So, what right did Aurora have to judge her?

In that instant, all of Grace’s guilt vanished, her hesitation and remorse gone without a trace.

“If you insist on being this heartless,” Grace said coldly, “then don’t blame me for being an unkind mother.”

Aurora almost laughed.

Of course, every time her mother was about to waver, someone was always there to stir up trouble.

Her gaze shifted to Tessa, standing loyally at Grace’s side.

“Tessa, you really are something. Don’t worry, I’ll remember exactly what you look like right now.”

Then she turned back to Grace. “Mom, I just hope you never regret your choice. After all, you’ve chosen Tessa.”

“What do you mean by that?” Grace asked, her tone uneasy.

The moment Aurora said those words, an unfamiliar discomfort crept into her heart.

In her mind, both daughters were her own—why did Aurora have to force her to choose? Couldn’t they just coexist peacefully?

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Aurora said evenly. “I just hope you won’t regret it later.”

She then took Lucas’ arm. “I have things to do, so I won’t be staying any longer.”

With that, she and Lucas left without a moment’s hesitation, leaving Grace and Tessa standing there in silence.

Even now, Grace still didn’t understand what Aurora had meant. She turned to Tessa and muttered, “Tessa, what did your sister mean by that?”

Tessa shook her head, genuinely puzzled. “Mom, do you think she still hates me?”

“Don’t overthink it,” Grace said softly, though she felt just as unsettled.

But since Aurora had already left with Lucas, the only one standing before her now was Tessa, and she had to offer some reassurance.

“Go to the office as usual tomorrow, but don’t mention anything about Lucas’ identity for now.”

Tessa lowered her head obediently. “Don’t worry, Mom. I know what to do.”

Seeing that, Grace said nothing more.

Yet deep down, she couldn’t shake the heaviness in her chest.

Was she really going to part ways with Aurora for good?

They were mother and daughter by blood—how had it come to this? Where had everything gone wrong?

As Aurora and Lucas left, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on her face.

Seeing this, Lucas could tell exactly what was on her mind.

“Did you really have to be that harsh with your mother?” he asked gently.

Aurora blinked, as if waking from her thoughts. “Lucas, you saw it yourself. It’s not that I wanted to fight with her—she’s the one who refused to acknowledge me as her daughter.”

“I’ve never understood,” she murmured, staring out the window from the passenger seat. “Why does she always favor Tessa? What makes us so different? Why did she always look past me as if I wasn’t there?”

“But now I finally get it. When someone doesn’t like you, they just don’t like you. There’s no point asking why.

“In life, if you keep chasing after reasons for everything, you’ll only end up miserable.”

She turned to Lucas with a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Seeing her like that made his chest tighten.

Before starting the car, he reached over and gently ruffled her hair.

“You’re right,” he said softly. “Life isn’t meant to be spent figuring out every right and wrong. If you keep overthinking everything, you’ll never find peace.”