The Blessing Of Family

Bella froze...For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

She had expected anything but that.

Her hands trembled slightly on the table as she stared at him, her throat tightening, her emotions whirling in chaos inside her.

He wasn't joking.

There was no teasing smirk, no playful lilt to his voice.

Kafka—the same arrogant, smug, unshakable Kafka—was sitting there, vulnerable, waiting for her answer like it actually mattered to him.

Like she mattered to him.

A warmth spread through her chest, something overwhelming, something she didn't know how to name.

Her eyes burned slightly, and she bit her lip, trying to process what had just happened, what he had just offered her.

A second chance...A real one.

Not out of pity...Not out of obligation.

But because he wanted to...Because he chose her.

Her fingers curled like she was trying to create some warmth in the cold as she swallowed hard, trying to steady herself.