“Please don’t stay silent,” Aurora choked out.

“It was unfilial of me not to come see you the moment I returned.”

Grace shook her head, her eyes still wet with tears.

“Aurora, I won’t allow you to say that.” She gripped her daughter’s hand tightly. “You’re my precious girl. Whatever decisions you make, I’ll always support you. You have to understand–you live for yourself in this world. No one has the right to interfere with your choices.”

Aurora was deeply moved by her mother’s words. There had been so much left unsaid between them. But now, with both of them face-to-face, everything had finally been brought out into the open.

The misunderstanding had lifted. Looking at her mother now, Aurora realized she had misjudged her. And quietly, in her heart, she thanked Ian. If he hadn’t given her that little push, she might not have reconciled so quickly.

Aurora led Grace to the sofa, still holding her hand tightly. Grace could feel her daughter’s reliance on her, and for the first time, a smile returned to her face. She never thought the day would come when they could sit and talk like this again. Ever since Aurora fell into a coma, she had imagined this reunion over and over. She just never expected it to come about so suddenly.

“You have no idea,” Grace sighed, still gently stroking the back of Aurora’s hand. “How many things I’ve wanted to tell you since you fell unconscious.” That feeling of getting her daughter back grounded her, gave her peace.

Aurora, ever thoughtful, said, “Mom, if there’s something you want to say, just tell me.” She had her own guesses about what her mother might say. But since Grace hadn’t brought it up yet, she chose not to ask directly. There was no need to rush. Everything had its time and place.

Aurora didn’t want to assume what Grace was thinking–what if it wasn’t what she imagined? That would only backfire. Just like in business, one always needed to leave room, to stay flexible. Because she understood this principle, Aurora had long learned to adapt her approach based on what the other person said.

Grace looked at her daughter’s calm and composed expression, her gaze flickering slightly. In the end, she sighed and decided to speak. Both girls were her daughters–she couldn’t turn a blind eye. If outsiders heard that she was only standing by one of them, they’d criticize her behind her back without mercy.

“I actually…” Grace averted her eyes, clearly finding it hard to say.

But Aurora remained patient. She already had a guess what her mother wanted to bring up. And since it was something Grace needed to say, Aurora waited in silence. She didn’t press, just looked at her steadily, as if reading her thoughts from her expression.

The truth was, Grace didn’t even know how to begin. She wanted to talk about Tessa. She knew deep down that the rift between her two daughters had grown this wide because of her own negligence. If she had paid more attention, maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control. Now it had reached a point where Tessa’s fiancé, Julian, had gone as far as to drug her other daughter. Even if the drug wasn’t lethal–he had still done it. And given how close Tessa and Julian were, how could she not have known what he was doing?