He gazed at her intently, and she thought she saw a rare sincerity in his eyes. "Because you, Clara... you understand what it’s like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. And because, somewhere inside, I knew I needed this encounter."
His words left Clara speechless. She felt a warmth blossom within her, a feeling she hadn’t believed possible after her first love’s betrayal. She looked down, troubled by the strength of her emotions.
"Clara," Aiden said softly, "maybe our paths were meant to cross. Maybe this is our true destiny."
She looked up, lost in the deep blue of his gaze. She now understood that this meeting was no accident, that something much greater had brought them together.
"And if we let fate decide?" she whispered, a shy smile on her lips.
