CHAPTER 279: CHAPTER 279: SHE WAS GOING HOME, FINALLY.

Xu Kai stared at her, stunned.

The word "baby" echoed in his mind, over and over, like the toll of a bell in an empty cathedral. Slowly, his vision blurred, the edges of his sight shimmering with tears he didn’t remember allowing himself to feel.

Did she finally remember?

Did she remember everything?

He couldn’t breathe. His chest rose and fell in uneven stutters as if every heartbeat was a question slamming into his ribs.

"...Liora?" His voice cracked, trembling. "Do you... do you remember our baby?"

Still crying, Liora gave the faintest nod. Her eyes, red-rimmed and overflowing, locked onto his with a desperation that made his heart break.

"I remember... everything," she whispered through her sobs. "I remember her..."

Her hands trembled as she gripped his arms. "Is she... is our baby okay, Xu Kai? Tell me she’s alright... Please, tell me nothing happened to her..."

Xu Kai’s breath caught. He didn’t even try to stop the tears now. His lips trembled as he cupped her face gently.

"She’s okay, Liora," he said softly, voice thick with emotion. "She’s safe. She’s beautiful—so beautiful, just like you... She asks about you every day."

At his words, Liora broke.

But this time, it wasn’t pain—it was relief.

A raw, shaking sob escaped her as she crumbled into his embrace, clutching him as if letting go might tear the world apart again. She wept against his chest, her entire body trembling, her voice a broken prayer of gratitude.

"My baby... She’s okay... She’s really okay..."

Xu Kai held her tighter, letting her cry, letting the weight of years of silence and secrets unravel between them. And then, gently, he asked, "Liora... you said you remember everything. What do you mean?"

Liora slowly pulled back, her face wet, her hands still clutching his sleeves. She met his eyes—no more hiding, no more running.

"I didn’t want to keep it from you anymore," she said softly.

She took a breath. Her voice steadied, even as her heart pounded in her chest.

"The pregnancy... It wasn’t an accident. It was all Kazren’s plan from the beginning. You were drugged, and I..." Her voice wavered, but she forced herself to go on. "I was manipulated into becoming pregnant. He wanted our child for something—some greater plan. That’s why, back then, I told you to protect her no matter what. I knew what he wanted to do."

And soon Liora told him everything from start to end. Xu Kai’s face darkened, jaw tightening as the pieces began to fall into place.

"And... that day I died... It wasn’t the end," Liora continued. "I thought it was, but—my brother... Atlas... he must have used his power to turn back time, to bring me back."

Her fingers curled into fists against her lap. "Somehow, instead of reviving me in the same timeline, I ended up... in the past. And I was bound to a system that’s been helping me from the start. It let me remember what happened. All of it."

She looked away, her voice quiet. "That’s why I couldn’t stay with you. That’s why I disappeared. I was trying to protect our baby... and to stop Kazren from ever getting close to her."

Xu Kai was silent for a long moment. His expression was unreadable, stormy, and still. But his hands—his hands never let go of her.

"...You went through all of that," he said finally, his voice hoarse. "Alone."

She shook her head. "Not alone. I had purpose. But I missed you every day. And I missed her."

His gaze softened. He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

"I would’ve faced it all with you... if I had known."

"I know," she whispered. "That’s why I’m telling you now. Everything."

Xu Kai held Liora close, his hand gently running through her hair as if trying to anchor himself in the reality that she was truly here, alive—and finally remembering everything.

The storm in his chest had not yet quieted, but amidst the ache, one thing became crystal clear:

He wasn’t going to lose her again.

Never again.

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes—those eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long. And with a voice steadier than it had any right to be, he said:

"I swear on everything I have, Liora... I’ll protect you. You and our daughter. With my life, with everything I am—I won’t let anything touch either of you again."

Liora’s breath caught. Her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt tighter, and tears welled up in her eyes once more.

"Xu Kai..." her voice trembled. "Can I... can I see her? I need to. I can’t breathe knowing she’s out there, and I haven’t held her. I’ve waited so long... but—" Her voice cracked, fear crawling back into her tone. "What if Kazren finds out? What if he’s watching? What if I lead him to her and he..."

"Liora," Xu Kai interrupted, firm but gentle. He took her hands in his, holding them like they were the most precious thing in the world.

"Listen to me," he said. "Kazren doesn’t know. He doesn’t know your real identity. And he sure as hell doesn’t know where our daughter is."

"But what if...?"

"He won’t," Xu Kai reassured her. "Because I’ve made sure of it. I knew there was danger, even if I didn’t understand the full reason back then. That’s why I placed her somewhere no one could reach, not even the highest authorities in Spire."

He leaned closer, his voice lowering into a protective growl. "She’s in a security vault designed for high-level, off-grid witness protection cases. It’s built under biometric encryption, camouflaged, and surrounded by a sentient AI defense protocol. No one gets in or out without me. No one even knows she exists there except a select two agents I trained myself. Kazren could burn half the world, and he still wouldn’t find her."

Liora’s lips parted slightly in disbelief. "You... you went that far?"

"I went as far as I had to," he said fiercely. "Because deep down... I never stopped believing you’d come back. And I never let go of the promise I made to you—the one you whispered to me before you disappeared."

"Keep her safe..."

Xu Kai nodded slowly. "And I did."

Liora’s hands rose to cover her mouth, emotion crumbling through her all over again. "Xu Kai... thank you. Thank you for not giving up..."

"You’re her mother, Liora. She deserves to see you. And you deserve to see her. You’ve both waited long enough."

A long, trembling breath passed between them.

"Then take me to her," Liora whispered. "Please. I need to see her. Just once... I need to hold her."

Xu Kai nodded without hesitation. "I’ll take you. Right now. No one will follow us. You have my word."

As she leaned into him again, comforted by his presence, a strange quiet settled in Liora’s heart...not the sharp silence of grief, but the soft stillness of hope returning after being buried under too much pain.

She was going home, finally.