So much time had passed that she couldn’t remember it clearly anymore.

But now that she had returned to the past, Grace’s expression and reaction were crystal clear in her mind.

It turned out that when someone didn’t like her, they just didn’t–no matter how hard she tried, they still treated her the same.

Watching young Aurora use her homework as a way to numb herself left Aurora with a bitter ache in her chest.

But there was nothing she could do now; she could only stand there and watch.

She wanted to know what happened next, how things played out after this.

But it was painfully obvious that Grace and Tessa were always on the same side, and no one cared about how she felt.

Because even when the night grew late, no one came to comfort her.

After finishing her homework, young Aurora washed up and went to bed by herself.

Watching that small figure curl into a tight ball under the covers made Aurora’s heart ache even more.

So much time had passed that she had forgotten what that kind of vulnerability even felt like.

Now, all she did was keep filling herself up and growing stronger.

That was what mattered.

As for the past, it had simply paved the road beneath her feet.

So, what if Grace didn’t like her? That didn’t change the fact that she was more capable than Tessa now.

Aurora slowly clenched her fists, her heart aching as she looked at the small figure curled up in bed.

If she could, she truly wanted to sit down and talk to her younger self.

“The road behind you doesn’t matter. It’s not worth obsessing over. No one else has lived your story.

“To you, all of this will become something precious. As long as you get through the worst of it, you’ll see a different world.

“And when that time comes, you won’t have to stay stuck in the same pit as everyone else—you’ll see what’s beyond it.”

But now, there was nothing Aurora could do.

All she could hope for was that her younger self would figure it out sooner and stop letting the outside world shake her so easily.

Judging by what she had achieved now, the world’s view of her and Tessa was already completely different.

One was a chronically ill girl, the other was someone far more capable.

What comparison was there to be made between the two?

Aurora sat quietly at the edge of the bed, watching the lump under the blanket.

She felt the ache in her chest, but at this point, the only thing she could offer was silent companionship.

Downstairs, Tessa and Grace sat across from each other in silence.

Tessa glanced at Grace, who sat frozen in place, and for a moment, she felt something unsettled in her chest.

Why did her mother have that look on her face?

Could it be… she still cared about Aurora?

Then what did all her efforts mean?

Chapter 723

If she liked Aurora once, why couldn’t she keep liking her? Why couldn’t she always be on her side?

That shadowy part of Tessa’s heart began to grow.

She said deliberately, “Mom, isn’t it a little harsh for us to treat her like that?”

Grace snapped out of her daze at the sound of Tessa’s voice.

She quickly grabbed her daughter’s hand and held it tightly, as if finally grounding herself.

“It’s nothing. She’s just throwing a childish tantrum–she’ll get over it soon.”

She nodded seriously. “Yes, that’s it. It was like this before too, wasn’t it?”

But as she kept repeating herself, it was unclear whether she was saying it for Tessa’s benefit or to convince herself.