Chapter 73
Hearing Tessa’s voice, Grace’s heart ached even more. Tessa was such a good child—she had just walked in on her own sister with her fiancé, yet she was still trying to comfort her.
But then, Julian suddenly spoke. “Tessa, it’s my fault.”
The moment he said that, all three women in the room turned to look at him. Even Aurora couldn’t help but glance over, surprise flickering in her eyes. Was he actually planning to admit to what he had just done?
Tessa choked up. “Julian, how could you…”
Even Grace’s expression turned uncertain. Had she wrongfully accused Aurora just now?
But the next second, Julian looked remorseful. “I drank too much today. I was lying on the couch, a little out of it.”
The moment Aurora heard this, she felt something was off. Sure enough, Julian continued. “I didn’t expect Aurora to come over and start saying all sorts of things, blaming Tessa for taking her engagement.” He lifted his head, his eyes slightly red, looking utterly innocent. Turning to Grace, he said, “Madam Grace, this was my fault. I lost control. But my feelings for Tessa are real. Even if Aurora wasn’t in the picture, I still would have chosen Tessa.”
“Julian…” Tessa looked at him with teary eyes, deeply moved, the two of them gazing at each other in mutual understanding. Standing to the side, Aurora suddenly seemed like the third party. Her expression darkened. As expected, this man was utterly shameless. How could she have expected him to tell the truth? What a joke.
“Julian, are you sure you’re telling the truth?” Aurora’s gaze was sharp, locked onto him like a blade.
Julian avoided Aurora’s gaze, unwilling to meet her eyes as he continued, “Of course. My relationship with your sister has always been stable. Why would I abandon Tessa to be with you? Besides, for those three years you were chasing after Joseph, it was the talk of the town. Who doesn’t know about it?”
Aurora was so infuriated that she actually laughed. Even Grace looked uncomfortable at his words. After all, no matter what, Aurora was still her daughter. No one else had the right to belittle her. But at the same time, she wasn’t entirely sure what to believe. Aurora wasn’t someone without boundaries. However… Just as Julian had said, what reason would he have to leave Tessa for Aurora?
Aurora’s lips curled in sarcasm before she turned to Grace with a serious expression. “Mom, do you really believe that man?” She could no longer bring herself to call Julian “brother-in-law.” He was nothing but a hypocrite.
Grace hesitated, wavering between doubt and trust, but in the end, she still sided with Julian. “Aurora, he’s your sister’s fiancé!”
Aurora’s heart clenched. A bitter smile tugged at her lips. She understood perfectly well what her mother meant. Grace chose Julian’s side. Even her own mother didn’t believe her.
Grace’s heart ached seeing the look on Aurora’s face. She was about to say something when Tessa, standing beside her, spoke first in a delicate, sorrowful voice. “Mom, is Aurora blaming me for taking her engagement…?”
“I knew it. She couldn’t possibly be as indifferent as she seems… But Mom, Julian and I truly love each other.” Tessa looked caught in a dilemma, torn between guilt and love. Her health had always been fragile, her complexion perpetually pale. Now, with tears in her eyes, she looked even more delicate, like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering—pitiful enough to make anyone’s heart ache.