When the laughter finally faded, Sienna gently pinched his cheek.

"Alright then, Mr. Sweet Boy. What would you like to drink? Juice? Milk? Something else?"

Skylar thought about it for exactly one second.

"Ice cream."

Sienna stared at him in disbelief. "Young man, that isn’t a drink."

He nodded solemnly. "I know, but it will melt in my mouth and become liquid. So it’s a drink."

She couldn’t help laughing. "That’s not how this works."

"It sounds like it should work."

Shaking her head, she finally gave in. "Alright, ice cream first, then a proper drink."

Skylar immediately raised both arms in victory. "Thank you, Mommy..."

’Goodness, this little man... he sounded just like his father.’ The thought made Sienna’s heart melt all over again.

Unable to hide her amused smile, she stood and walked toward the fridge while Skylar happily followed behind her, already talking nonstop about which flavor he wanted.

...

Skylar sat cross-legged in front of the television, completely absorbed in his favorite show, An Arctic Expedition. His full attention remained fixed on the screen as a group of explorers crossed endless snowfields while discussing survival in freezing temperatures.

A large bowl of vanilla ice cream rested comfortably in his lap, and every few seconds, he scooped another spoonful into his mouth without taking his eyes off the television.

Across the living room, Sienna sat quietly on the sofa with a book in her hands. The apartment felt peaceful, and for the first time in days, she thought she might finally enjoy a moment of silence. She turned a page and tried to focus on the story in front of her, but before she could read more than a few paragraphs, the sound of her cell phone ringing broke the quiet atmosphere.

Her brows lifted slightly as she set the book aside and reached for her phone. The moment she glanced at the screen, surprise crossed her face, and a small frown appeared.

"Riley?" she muttered softly.

It was still relatively early in the morning. Normally, her best friend would rather send ten messages than make a phone call. Why was he calling now?

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

Standing from the sofa, she glanced toward Skylar.

"Sky, I need to take a call in my bedroom. If you need something, just call me."

"Okay," he answered absentmindedly.

The response came automatically. His eyes never left the television, and he immediately shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

Sienna couldn’t help smiling. This little boy truly had his priorities straight.

Shaking her head, she walked toward her bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. The room was calm and bright, with sunlight streaming through the large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city below. She stopped beside the glass and finally answered the call.

"Riley," she said playfully, "did you miss me already?"

Normally, Riley would have immediately thrown a sarcastic comment back at her. Instead, she was greeted by a heavy sigh. The sound instantly made her smile disappear, and her brows slowly knitted together.

Huh? Why did he sound annoyed?

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Several seconds passed before he finally spoke.

"Sienna..."

The hesitation in his voice immediately caught her attention.

"I’ve been thinking about your relationship with my uncle since yesterday," he continued quietly. "And honestly... I still can’t believe it."

Confusion immediately washed over her.

"Huh? Why don’t you believe it?" she asked.

Another sigh came through the speaker.

"Because I know my uncle."

Sienna remained silent and waited for him to continue.

"He’s never been interested in marriage. Never." Riley’s voice grew firmer. "Even when my grandparents arranged marriages for him in the past, he rejected every single one. He never cared about any of it."

His words made her grip tighten around her phone.

"And?" she asked carefully.

The silence that followed felt longer this time, almost uncomfortable. It sounded as though Riley was struggling with whether he should continue.

Finally, he spoke.

"After Grandpa threatened to remove him from the family inheritance if he refused to marry or have children..." Riley paused. "...he suddenly announced that he already had a son."

Sienna froze. For a brief moment, she almost forgot how to breathe.

"Wh-What?" Her voice came out softer than she intended.

"That’s exactly how everyone reacted," Riley replied. "Nobody saw it coming."

Sienna slowly lowered herself onto the sofa near the window.

"And then?" she asked.

A heavy sigh came from the other end.

"You know about his son, right?"

"Yes," she admitted quietly.

"I figured." Riley cleared his throat. "Our entire family was shocked when baby Skylar suddenly appeared. Nobody knew where he came from. Nobody knew anything."

Sienna listened carefully, her attention completely focused on every word.

"But what happened next shocked everyone even more," Riley continued. "My grandparents couldn’t believe Sky was actually Uncle Zach’s son."

The muscles in Sienna’s shoulders slowly tightened.

"Then they ordered a DNA test."

Her heartbeat quickened.

"The results proved Skylar was his biological son."

The room suddenly felt much quieter and heavier.

"But even after that," Riley said, his voice dropping lower, "Uncle never told anyone who Skylar’s mother was."

Sienna stared out the window. The city below continued moving as usual, but her thoughts had become tangled.

"So..." Riley continued carefully. "I’m worried."

"Worried?"

"Yes." His answer came immediately. "I’m worried my uncle has a hidden agenda."

The words struck harder than she expected.

Silence settled between them. This time, it was a long silence, the kind that gave rise to uncomfortable thoughts and questions she had never allowed herself to consider before.

’Who was Skylar’s mother?’

’Why had Zachary hidden her identity?’

’Was she someone he once loved?’

’Someone he still loved?’

’If she existed, why wasn’t she with them now?’

The more questions that formed in her mind, the more confused she became. She suddenly realized she knew almost nothing about that part of Zachary’s life, and a dull ache slowly began forming behind her eyes.

"Sienna?"

Riley’s voice pulled her back to reality.

"Hmm... I’m here."

"Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?"

She closed her eyes briefly before releasing a quiet breath.

"I understand," she whispered.

A trace of relief entered Riley’s voice.

"Good." After a brief pause, he added quietly, "Before you decide to marry him, think carefully."