Sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for Aria to return from the restroom, so they could leave the hospital, Zane was staring dazedly at two small pictures. The black and white ultrasound scans the doctor had printed for him, with each of them having inscribed on the bottom part Peanut A and Peanut B respectively, kept his interest even after several minutes, especially after the doctor had explained to him where the hands, feet and face were.

For some reason, he still could not feel this was reality, as his hand gently caressed the two pictures. But the two powerful heartbeats sounds that  seemed to resound inside his mind even now, affirmed for him that indeed it was true, making his heart swell with pride.

Like holding a small treasure, he took the two pictures and, taking out his wallet, he slid the two inside a small card frame, before placing his wallet once again in his jacket's inner pocket.

'I am sorry to have kept you waiting!' Aria immediately spoke as she returned, making Zane snap out of his thoughts, as he looked towards the flustered petite woman. She had certainly hurried to not keep him waiting, as he could see from the slight redness on her cheeks and the slight shortness of breath, even though he had told her multiple times that there was no hurry.

But as always, Aria tried to not impose on him, and acted as politely as possible. This considerate side of her, should have made him feel happy normally, but now somehow it irked him, making him uncomfortable, although strangely this alienation from the previous her was ideal for him and quite welcomed. 

In the past, the previous Aria had also acted polite towards him, but her politeness was not the same as now, it had felt cold then, mechanic, like an etiquette she showed everyone. 

But the current Aria, although there existed some gentleness in her words no matter who she was speaking to, her alienation was only for him. She was not like this to everyone, she did not speak so formal. 

At least towards the staff at the mansion Aria smiled more, laughed even, but towards him... she only smiled a little when they were talking about the twins or about the piano. The rest of the time she avoided him if she could.

'Are you upset?' She asked slowly seeing he did not say anything, with a caution that one would not show a person who is your family, at least that's how it appeared to him.

'No. Let's go!' Zane simply said, and rose on his feet, not speaking more.

Aria nodded, and followed him out, not insisting at all with other questions, or even repeating the first question at least, to confirm he was truly not upset.

In reality, she was somewhat accustomed to him, but there was still a difference between being accustomed to somebody and acting familiar with him. He did not seem a bad person to her, he also had never once denied doing something for her, but somehow his cold stone exterior was designed to keep people at bay.

Not to mention, although not directly, the butler had explained to her a bit their normal lives and schedules at her request. And as a conclusion from what she saw from Zane in the beginning, coupled with the butler's information... it was evident to her that they pretty much led separate lives.

The couple seemed a bit weird to her, but as she never had a family of her own, she was not exactly the best person to know how a normal family was like. Not to mention, she was grateful to live a second life with two bundles of joy, questioning the status quo between her and Zane never once even entering her mind.

She was not one to force herself inside someone's privacy, even the piano lessons had been something that he had mentioned himself otherwise she would not have dared ask him. So in regard to everything else, naturally she followed suit his way of being. If he spoke less, so would she, if he would keep his distance so would she, not wanting to upset him. 

How would she know that exactly this kind of thinking of hers made him feel upset? 

So unfortunately, she would never reckon that even though Zane was not a talkative and aloof person, he wouldn't want  her to be the same in his presence.

Climbing once more in the passenger's seat, Aria was more attentive then last time and had found the seatbelt even before sitting inside the car.

'Should we listen to some music?' Zane asked her, as they drove. Even for him this silence was a bit stifling.

'Yes.' Aria agreed, as Zane had already reached with his hand to turn on the radio.

Instead of music, commercials resounded in the car, giving Zane no choice but to change the player's option from radio to a cd, as they did not stop even after several minutes passed. With the classical music in the background, time passed by faster, and soon enough they were at their next stop, the mall.

Leaving the car in the underground parking lot, the two made their way to the elevator, but as the elevator's door opened on the first floor, they were faced with another problem. In her former life, the almost eighteen year old Aria, had not stepped foot in a mall in her entire life, as the majority of her clothes were previously hand me downs in the orphanage or donations, so she had never picked some for herself in a store. As such naturally, she was at a loss regarding where to go.

On Zane's part, seeing her confusion and hesitation was not strange at all, she had amnesia so of course she would not remember  which store to look for, or perhaps even what kind of clothes to purchase. But he was also at a loss because, although he had enough money to buy the clothes in the entire mall at this very moment on his private card, all of his clothes were normally prepared by the butler. He had never chosen something for himself, so he had no reason to go to a mall before.

'Let's go to the right!' He said apparently decisively, but was in fact heading towards the direction most of the crowd in front of his eyes went.

She nodded her head, and immediately followed his lead, steadily trying to keep up with his steps. But her small feet, compared to his long ones, made it impossible for her to keep up with his large strides. 

Moreover, she was also  afraid to bump into people, and cause harm to the small children in her belly, so with her hands standing protectively on her abdomen, and with her eyes mostly watching her steps, rather than the front, it did not took a long time for her to see him moving further away from her, before losing him completely.

