[7 Year Later]
"Papa…" called a small child from behind the bathroom door.
"Just a minute, Kaiden, Papa's in the shower. Be patient," Louis replied from inside.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror, eyes empty and distant. Ever since he left that man, he had moved back to Korea, his homeland. A few months later, he was confirmed to be three weeks pregnant. Terminating the pregnancy had never once crossed his mind.
Sometimes, when he looked at his son—whom he had kept hidden all this time—he could see glimpses of Kadeen in him. The very man he had tried so hard to forget still lived in the features of the child they had created.
"Papa…" called a small child from behind the bathroom door.
"Just a minute, Kaiden, Papa's in the shower. Be patient," Louis replied from inside.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror, eyes empty and distant. Ever since he left that man, he had moved back to Korea, his homeland. A few months later, he was confirmed to be three weeks pregnant. Terminating the pregnancy had never once crossed his mind.
Sometimes, when he looked at his son—whom he had kept hidden all this time—he could see glimpses of Kadeen in him. The very man he had tried so hard to forget still lived in the features of the child they had created.
Louis opened the bathroom door and was greeted by the sight of a small child waiting for him, arms crossed with an adorably pouty face. He smiled warmly at his son, who was growing more and more to resemble that man with each passing day.
The boy's blue eyes were just like his own, but that soft ash-grey hair—identical to Kadeen's—was unmistakable. For a moment, Louis saw Kadeen's shadow in the child.
The resemblance was striking—from the boy's expressions, to his temperament, to the unmistakable grey hair inherited from Kadeen. Everything about Kaiden was perfect.
"Papa, I'm hungry…" Kaiden whined softly in his usual affectionate tone.
Louis picked him up gently and placed him on the chair at the dining table.
"Oh? Kaiden's hungry already?" Louis asked with a warm smile, playfully pinching the tip of his son's nose.
Kaiden responded with a big smile, giggling at the gesture.
"Just a moment, sweetheart… Papa will warm up some chicken soup for you, okay?"
Kaiden nodded enthusiastically.
Louis gave him another warm smile before turning around to reheat the leftover chicken soup from the night before.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The sound of knocking at the front door caught both Louis and Kaiden's attention in the kitchen. Louis walked toward the entrance, and as he unlocked and opened the door, he was completely taken aback by the unexpected appearance of his younger sister—Julianna.
Without giving him a chance to react, Julianna immediately shoved Louis's broad frame aside.
"Move, bitch," she snapped, striding past him with purpose, clearly on a mission to find her adorable little nephew.
As soon as he saw Julianna, Kaiden ran toward her with pure excitement and threw his little arms around her in a happy hug. He had always been close to Julianna, though they hadn't seen each other in a while—she had been away on a work trip for the past three days.
"Aunty… I miss you so much," Kaiden said, clinging to her tightly.
"You miss me already? I missed you so much too!" Julianna replied, dramatically hugging him back.
Louis walked over to the two of them, rolling his eyes at the overly dramatic reunion. It had only been three days, but they were acting like it had been three years.
He sighed and lightly smacked his forehead, shaking his head at the theatrics of the pair in front of him.
After several minutes, the dramatic energy finally faded, and things returned to normal. The three of them sat together at the dining table, enjoying breakfast as a little family.
As usual, Julianna had brought Kaiden a box of pizza—something she always did whenever she visited, knowing it was his absolute favorite.
"Why are you back so early? Weren't you supposed to come back next week?" Louis asked Julianna.
Julianna, who had been feeding Kaiden at the table, shifted her attention to her brother.
"I came back to offer you a job," she said plainly.
"A job?" Louis blinked.
"Yes, a job," Julianna repeated firmly, her tone serious now.
Louis noticed the shift in her expression and instantly understood that this wasn't just casual talk—they were about to discuss something important.
He turned to Kaiden and smiled gently.
"Kaiden, are you full now, my dear?"
Kaiden nodded.
"In that case, could you go play in the living room for while? Papa want to talk to Aunty Julianna about something important," Louis said softly.
Kaiden looked at Julianna for a moment, then turned back to Louis and grinned.
"Okay, Papa!" he replied cheerfully before running off.
"So, what happened?" Louis asked, his voice firm but calm, eyes steady and serious as he looked at Julianna.