No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 44- Priceless

I exhaled, processing her words. “So… she’s not biologically yours, but—”

“She’s ours now, Mikha,” Aiah cut in, her eyes filled with emotion. “She’s my baby. And if you’ll let her… she can be yours too.”

Something inside me cracked open at her words. I had prepared myself for so many answers—anger, betrayal, heartbreak. But I wasn’t prepared for this.

“She knows you,” Aiah continued, her voice softer now. “Kasi lagi kitang kinukwento sa kanya. Every night, kapag natutulog siya, sinasabi ko sa kanya ang tungkol sa’yo. How brave you are, how kind. How much I loved you… how much I still do.”

I felt my throat tighten, my vision blurring slightly. “Aiah…”

“She’s been waiting to meet you,” she whispered. “I think she already loves you, even before she knows who you are.”

I let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed. The idea of suddenly being a mother—of being responsible for a little girl who had already lost so much—was terrifying.

But at the same time, the thought of Aurora being part of my life, of being part of our life, felt… right.

I swallowed hard, nodding. “I want to meet her.”

Aiah smiled, leaning her forehead against mine. “Then let’s go home to her, love.”

Aiah traced small patterns on my wrist as she hesitated before speaking. “Love… about Ethan,” she murmured. “Alam ba niya tungkol sa atin?”

I smiled, shaking my head slightly. “Aiah, Ethan knows everything.” I sighed, recalling the conversation I had with him. “Nag-sorry na ako sa kanya.”

Aiah’s brows furrowed. “How did he take it?”

“He smiled,” I admitted. “Sabi niya, alam na niya simula pa lang na ikaw pa rin talaga.”

Aiah looked down, guilt flashing in her eyes. “Mikha, he really loves you.”

I nodded. “He does. And he deserves someone who can love him completely.” I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Kasi ako… ikaw lang ang mahal ko. Buong-buo.”

Aiah exhaled deeply, relief washing over her face. “Thank you for being honest with him.”

“He deserved that,” I said softly. “And you deserve this too—us, a second chance.”

Aiah bit her lip, eyes shimmering with emotion. “So, wala nang pipigil sa’tin?”

I shook my head, smiling. “Wala na, love.”

She grinned, pulling me into her arms. “Then I’m never letting you go again.”

____

AIAH'S POV

A soft smile played on my lips as I watched Mikha and Aurora in the kitchen, their laughter filling the air. It had been two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital, and life had finally started to feel normal again—no more blood, no more pain, no more running from the past. Just us.

Aurora stood on a small stool, her tiny hands covered in flour as she helped Mikha mix the cookie dough. “Tita Mikha, like this?” she asked, tilting her head.

Mikha chuckled, wiping a smudge of flour off Aurora’s nose. “Yes, baby. Pero wag masyadong gigil, baka maging bato ‘yung cookies natin.”

Aurora giggled. “Bato cookies!” she exclaimed, making both of us laugh.

I leaned against the doorway, just watching them. My heart felt so full it could burst. This was what I had always wanted—peace, love, a family. I had been so afraid that I would never get this, that my past with Adrian would take everything away from me. But now, standing here, I realized something.