'Zane!' Aria called, with a small voice. It was the first time she had spoken his name, addressing him on a first name basis, it felt a bit awkward, but she was frightened to be separated from him. He and the staff at the mansion were the only people she knew, if she separated from him what should she do? She did not know their phone number, she did not even recall their address, as she was always driven by car to the hospital.

Scared, Aria stopped in her tracks looking left and right, but he was nowhere to be seen. Her eyebrows scrunched up in fright, as her heartbeat kept on increasing, she was feeling more or less like a small child. 

The only place she had ever been to  in her previous life beside the orphanage, was the hospital, so the multitude of unfamiliar faces that kept walking all around her, made her panic a bit. Fated for an early demise, who would have bothered to prepare her for the outside world? In a way she had been too sheltered from normal society, and was lost on what she should do to find him.

She looked a bit more, but did not dare move from where she was. The hallway parted itself in two paths, if she took the wrong one, she would be even more lost. Her eyes began to moist, as several moments passed, but there was no sign of Zane coming back.  Hugging her belly even more protectively, trying to calm down the children that had perhaps felt her anxiety, and were moving around hurting her a bit, Aria tried to stop her trembling. 

'Zane!' She spoke again, with a higher voice this time.

'Aria!' Zane finally called with a hurried voice. Swept away in the crowd, and also a bit absent minded, he had walked for some time, before checking her position beside him, only to realize she was not following him. They had never went out together, so he was not used to minding his steps and speed. It was his oversight, so alarmed he immediately went back. 

Seeing the familiar face, between countless stranger ones, Aria felt like she found her salvation, and did not wait a second longer, extending her arms and tightly hugging his waist, as though she was afraid to be left behind again.

Zane steadied his feet, assaulted by the small trembling body, and gently placed his hands on her, as if coaxing a small child.

'I am here!' He reassured her gently. He had been a bit displeased because of her cautiousness in his presence, and the distance she maintained,  but there existed no distance in this moment. She was relying on him, and him only. 

In reality, he could not explain it even to himself, why it had made him feel uncomfortable that she kept her formal speech and distance, and why he felt pleased now that she depended on him. But calming her came first. She had no memories, so it was only normal that she had panicked when she found herself alone.

'I am sorry! I walked too fast just now.' He sincerely apologized, awkwardly placing a hand on her head, petting the soft hair.

She shook her head, not accepting his apology. It had been her fault that she had lost him, she thought. But still did not loosen her embrace, afraid he would leave her again.

The aloof man did not know what else to do, besides standing still, letting her calm down. He did not move an inch and did not say a word more, as he waited for the trembling to stop.

Soon enough, she composed herself, and briskly let him go, she had been too audacious just now she realized. She was not a child that got lost, so she blushed at her exaggerated reaction.

'I am sorry!' Aria immediately apologized, not only for her strong hug, but also for the tear stains she had left behind on his shirt.

Zane also did not accept her apology, and only extended his hand towards her, making her eyebrows frown in confusion, not understanding what he wanted her to do.

'Give me your hand!' He expressionlessly said.

Seeing her slowly raising her hand, but still a bit unsure of his meaning, Zane approached her,  taking her small hand in his big one, before turning around and walking again.

He was afraid he would lose her again, so it was the best way to make sure they were not separated once more. 

Having also slowed down his strides considerably, coupled with her hand tightly held in his, Aria could now keep up with Zane, and she finally sighed relieved, not affording to feel embarrassed that they were touching.

Zane walked a few more steps, but was still not reassured, he kept getting the feeling that the small hand will slip from his own, so while not stopping his walk, he took his other hand grabbing her own, then intertwined  their fingers.  

Finally satisfied, he began to look towards the windows of the stores and check which ones had maternity clothed mannequins on display. Focusing his eyes, left and right, it wasn't long before he found one that seemed to be indeed a store intended for pregnant woman, and was about to walk in, when he felt his phone vibrate.

Answering the incoming phone call with his free hand, Zane did not let go of Aria's hand even for a second.

'Yes?' He answered simply, without a word of greeting.

'Zane, I'm back from my vacation. Do you have time to meet? Me and the other guys are meeting at my house today.' A hoarse man's voice was heard on the other end of the phone call.

As the volume of the phone was loud enough, and Aria was also in close proximity to Zane, she could clearly hear it, but tried to not pay attention to the conversation. It would not be polite of her to listen to them, not to mention even if she did try to stay concentrated on their exchange, it would be quite difficult. 

Zane's previous hold of her hand, was akin to how she would hold the hand of the other smaller children at the orphanage, but somehow his current hold, which sealed their hand even closer together, felt more intimate to her. Though it was not like she could just tell him, to change the way her hand was held, it would make it seem like she was too conscious of it. This fact together with the bold action of hugging him from before, would only help to increase the awkwardness between them further.

'I cannot. I am out with Aria!' Zane replied to his friend, as he payed attention to the beautiful dress on the mannequin. It would be a perfect fit for the petite woman, he thought.

'Ohh... Out on a date?' The friend jokingly asked him. Words he regretted almost instantly saying. He knew that the marriage of Zane and Aria was one of convenience, a marriage to solidify the bond between their families. 

