With that major task out of the way, Amara felt a sense of relief. That evening, she invited Elysia, Keith, and Lucian over for dinner to celebrate her new home and to say her goodbyes.


    As luck would have it, all three were free and arrived bearing gifts.


    Elysia was sad to see Amara move away, but she tookfort in the fact that Zion wasn''t that far from Wye. With modern travel, she could visit whenever she missed her, and besides, Amara would be back in a couple of years.


    Keith, even more so than Elysia, hated the idea of Amara leaving. He wanted to tell her to just move in with him.


    But he couldn''t say that. As soon as he walked in, he pulled Amara into a hug. "When you get there, remember to call me if you need anything, okay? Don''t you dare suffer alone."


    Keith was technically a few months older than Amara, but she''d never seen him as a big brother. She rolled her eyes at him. "Don''t call yourself that. You''re lucky I don''t make you call *me* big sister."


    Before the divorce, Amara would have never made a joke like that. But she was a different person now.


    She had shed her old, timid personality and be open and confident. Even the way she bantered with her closest friends had changed.


    Keith was thrilled to see this new Amara. Thinking about her old self still made his heart ache with a mixture of anger and pity.<fn6c87> The rightful source is find?novel</fn6c87>


    He slung an arm around her shoulders. "A few months older is still older. What''s wrong with you calling me big bro? You got a problem with that?"


    He yfully flicked her on the forehead, and she retaliated with a swift kick to his shin.


    As they horsed around, Elysia and Lucian watched from the sofa.


    Elysia wasughing so hard she could barely breathe, her eyes fixed on Amara and Keith. Lucian, however kept ncing at Elysia. Seeing her gasping for air, he quietly handed her a ss of warmwater. "Here, drink this."


    Elysia took the ss and downed it in one gulp. She looked at Lucian, who stood


    by her side like a loyal wolf pup, and felt a confusing mix of anticipation and fear.


    She felt rxed and happy when she was with him, but was it love? She didn''t think so.


    But she knew Lucian was in love with her, and she was terrified of the day his feelings deepened, when he would want something more, and she still wouldn''t feel the same way. The fast thing she wanted to do was break his heart.


    Elysia might be bold and, by her own admission, not always a good person, but Lucian''s affection for her was so genuine, and she had such a soft spot for the boy from the. countryside. She couldn''t bear the thought of hurting him.


    Soon, the food Amara had ordered arrived. The four of them set the table, chatting andughing as they ate.


    It was meant to be Amara''s farewell dinner, but no one mentioned her departure.


    With travel being so easy these days, seeing each other would still be simple, even with her in another city. The meal was filled with warmth, not sadness.


    After dinner, night had fallen, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. Lucian managed to coax Elysia out onto the balcony to admire it, leaving Amara and Keith alone in the living room.


    Sitting on the sofa, they talked about Keith''s work for a while before he turned to her. "So, have you thought about it? About letting me be your baby''s father, on paper at least?"