, heart thudding in her chest.
Tonight.
Everything could change.
Or everything could fall apart.
Again.
She typed and erased her reply three times before finally sending:
"Where?"
The reply came instantly.
"The old pier. 9 PM."
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
"I'll be there."
That evening, Aria stood on the weathered wooden planks of the pier, arms crossed against the breeze. The air smelled like salt and memory. The city lights shimmered on the water's surface, just as they had the last time she and Elias were here—five years ago.
Footsteps behind her.
"I didn't think you'd come," Elias said quietly.
She turned. He looked tired. And haunted.
"I wasn't sure I would," she admitted.
"I'm glad you did." He took a few steps closer. "Your eyes… you used to look at me with so much light. Now, it's like you're behind a glass wall."
"Maybe I am," she said. "Maybe that's how I've survived."
A long silence stretched between them.
He broke it. "Is he mine?"
She blinked slowly. "You already know the answer."
"I want to hear it."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "Yes."
Elias's breath caught. His shoulders stiffened. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You weren't ready," she said. "And I wasn't strong enough to fight for both of us back then."
"I should've known," he murmured. "There were signs. The dates. The way you disappeared."
"You didn't ask," she said. "You let me walk away."
"I didn't think you'd want me to follow."
"I did." Her voice cracked. "I waited. But eventually, I stopped hoping."
Elias turned away briefly, fists clenched at his sides. "I've lost five years with my son."
"And I've carried those years alone," she said, stepping forward. "Do you know what it's like to watch your child grow, knowing he might never know the other half of who he is?"
"I want to be in his life," Elias said suddenly. "I don't know how. But I want to try."
Aria looked at him for a long time. "He asks about you. I've never said your name. But he asks."
"Does he know he has a father?"
"He knows he has a man who made him possible. That's all I could give him. Until now."
Elias took another step. "Can I see him?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. But slowly. On his terms."
"And yours?" he asked. "What are your terms?"
She looked up at him, tears shining. "Don't break him the way you broke me."
"I won't," he said, voice hoarse. "Not again."
They stood in silence for a while, only the waves crashing softly below them.
Finally, Aria spoke. "He loves dinosaurs. And pancakes. And he thinks the moon follows him when we walk."
Elias let out a breath that was almost a laugh. "He sounds perfect."
"He is."
"I want to earn your trust again," he said. "Not just as his father. But as someone who still…" He stopped himself. "I never stopped loving you, Aria."
She looked away. "It's not that simple."
"I know. But I'd wait another five years if I had to."
Her throat tightened. "Then start by meeting him. As a friend. Nothing more."
Elias nodded. "That's enough for now."
She turned back to the water. The waves moved, constant and uncertain. But there was something healing in their rhythm.
Maybe this wasn't the end.
Maybe it was a fragile beginning.