Chapter 98.

Amelia's POV

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of flour-dusted hands, playful giggles, and a growing cloud of white settling over the kitchen counter. Chloe, a little flour imp radiating from her nose, looked like a miniature baker gone rogue.

"Oops!" she exclaimed, her smile wide as she accidentally knocked over the sugar bowl, sending a cascade of sparkling crystals cascading onto the floor.

Instead of getting frustrated, I found myself laughing. "Uh oh," I teased, "looks like we have a little sugar spill."

Chloe, seeing that I was not angry with her and was laughing instead, scooped handfuls of flour and rained it down on me like a mischievous snow fairy. Soon, we were both covered in a white dusting, giggling uncontrollably.

In the midst of the flour fight, something shifted within me. The tension that had been simmering since Eddie left seemed to dissipate, replaced by a sense of carefree joy. Here I was, covered in flour with a little girl who seemed to find endless amusemen