CHAPTER 109
LIANA’S POV
The woman was already sitting in the café, holding a tiny little girl in her arms, and as I got closer, I could see her clearly. She looked barely two years old, if even that. She had round cheeks, chubby little hands, and curly dark hair tied into two puffs. And her eyes… God, her eyes were Betty’s. The second I saw her, I stopped walking and just stood there, frozen. My heart was beating so fast, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
The woman stood up when she saw me and looked almost relieved. “Are you Miss Liana? Ryan’s mom?” she asked gently.
“Yes,” I said, nodding quickly while trying to keep my emotions together.
She gave me a small, kind smile and sat back down. “I’m Mrs. Amanda. I’m the matron from the St. Gertrude’s Orphanage. Thank you for coming. Please sit.”
I didn’t even sit yet, I just crouched down slowly in front of the little girl. I stretched out my hands and smiled, and to my shock, she walked straight into my arms with no fear and hesitation. As I lifted her up and hugged her tight, the tears came rushing down.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I whispered shakily, “What’s your name?”
She blinked those big brown eyes and said, “I’m Anna.”
That was it. I cried so hard while holding her tiny body against my chest. She looked exactly like Betty. I could see her in every part of this child.
Mrs. Amanda quietly reached into her bag and pulled out a brown envelope. “This was left for you. It’s from Betty … before she passed. She wanted you to have it.”
I sat down opposite her slowly, still holding Anna in my arms, and opened the file with trembling hands. Inside was a handwritten letter. I could tell it was Betty’s handwriting the second I saw it. My heart dropped, and I started reading.
Dear Liana,
If you’re reading this, it means I didn’t make it.
I don’t even know where to start. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry for dropping this on you like this. You’ve always been the strongest person I knew. You were the only person who treated me like family when I had no one. You were there for me when the world felt too cruel, and now I need one last favor from you.
My daughter, Anna, she’s all I have left. My husband and I were involved in a terrible car crash, he didn’t survive, and I… I’m not too sure I will survive it too. Daniel and I are orphans, we don’t have anyone in this world. No parents. No siblings. No relatives. Just you.
Please, Liana… please take care of her like she’s yours. I know it’s too much to ask, but I’m begging you. She’s a good girl. She’s sweet. I want her to grow up loved, safe, and protected. And you’re the only one I trust with that.
In this envelope, there’s a card. It’s Anna’s trust fund. The password is 0504, her birthday. It’s not much, but we saved every little we could for Anna’s future. For her school, her health, her everything. I just… I never thought I wouldn’t be around to give it to her myself.
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Thank you for being my sister when I had no one. I love you, Liana. Please let her forget me.
Love,
Betty.
+25 BONUS
By the time I finished the letter, I was sobbing into Anna’s tiny shoulder. I couldn’t control it. My whole body shook as I held her closer and whispered over and over again, “I promise. I promise. I promise I’ll take care of you. You’re mine now. I’m your mommy now, okay? I’m your mommy.”
Anna didn’t say anything, but she touched my wet cheeks with her little hand and rested her head on my shoulder like she understood.
Mrs. Amanda was crying too. She sniffled and said, “After her mother passed, the nurse called us at the orphanage to come pick the baby up. We didn’t know how to find you, but while going through her things, we found this letter and her phone. Your name was saved as ‘Liana My Only Sister.‘ That was how we knew who to call.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “Thank you. Thank you so much for reaching out. I swear, I’ll take care of her. As if she were my own. I mean it.”
She nodded slowly, then looked at me a little more seriously. “Not that I don’t trust you, dear, but I heard you’re getting married soon… I’d like to meet the man who’s going to be raising Anna too. You know, just to be sure everything’s in order before we finalize the paperwork.”
“Of course,” I said immediately. “You’re right. Please, give me a few minutes. I’ll call him.”
I picked up my phone and called Killian. “Hey, baby. Can you come to this address right now? It’s important.‘
He sounded concerned right away. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I’ll explain everything when you get here. Please just come.”
3)
Ten minutes later, Killian pulled up in his black SUV, and the second he stepped inside the café, I could see the worry all over his face. He rushed toward us, stopping only when he saw me holding the baby and the other woman sitting beside me.
“Liana,” he said slowly. “What’s going on?”
I stood up, still holding Anna, and motioned for him to sit down. “Please, just listen for a moment.”
He nodded, sat, and looked between me and Mrs. Amanda with confusion.
I took a deep breath. “This is Anna. She’s Betty’s daughter, my best friend from college. The one who helped me during those horrible years. She’s gone, Killian. She died. And so did her husband. There’s no one left. She left me a letter asking me to take care of Anna. To be her mom.”
I watched his expression shift as I spoke, saw his eyes soften with each word. By the time I finished, he looked at Anna like she was the most delicate thing he’d ever seen.
He swallowed hard and reached out to touch her little hand. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered.
And then, God, I saw the tears. The Alpha King, my Killian, the strongest man I knew… he cried. He wiped his eyes quickly, like he didn’t want me to see, but I saw it.
He stood up, walked to Mrs. Amanda, and said quietly, “I’ll treat her like the daughter I never had. You have my word.”
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Mrs. Amanda nodded with a trembling smile. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
We signed the paperwork. Everything was official now. Anna was ours.
The woman stood to leave, giving Anna one last gentle pat. “Be good, sweetheart,” she whispered.
And then she left, and Anna stayed.
+25 BONUS
When we got home, I was still holding little Anna in my arms like she was a piece of me I never knew I’d been missing. She hadn’t said much the whole ride back, just clung to me with her tiny hands, her head resting quietly against my shoulder like she already knew this was her new home. Killian was the one who opened the door and stepped aside for us to enter, his hand brushing my back in that protective way of his, like he was reminding me he was here. Always here.
“Ryan,” I called softly the moment we stepped inside, my voice just loud enough to carry through the house.
He came running down the stairs a few seconds later, his pajamas still rumpled and his hair sticking out in all directions. The moment his eyes landed on the little girl in my arms, he slowed down and blinked, his head tilting a little like he was trying to figure out what was going on.
“Who’s that?” he asked, his voice curious and a little cautious.
Killian stepped forward and knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “This is Anna,” he said calmly. “She’s going to be your little sister from now on.”
Ryan’s brows pulled together. “But… how?” he asked, looking from Killian to me. “Your stomach wasn’t big like other mommies‘ stomachs when they have babies.”
I let out a small laugh, even though my throat still felt tight from everything that had happened today. Before I could even think of what to say, Killian reached for Anna and took her from my arms. He cradled her so easily, like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“You’re right,” he told Ryan, nodding. “She didn’t grow in Mommy’s tummy, but she’s still your sister now. We’re going to take care of her together, okay?”
Ryan looked at Anna again, his face still unsure, like he wasn’t quite convinced. But then something changed. He stepped forward, reached for Anna’s tiny hand, and held it gently between his fingers.
“Hi,” he said shyly. “I’m Ryan.”
Anna giggled, a soft, delicate little laugh that somehow filled the entire room, and her tiny teeth showed as she smiled up at him. And then, out of nowhere, Ryan said something I’d never heard him say before, not even about the girls at school who had a crush on him.
“She’s really pretty.”
Killian and I both turned to look at him, stunned. I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped me as I watched the way Ryan stared at her, like he already knew this little girl was going to be a part of his world now.
Killian blinked and then laughed under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.
Anna giggled softly at his words, her tiny teeth showing as she stared up at him with wide, shiny eyes.
And Ryan… he didn’t take his eyes off her.
