The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes b<\/p>\n
Chapter 65\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, I took Oliver to an amusement center. I wanted our last hours together to be filled with joy before he had to return\u00a0<\/p>\n
home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, Oliver ran around until he was covered in sweat, cotton candy in one hand and ice cream in the other, alternating bites with\u00a0<\/p>\n
obvious delight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018You\u2019ll get a stomachache,\u201d I warned, watching him with a mixture of concern and amusement. \u201cWhy can\u2019t you ever behave?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Mommy! I\u2019m super strong\u2013I never get sick,\u201d he insisted, offering me his ice cream. \u201cHere, have a taste!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave it a token lick, purposely keeping my expression stern. \u201cAfter this one, no more treats. Understand?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mommy!\u201d Oliver\u2019s eyes crinkled with happiness as he beamed at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pure joy on his face made my heart squeeze. Being with him was so precious, and I wished I could freeze this moment forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, he doubled over. \u201cMommy, my tummy hurts!\u201d he whined, clutching his stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt must be from all that sugar and cold! Let\u2019s get you to a doctor,\u201d I said, immediately scooping him up and tossing the unfinished ice cream in a nearby trash can. I should never have given in and bought him so many treats\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no\u2014I just need to go potty! Find a bathroom, quick!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh! Right, bathroom!\u201d I asked a staff member for directions and rushed toward the restrooms with Oliver in my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy! I\u2019m a boy\u2013I can\u2019t go into the ladies\u2018 room! Just w\/ Apply\u00a0<\/p>\n
men\u2019s room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
for me out here!\u201d The little munchkin hopped down and bounced into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing his normal demeanor, I realized my panic had been unnecessary. Still, taking care of children was exhausting. Just one day of\u00a0<\/p>\n
playtime had nearly drained my last ounce of energy,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat on a bench near the restrooms to wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I spotted her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A strikingly beautiful little girl wandered into my line of sight. Her eyelashes were impossibly long, and her eyes resembled deep pools of water you could drown in. She appeared to be the same age as Oliver.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I admired her angelic features, I noticed a group of older boys\u2013maybe five or six of them\u2013racing toward her without paying attention. Without thinking, I leaped to my feet and darted forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 65\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch out!\u201d I called, wrapping my arms around the girl just as the stampede of children rushed past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood frozen in the middle of the indoor playground, her eyes wide with confusion and fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held her gently, relieved she hadn\u2019t been knocked over. \u201cAre you okay, sweetie?\u201d I asked softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The girl stared at me with an intensity that startled me. Her dark eyes, previously dull, suddenly shimmered. The transformation was so\u00a0<\/p>\n
dramatic it made me pause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you\u2026 know me?\u201d I asked, bewildered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shook her head no.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet something about her reaction suggested familiarity\u2013as if we\u2019d met a thousand times before. Without warning, she leaned against my\u00a0<\/p>\n
shoulder, nestling close like she\u2019d found safety after a long search.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was speechless. What was happening? Was I somehow a child magnet? First Oliver, and now this girl I\u2019d just rescued was clinging to me\u00a0<\/p>\n
like I was her lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetie,\u201d I said gently, \u201care you here with your parents? Did you get separated from them? I can take you to the information desk to find\u00a0<\/p>\n
them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She simply shook her head and continued holding onto my neck, breathing deeply as if drawing comfort from my presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could say anything else, a figure rushed toward us. I barely registered movement before a sharp shove hit my shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you? Why are you taking my child?\u201d A woman with cold voice snatched the girl from my arms. Her eyes, narrowed with fury,\u00a0<\/p>\n
bore into mine. \u201cSo you\u2019re one of those child traffickers we hear about? Trying to steal my daughter while I wasn\u2019t looking? Everyone,\u00a0<\/p>\n
look here\u2013she\u2019s trying to kidnap children!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her shouting drew a crowd. Parents, naturally protective, gathered around with suspicious glares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStealing a child in broad daylight? What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a pretty young woman\u2013why would she become a kidnapper?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone call security! They should arrest her now!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I straightened my spine, meeting the woman\u2019s accusing gaze directly. \u201cI am not a kidnapper. This girl was almost trampled, and I pulled her to safety. And you, miss\u2013haven\u2019t you noticed how she\u2019s struggling in your arms? I have reason to question whether you\u2019re actually her\u00a0<\/p>\n
mother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Indeed, the little girl was squirming in her grip, eventually biting her shoulder. With a yelp of pain, she loosened her hold, and the little girl broke free, running to cling to my legs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 65\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAria, come back here right now!\u201d The woman was practically seething.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So her name was Aria. It\u2019s a lovely name. But before I could dwell on that thought, the woman whirled around and directed her fury\u00a0<\/p>\n
straight at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter is always so well\u2013behaved and obedient,\u201d she spat. \u201cHow did one hug from you turn her against me? What kind of spell did you cast? Give me back my daughter!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted Aria into my arms and asked quietly, \u201cSweetie, is this lady really your family?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aria pressed her lips together, neither confirming nor denying. There seemed to be complicated emotions behind her silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019m her family! I\u2019m her mother!\u201d the woman insisted through clenched teeth. \u201cMy daughter doesn\u2019t speak\u2013she\u2019s mute. The fact that you\u2019re asking her questions proves you know nothing about her. You\u2019re obviously a kidnapper!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The whispers from the crowd grew louder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo wonder the girl hasn\u2019t made a sound through all this commotion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a beautiful child, but can\u2019t speak\u2013what a shame.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart sank at these words. Could it be true?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at the girl in my arms tenderly. \u201cIs that true, sweetheart? Can\u2019t you speak?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aria met my gaze, her thin lips parting with effort, but no sound emerged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart plummeted. So it was true. And that meant this cold woman might actually be her mother\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
The commotion had attracted security. Two uniformed guards approached, demanding, \u201cWhere\u2019s the alleged kidnapper?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s her! The woman pointed at me, her voice laced with venom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guards moved toward me with stern expressions, handcuffs ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already explained I\u2019m not a kidnapper,\u201d I said firmly. \u201cThis child was in danger, and I helped her. Have I made any attempt to leave\u00a0<\/p>\n
with her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman smirked. \u201cNo criminal admits their crime. Save your story for the police! Aria, come here now.\u201d She extended her arms toward\u00a0<\/p>\n
her, her eyes containing an unspoken threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the cold metal handcuffs approached my wrists, a clear, small voice cut through the tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not a kidnapper.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 65\u00a0<\/p>\n
The childish voice, surprisingly deep and slightly hoarse from disuse, silenced everyone instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Officer, she\u2019s not a kidnapper. She saved me,\u201d Aria said, her face flushed with effort as her small lips formed each word deliberately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The surrounding air seemed to thicken as an eerie silence fell over the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 65 The Sky Remembered the Touch of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}