Miles, who had been watching from the garden, dropped the book he had been holding and ran toward them. His heart pounded in his chest, but he did not speak. He crouched near the pool, eyes fixed on Aria. Excitedly, Eli repeated the word, “Duck, Duck,” squeezing the toy rhythmically. Aria’s lips trembled, and this time the sound was clearer, louder. Though the word was broken, incomplete, it was undeniably a word—the first true word she had ever spoken.
Tears welled up in Miles’s eyes. He had dreamed of this moment for years, imagining how it would feel, yet nothing had prepared him for the reality. He knelt beside Aria, gently holding her hands. “Aria,” he whispered, tears streaming, but she remained quiet, her first word lingering in the air. Lila, who had been inside, rushed into the garden, her hands still damp from drying dishes. She stopped in her tracks, covering her mouth as she took in the scene: Eli with the duck, Aria’s lips still parted, and Miles on his knees.