"He is mine, isn't he?" Lewis's voice emerged as a gentle murmur behind Isabella, who stood before a bookshelf in her library, a place where words and ideas found refuge from the chaos of life.

     "Ah, so you finally deduced that I don’t actually have a husband," Isabella retorted, artfully dodging his question. She didn't swivel around to face him but continued tending to her books, as though they could somehow shield her from the conversation.

     Lewis registered her tacit confession. "You always said I had a brilliant mind," he remarked, a tender grin playing on his lips, invisible to Isabella who had her back to him.

     "You are not incensed," Isabella observed, finally drifting away from the shelf to lean against the stout oak table occupying the room's center. She folded her arms across her chest, as if bracing for a verbal onslaught.

     "Why would I be? I was the one who deserted you alone and with child."

     "I wasn’t alone. I had Aunt Lydia."

     "Do you know what she did to me?"

     "Yes, when Gabriel turned one, she finally owned up to what she had done," Isabella disclosed. "Taking away your memories," she appended in a matter-of-fact way as if it was the sort of thing that happened every other day.

     Isabella's eyes locked with Lewis's, her gaze unflinching. "But I made her restore them," she declared resolutely. "I wanted you to recall me, to know that it was me who inflicted that pain upon you. The same pain that I experienced when you cast me aside."

     Her words lingered in the air, heavy with a blend of hurt and fury.

     Lewis drew nearer and enfolded her in his embrace. "You must know that I returned for you."

     “It was too late. I was already shattered when you discarded me.”

     He kissed her then, and Isabella's entire being seemed to ignite. She looped her arms around him, drawing him nearer, deepening the kiss.

     As they broke away, Lewis gazed into Isabella's eyes and inhaled deeply before speaking. "For years, I pursued my dream of illuminating the entire world, but it came at a rather steep price. I surrendered the light of my life."

     He tenderly cupped her face in his hands and carried on. "I was a fool to ever let you slip away. Surely you know that I am still hopelessly in love with you. Can you ever forgive me?"

     Isabella's eyes widened and shimmered with tears. "Lewis, I never ceased loving you. But how can I trust you again?"

     Lewis positioned his hands on either side of her head, his gaze riveted to hers. "I'll do anything to set things right. I'll devote the rest of my life to making amends to you and our remarkable boy. Just grant me the opportunity to love you again."

     Isabella's heart softened at his words, and she couldn't suppress a smile. 

     "That's a tough one," she said, feigning indecision. "Do you perchance have any exceptional contraptions to tackle this particular predicament? A torch that induces forgiveness in others, perhaps?"

     Lewis grinned at her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Looks like I've got to get to work then," he stated, pressing his lips to hers once more.