Chapter 210

Josiah froze. This was the first time he recalled Sienna mentioning her mother in his presence. He hesitated. "Your mother is buried here?"

"Yes," Sienna nodded, gazing up at the hill with a melancholic air. She said nothing more, her sorrow palpable.

Josiah observed her pale face and silently took her hand. "Is today your mother's birthday or the anniversary of her passing?"

"Neither," Sienna shook her head, letting out a long sigh. "I just… miss her and wanted to visit." Her eyes quickly misted over with unshed tears. Josiah tightened his grip on her hand. "Let's go."

The mountain path was rough, and Josiah carefully guided her along, his grip steady and protective. She stepped onto a flat patch before stopping, looking up at him. "This way," she said. "Wait for me here. If you go any farther, my mom will see you."

He understood almost immediately, but the realization ignited a surge of uncontrollable anger. "Sienna!" He released her hand and paced back and forth.

Stopping before her, he demanded, "You don't want your mom to see me?"

"Yes," Sienna nodded, making no attempt to hide it. She noticed his anger and looked at him with confusion. "You're upset?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Josiah asked with a bitter laugh, his face darkening. "Given our relationship. I've come all this way, and I'm not allowed to pay my respects to your mother?"

"Our relationship," Sienna repeated, her tone neutral. "What is our relationship? What are you to me? My ex-husband? Or my boyfriend who's already emotionally attached to someone else?"

"Sienna," he began.

"Don't," Sienna cut him off, her voice heavy with exhaustion. She didn't want to argue. "My mom loved me very much. Even on her deathbed, she was still worried about me… I don't want her to know that my love life is such a mess." Her voice softened, but her misty eyes brimmed with grievance. "Didn't you promise you'd be good to me in the future? Are you already going back on your word?"

Josiah fell silent. He had made that promise, but this wasn't the situation he'd envisioned. But looking at Sienna's tearful expression, he found himself unable to refuse her.

"Wait for me here," she pleaded, her tone sweet and soft. "I won't be long."

Josiah suppressed his frustration and nodded stiffly. "Fine."

He watched her walk away, her figure shrinking with each step. A strong urge to follow tugged at him, but he held back.

Chapter 210

Right now, in Sienna's heart, he wasn't worthy of meeting her mother. He used to be. And that was all his fault. Back then, Josiah was her husband. Yet, at the time, he couldn't have cared less about that privilege. "Regret won't fix anything. Someday, I'll earn that right back," he thought.

Sienna stood before the gravestone, dazed for a moment before kneeling to place two bouquets of flowers. On the gravestone was a picture of her mother, frozen in youthful beauty.

The memory of her mother's death resurfaced. No matter how many years passed, it always left Sienna with a suffocating ache, a searing pain that tore through her chest. If it weren't for her, her mother wouldn't have died.

"Mom," Sienna raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing her mother's photograph. Tears streamed silently down her face. "Mom, I'm here to see you."

Grief and longing surged through her, overwhelming her. She wrapped her arms around the tombstone, her sobs shaking her body. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…" No matter how many times she said it, her mother could never hear her again.

"Sienna." A woman's voice sounded behind her. Sienna froze, then slowly raised her tear-streaked face.

"It's really you, Sienna." Tania stood there, holding a bouquet of flowers, her eyes immediately reddening. Falling to her knees, she cried uncontrollably. "It's been so many years. You've grown so much!"

Anyone unaware of the circumstances might have thought Tania a loving relative overcome with emotion. But Sienna's expression remained cold. Tania was the reason her family had been torn apart, forcing her to grow up with the Flynn family. Tania had shamelessly stolen her sister's husband and destroyed their family. Such a hypocrite had no right to weep now.

Sienna's mind swirled with anger. What are you pretending for? she thought. When you were sneaking around with my father, were you this emotional? You drove my grandfather to his death, made my grandmother sever ties with you… And now you're crying? Those tears must be for Connor. She cursed them inwardly.

"Sienna," Tania began, pointing to the tombstone. "Since you left Jetacrity, I've been coming here regularly to clean your mom's grave. Just last year, I even had the tombstone repaired."

Sienna snapped, her voice laced with disgust. Each word from Tania only fueled Sienna's nausea. "Do you think these gestures will erase the damage you've done?" Sienna roared.

Tania stuttered, covering her face as she broke into muffled sobs. "We knew each other for so long. But back then, we were young. We couldn't control ourselves," she added. Her voice mumbled, "Your own…"

"How disgusting," Sienna stood, unwilling to hear more of Tania's theatrics.

"Sienna," Tania panicked, grabbing her arm, her tear-streaked face desperate. "I beg you. Please, save Connor. I apologize to you as many times as you want. Just save him. He's your brother! Can you really let him die?"

"Yes," Sienna replied coldly, looking down at Tania with unflinching indifference. "He's nothing but a bastard. The world will be better off without him."

"You…" Tania gasped, her face twisted with rage.

"Pathetic," Sienna laughed chillingly. "Are you angry? Too bad. You've lost the right to feel that way. Did you think of this moment when you destroyed my family? You deserve it."

Sienna shook off her hand and turned abruptly.

"Sienna," Tania's pleas turned into venomous accusations, her voice shrill. "You dare to blame me for your family falling apart? Be careful what you say! It wasn't me who killed your mother, Sienna. It was you. You're the one who killed her!"

Sienna froze, her vision blurring. She couldn't stay. Her fists clenched as she walked away, her pace quickening.

"Sienna! Why are you running?" Tania screamed after her, her voice like nails scratching at Sienna's ears. "You're nothing but a cold-hearted, selfish wretch. A curse on everyone around you! You killed your mother. It's all your fault, Sienna. All of it!"

The words echoed in Sienna's mind like a relentless drumbeat. Her face grew paler until her knees nearly gave way. She broke into a run, her steps unsteady, as if she had lost all sense of direction.

"Sienna!" A familiar voice broke through the chaos, and she turned toward it in a daze. Josiah was running toward her, his expression filled with concern. "Sienna, what's wrong? You look…" He didn't finish the sentence before she stumbled forward and collapsed into his arms, clutching him tightly.