He was also aware that the two had mostly kept a separate life during their marriage, and presumably now with Aria having no memories, as Zane had informed him of it... their relationship was even more nonexistent.

As such, he was about to apologize for the bad joke, before Zane would reprimand him of this, or close the phone call on him, as he did in the past whenever the latter did not bother dealing with his outward personality. He was about to open his mouth, but before he could retract the words, Zane had already replied.

'Yes!' He answered still looking towards other dresses. In reality, he had absentmindedly replied to his friend, maintaining his attention on the clothes in front of him, so he did not even realize what the latter had told him, and was only saying yes, as though he was only confirming he was listening to his words. He processed the exact question he had replied affirmatively to, only a second later in his mind.

Was this a date? Well, she was his wife, and they were out walking in the mall... could it be classified as a date? He thought, and looked with the corner of his eye towards the petite woman who was glancing at another window intently.

Relieved for some reason, that she had not frowned or looked upset, because of his affirmation, or perhaps had not heard the words they said at all, he continued the conversation on the phone call.

'I am free tomorrow!' He informed, trying to change the subject so the blockhead on the other end would not say something more.

'Alright. In the afternoon?' Asked the man, and did not dare joke more.

'Yes. I will call you then!' Zane said, and closed the phone call before the other man had a chance to reply.

'Should we go inside to check those clothes?' Zane asked Aria, as he had already placed his phone inside the pocket.

'Aria?' He tried to get her attention, when the latter did not reply, and followed her line of sight.

Aria at this point was mesmerized, by the small puppy that could be seen through the pet store's glass wall. The small furry ball looked sad and alone, just like she had looked in the past.

'Do you want that puppy?' Zane asked her slowly, when Aria finally briefly moved her gaze towards him.

'Ahhh.. No!' She immediately denied. How could she impose on him more. The mansion had not even the smallest of evidence of it ever having hosted the presence of a pet before. And as a man who had everything in his life arranged according to a fixed schedule, she doubted he had ever owned an animal who could possibly disrupt his peace and quiet. Especially puppies, who could be a bit more active and unintentionally break expensive things in their playing.

'Do you like it?' He asked again, seeing the sparkle of her eyes diminish. It was clear she truly wanted the puppy, but did not want to bother him.

'Yes.' She frankly admitted, but continued reasoning.

'But, he could ruin something or break something in the mansion, not to mention he is expensive.' She stated, with her hazel eyes dimming even more as she explained, though her gaze never strayed away from the small furry ball. She had loved animals since young, but how would she ever be allowed to have one? Having a roof over her head and food to fill her stomach had already been something to be thankful for.

Hearing her mentioning that the dog was expensive, was quite amusing to him. How could the puppy be out of a company's owner reach? But he did not let his feelings show on his face as he continued speaking seriously.

'It is alright, I can afford a puppy. We'll take him after we shop for your clothes.' Zane said with a resolute voice, that showed he meant every word.

'Really??' She expressed her happiness, as she finally looked towards him with sparkling eyes. Seeing her gaze only on him, made him become even more firm in his decision. 

'Yes. We'll come back and get him.'

'Then let's take him now! What if someone else takes him away? He is too adorable. I am surprised no one has bought him already.' She stated eager, already checking her surroundings, as though she was afraid someone would already be going towards the pet store intending to buy him before they could.

He looked at the puppy who appeared  quite devilish, as the husky's white eyebrows seemed frowned, and his blue grayish eyes held a certain smugness in them. He truly could not see his loveliness, but of course he did not contradict her. Different people see beauty differently, what appears ugly in front of a human, may be a diamond in front of another. Who was he to judge tastes?

'But we still haven't picked some clothes for you.' Zane expressed concerned. The butler had made it seem like she did not have even a change of clothes for the next day to wear, as he had reminded him once more before they left to make sure they bought enough clothes for Aria.

'It is alright, I have plenty left. And my maid, Ann, can buy some more online.' She immediately assured him, not at all realizing that she had contradicted the words of the butler who previously said she had run out of fitting clothes. 

Unknowingly, she had exposed the old man's deception, she figured out a second later, but even if she did it wouldn't matter. The latter had also double crossed her, when he did not inform her of Zane's earlier return, letting her get caught singing karaoke. It was the survival of the fittest at this moment.

Seeing her eager to take the puppy home at this very moment he agreed to her words, and did not insist more. He could see that Aria in fact also appeared somewhat a bit tired, so it was indeed better to return home. If she had to also go and try on clothes, it would be more of a hassle. At home, she could rest and pick clothes just sitting on the couch, without the need of checking through the shelves herself.

'Is that the president?' Asked a young girl gazing through a store's glass wall, seeing the handsome man walking across the mall's hallway.

'No, he is not.' Answered immediately her friend, with certainty. The latter had only glanced to where her friend pointed at, and had already resumed checking the bags in front of her.

'But it looks exactly like him.' The young woman affirmed confused. Although they were a bit further away, an impressive man like their company's president surely could not be mistaken.

'Look a bit more, that man is carrying a dog's bag. It is absolutely impossible for the president to carry a one.' Her friend stated, taking another