Chapter 277 Everyone Loved Mia
As Evie left the room, carrying Mia, she couldn’t shake off the heavy feeling that had settled in her chest. Ada’s words kept echoing in her mind, twisting her emotions. There was an undeniable pressure in the air, one that had been there for years but now felt more real than ever.
Mia, still chewing on her apple, seemed completely unaware of the tension. She was a child, and her innocence was a balm to Evie’s frayed nerves. But as much as Evie tried to focus on Mia’s sweet, simple nature, the thoughts of her own life—of her own future—began to stir uneasily.
When would she meet the right person? When would she have her own family? The truth was, she didn’t know. Life had been a whirlwind since she’d left her past behind, and though she had everything on the outside—success, family, and friends—there was something missing. A family of her own. Someone to share her life with. Someone to build a future with.
Her mind drifted back to the conversation she had overheard earlier, the one where Mia had been so upset with the “bad man” who had interacted with Byron. Byron. She had seen him earlier that day and noticed the same old coldness in his eyes. It was strange how time had not softened him. He had been the same as ever—guarded, distant, and yet, somewhere beneath that hardened exterior, she knew there was still a raw wound. It was as if he couldn’t move on from the past, not truly.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Mia began to babble on about Jaxson, and how she had made him cry. It made Evie smile, the child’s words so playful and innocent, but they didn’t erase the burden that was building inside her.
Back in the hospital room, Ada’s lighthearted comments about Evie’s future hung in the air like a weight. “When I die, I don’t know how to explain it to your father…” The words had struck Evie harder than she cared to admit. Her father had always pushed her toward marriage and children, the same way Ada had. There was an unspoken expectation that she should settle down, that her career and independence should no longer take precedence.
But Evie wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Not yet, not with the weight of everything that had happened, not with the uncertainty of her emotions and the tangle of connections she found herself wrapped in.
Meanwhile, Byron was back at his office, sitting in front of his desk, but his mind wasn’t focused on work. It had wandered, as it often did these days, back to Mia—the little girl he had met earlier. The strange, fleeting moment had left an impression on him. Her innocent, protective nature reminded him of what he had lost—the child he and Athena could have had.
Byron rubbed his temples, as if trying to clear the thoughts swirling in his head. Athena’s memory still haunted him, and though he had tried to move forward, to accept the reality of her death, every corner of his life felt like it carried her shadow. The plants she had once carefully tended, the apartment she had loved—everything around him was a constant reminder of what could have been.
A knock on the door broke his train of thought.
“Mr. Crawford,” Freya’s voice was soft, but he could hear the tension in it. “We need to discuss the proposal with the investors.”
He didn’t look up. “Send them in,” he replied, his voice colder than he intended.
When Freya entered the room, she tried to put on her professional face, but it was clear from the way her eyes flicked nervously toward him that something was off. She had been persistent, even desperate at times, but Byron knew that no matter what she did, nothing would change the truth. He wasn’t the man she wanted him to be.
Freya took a seat across from him, her fingers tapping lightly on the desk. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but she hesitated. The air between them was thick with unspoken words, things they both knew but could never quite bring themselves to acknowledge.
“You should let go of the past,” she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.
Byron finally looked up, his gaze sharp and unreadable. “You think it’s that easy?”
Freya sighed. “No, I don’t. But you’re not moving forward, Byron. You’re stuck.”
His eyes darkened. “And what do you want me to do about it, Freya? How do you want me to move on from a person who is a part of my soul?”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t know. But I’m still here, Byron. I’ve always been here. I just… wish you could see that.”
He looked at her for a long moment before standing up abruptly, walking to the window. “I don’t know how to move on from Athena. I don’t know if I ever will.”
The pain in his voice was unmistakable, but Freya’s heart twisted. She had wanted him to love her, to choose her, but she realized now that no matter what she did, he would always be looking back. At her. At the life they could have had.
Back at the hospital, Evie had settled Mia back down, making sure she was comfortable before returning to her thoughts. She couldn’t help but wonder if the time had come to make some changes in her life. Ada had planted the seed of doubt, and now, more than ever, she realized that maybe it was time for her to take control of her own future. To decide what she truly wanted, no matter how impossible it seemed.
Mia, lying next to her, seemed to sense the shift in Evie’s energy and murmured softly in her sleep, “You’re not alone, Godmother.”
Evie smiled down at the girl, feeling a pang in her heart. Maybe it wasn’t just about finding someone to love. Maybe it was about learning to love herself, first.