Chapter 253

Hannah

The farmer’s market bustled with activity, the air filled with the scent of fresh produce and baked goods. I pushed Melody’s stroller into the throng, my heart pounding for a reason other than simple lovesick excitement.

Today was the day. I was finally going to tell Noah the truth about my rebirth, just as I had promised Viona.

As I approached our meeting spot, my guards lingering in the crowd, I saw him waiting, looking impossibly handsome in a cream sweater with his hands tucked into his trouser pockets. When he spotted us, his face lit up with a smile that made my knees weak.

“Hannah,” he said warmly, leaning in to kiss my cheek. The brief contact nearly made me collapse with ecstasy, his lips soft and warm against my skin. Then he bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to Melody’s forehead, and I had to grip the stroller to stay upright. “There are my girls…”

My girls… I had to remind myself to breathe as Noah straightened up, pulling his shoulders back.

“May I?” he asked, gesturing toward the stroller.

I glanced down at where my hands were wrapped around the stroller handle, suddenly feeling nervous. “You want to push her?”

Noah nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“Um… Yeah. Sure.” Reluctantly, I stepped back and allowed Noah to take the stroller.

As we started walking through the bustling farmer’s market, it was incredibly difficult to give up control. I found myself hovering, constantly giving Noah instructions, flinching at every bump in the gravel pathway, jumping every time someone passed by unexpectedly or a vendor shouted particularly loudly.

“Watch out for that bump,” I warned, pointing at a small rise in the path. “And make sure the sun isn’t in her eyes. Oh, and don’t forget to check if she needs anything. She might get hungry soon…”

Noah glanced at me, quirking one eyebrow. “Hannah, it’s a stroller. It’ll be fine, really. I promise I won’t let anything happen to our daughter.”

I blinked, realizing how overbearing I was being. The word ‘our’ echoed in my head, bringing a fresh flush to my neck. “Right. Sorry. I’m just... not used to sharing this responsibility, I guess,” I admitted, looking away.

Noah let out a small sound of amusement. “Well, get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, forcing myself to step back a little. We continued through the market, browsing the various stalls. The colorful displays of fruits and vegetables caught my eye, and I found myself relaxing as we surveyed crisp apples and bright orange carrots on sale.

I was just starting to feel more at ease when something caught my eye. A vintage booth stood out among the produce stalls, its wooden shelves lined with antique toys and knick-knacks.

“Oh!” I gasped, pointing at the booth. “Look at that vintage toy set! Melody would love it when she gets older.” Noah followed my finger, his own eyes widening slightly upon seeing what I was pointing at. The set in question was beautiful, with hand-painted wooden animals and a little barn, all housed in a quaint carrying case.

But just as I was about to walk over to ask the vendor about it, another couple swooped in, purchasing the set right in front of me. My face fell, disappointment washing over me as I watched the vendor wrap up the toy set.

Noah, noticing my reaction, approached the couple before I could stop him.

“Excuse me,” he said, gesturing to the set, “would you be willing to part with that toy set if we paid you a bit more than what you just paid? It would mean a lot to us.”

The woman shook her head, clutching the package to her chest. “Sorry, but we’ve been looking for something like this for a while. We’d like to keep it. I’m sure you understand.”

I tugged on Noah’s sleeve. “It’s okay, Noah. We don’t need to—”

But Noah was already pulling out his wallet and rifling through it for cash. “How about double what you paid? I’m sure we could find a price that works for everyone.”

The couple exchanged glances, looking a little uncomfortable. “No, thank you,” the man said firmly, his arm around his wife. “This is for our son. We’re not interested in selling.”

“Triple, then,” Noah persisted. “Just name your price.”

I could see the annoyance growing on the couple’s faces, their body language becoming defensive. The husband began tugging the wife away, both of them grumbling about entitled parents.

“Noah, stop,” I hissed, mortified. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “It’s fine. We don’t need the toy set that badly. Let’s just go.”

“But—”

Thankfully, the vendor, sensing the tension, finally intervened just as Noah was about to chase the other couple down with all the cash he had on him, including his expensive watch.

“It’s sweet that your husband wants to spoil your baby,” the vendor, a kind-faced older woman with square glasses and short-cropped gray hair, said with a gentle smile. “I have some other lovely selections if you’re interested. Perhaps something even more special?”

My cheeks burned even hotter at her words. He’s not my husband, I wanted to say. Not anymore. But the words stuck in my throat as I glanced at Noah, whose face had turned an impressive shade of red.

Our eyes met, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something—regret? Longing?—in his gaze before he looked away.

Clearing his throat, Noah turned to the vendor. “What else do you have? I’d like to see your best pieces, please.”

The toy set Noah eventually picked out was just as beautiful as the first—a set of wooden blocks with letters and numbers, hand-painted in soft pastel colors.

“We’ll take this one.” He pulled out several bills, far more than the set was worth. “Keep the change,” he told the vendor as we walked away, leaving her beaming and counting the stack behind us.

Once we were out of earshot, I turned to him. “You really didn’t need to go to all that trouble. I think the other couple got a bit annoyed... And that was way too much money for a toy set, Noah.”

Noah shrugged, his expression unapologetic. “I don’t care who gets annoyed at me so long as you and Melody get what you want. I’ve spent enough time not treating you like a princess, Hannah. I need to make up for it.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, reminding me all too well of the night of the baby shower when he had showered me with affection and called me his princess. Tears pricked at my eyes at the reminder of that night—and the gauzy pink dress torn to ribbons the very next day.

I looked away, not wanting him to see how affected I was.

“Hannah?” Noah nudged my elbow. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

I shook my head and offered a watery smile in response, gesturing to a nearby bench. “I think I need to sit down, that’s all,” I lied. “My back hurts.”

“Oh. Alright.” Noah stepped back from the stroller, relinquishing control to me once again. “I’m just going to run and find a restroom. Wait here.”

Nodding, I plopped down on the bench and watched him jog off into the crowd. Melody began to fuss, so I gently cooed to her and rolled her stroller back and forth, soothing her.

Looking at her little face, her new toys nestled in the storage compartment below her, I almost felt myself crack.

My girls…

Our daughter…

Princess…

It was almost too much, seeing Noah like this with our child. Seeing him so… alive. So happy. So… different from the cold man who I’d been married to.

Would that change once I told him the truth about my rebirth, I wondered? Would his view of me change once I shared that part of myself? I hated the thought of doing anything to wipe that smile off of his face.

Suddenly, I felt something cold being pressed into my hand, ripping me out of my thoughts. Startling, I looked up in shock to see Noah standing over me with a cone of ice cream in one hand. When I looked down, there was another cone—a pink one—in my own.

“Strawberry cheesecake is your favorite, right?” Noah asked, cocking his head.

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.

“Hannah…?”

“You remembered…”