“That’s right, Aurora, have some too.”
Grace let out a light laugh, trying to ease the tension between the sisters. This might actually be a good thing—giving them more time to be around each other. It felt rushed, but working through things little by little couldn’t hurt. Grace dabbed at her forehead, though there wasn’t a trace of sweat there. Arnold stood quietly nearby, but even he could sense the storm brewing in Aurora’s chest. The whole scene had the tension of a battlefield.
Hearing Tessa’s voice, Aurora almost laughed aloud. She couldn’t help but sneer. “My dear sister, what happened to your voice? Did that loving fiancé of yours do this to you?”
There was a smile on her lips, but it never reached her eyes. The look she gave Tessa was more like watching a clown on stage. Tessa was too stunned to reply. She hadn’t expected Aurora to be so bold. Grace was right there—how could she say something like that so bluntly? Back then, she would’ve at least pretended for their mother’s sake. But now? What had gotten into her?
Grace slammed her hand against the table. “Aurora Walion, is that any way to speak to your sister?” She was thinking about how Tessa had just come out of that awful police ordeal, how shaken and raw she still was. Grace’s heart still ached for her. But Aurora walked in and went straight for the throat with sarcasm and mockery. Grace couldn’t bear to see it. “No matter what’s happened between you two, she’s still your sister.” Grace spoke with heartbreak in her voice. “How can you say something like that to your sister? Doesn’t your conscience bother you at all?”
Aurora’s eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn’t expected her mother to speak to her like this. She was the one who had been hurt—how had she suddenly become the villain in their eyes? Were there really parents like this?
She let out a cold laugh. “Mom, I don’t understand. When you say ‘victim,’ do you mean someone who did wrong and just got caught? She’s suffering the consequences of her own choices. No one else is to blame for that.” Her tone was sharp, distant. She had come here with the intention of speaking to Grace about Tessa. But now, clearly, there was no point. Aurora looked at the spread on the table, and the coldness in her chest deepened. “So I lie in bed for a month, nearly destroyed by what they did to me, and you don’t say a word. But she? She gets caught in her own lies and walks back into a warm home, with you cooking all her favorite dishes.” She lifted her gaze, eyes locked on Grace. “Tell me, am I really your daughter?”
Grace opened her mouth to speak, but Tessa cut in first. “Sis, don’t you think you’re being too harsh on Mom?” She set her fork down and looked directly at Aurora, putting on the posture of the elder sister. “Do you really think it’s fair to speak to her that way? Do you not think Mom was hurting too when you were sick? You’re both her children. Why can’t you try to see it from her side for once?”
Grace looked at Tessa, so composed and righteous, and felt like she was hearing her own heart speak. Tessa had always been the more thoughtful one. All these years, the love she’d given her hadn’t been in vain.