Third person's POV
The bond of natural kinship was something that could not be severed, no matter that Ayla had never met Tabitha before.
Lucian had shown Ayla pictures of Tabitha.
She was a woman with a warm smile and hair, unlike the emaciated and haggard figure she was now.
Yet, Ayla recognized her as her mother at first glance.
Tabitha's reaction mirrored Derek's, holding Ayla tightly as tears streamed down her face.
These were tears of joy from their reunion. Holding her child brought back the memories of the hardships she endured the day she gave birth to them.
She had thought she would never see her children again, and now here they were, grown so big and soft. How could she not be moved?
Ayla found it increasingly strange that the handsome man who held her a few days ago cried a lot, and now her mother was crying too.
She didn't understand.
Gently, she wiped away Tabitha's tears and blew on her eyes, saying, "It's okay."
Every time she got hurt, Lucian would blow on her injuries, and she would stop crying.
Tabitha wiped the corners of her eyes, carefully cupped Ayla's face, and looked at her delicate features. Despite Ayla's resemblance to Derek, she loved her dearly.
"Your name is Ayla, right?" Tabitha asked.
The little girl nodded and said, "Ayla, moon."
Lucian had hoped that the brother would be as fiery and bright as the sun, and the sister as pure and noble as the moon.
Tabitha's tears flowed again. She squatted down, her fingers trembling as she touched Ayla's eyebrows and lips, slightly trembling as she said, "Good, very good. It's such a beautiful name."
Ayla didn't understand why Tabitha cried when she said the name was beautiful.
She reached out and touched Tabitha's head, which had a fine layer of hair, and said, "Head."
Tabitha hastily wiped away her tears and explained, "I was sick. That's why the hair fell out, but it will grow back later."
She held the child in her arms again and asked, "From now on, we will never be apart again, okay?"
Ayla added, "And Helios."
"Yes, I will find Helios, and we will be a family again."
Hearing this, Ayla finally smiled. She remembered that Derek had also said he would help her find Helios, murmuring, "That man..."
"Man? Which man?"
Ayla couldn't describe him. Derek had not told her his name. Ayla only knew him as a man.
Derek walked over slowly and said, "You've just woken up, and your body needs to be checked. Eat something first. Ayla will be taken care of. There's no danger on the island."
Tabitha then realized their current situation and asked, "Where are we? Where is the Captain?"
"We were fortunate that night. We encountered the navy, who captured all the pirates. Captain's ship was attacked, but fortunately, the cargo was saved. You've been unconscious for several days, and they were too preoccupied to continue taking you with them, so the navy brought us to a nearby island for rest. We are now in the jurisdiction of Canada. You can rest assured, there will be no more pirates."
"Have I been asleep for long?"
"On and off for several days, which is why you are so weak. On the contrary, Ayla is in better health than you. She just choked on some water, and I've been observing her closely for the past few days. There are no other issues."
Tabitha nodded and said, "Thank goodness you were there, thank you."
"My pleasure. Not to mention the reward from Dr. Romero, we've been together for several months now. We're friends, after all. When a friend is in trouble, how could I not help?"
"Friends?" Tabitha thought of Joanna again.
She said coldly, "I don't need friends."