And this daughter of hers…

The thought made Grace turn her gaze slowly toward Aurora, only to see disbelief written all over her face.

Consider things from another’s perspective? There wasn't even a trace of that in her expression.

Aurora let out a low scoff.

She looked at Grace, about to ask, “Is that what you think too, Mom?”

But then she saw it—the quiet approval on her mother’s face as she looked at Tessa.

And in that moment, there was nothing left for Aurora to question.

It was all crystal clear.

Asking anything more wouldn’t change a thing. It would only humiliate herself further.

Some truths, when pursued too deeply, only prove how blind you’ve been.

Aurora gave a soft laugh. “I see.”

She gave Grace a small nod. “Mother, I was out of line. I understand now. I’ve got something to attend to, so I won’t keep you.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Grace and Tessa exchanged a glance, both confused.

That was it? No argument? No flare of temper?

She just left?

If this had been any other day, Aurora would’ve exploded by now.

Something about it felt wrong.

But Grace didn’t say anything further.

She was still the elder–if the younger one didn’t argue back, it wasn’t her place to push.

Tessa, however, wasn’t about to let it slide.

She immediately called out, “Weren’t you here to talk to Mom? You’re just going to leave without saying anything?”

Aurora didn’t turn around.

With her back to them, she replied, “It’s fine. What I came to say–Mom’s already made it clear. There’s no point in continuing.”

And with that, she walked out.

This time, there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation.

Leaving behind only Grace and Tessa, both bewildered.

Tessa frowned, confused. “Mom, what did you do? What did she mean by that?”

She genuinely didn’t understand–Aurora was acting unhinged.

Grace tried to think back, combing through the day’s events.

But nothing she’d done seemed particularly significant.

It was just the matter with the Hayes family.

But would Aurora have noticed anything from that?

Something unsettled stirred inside Grace, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She shook her head, then gently picked out a piece of salmon and placed it onto Tessa’s plate.

“Here, darling, have some fish. Don’t worry about your sister.”

With a bit more coaxing later, things could be smoothed over.

She knew Aurora’s temper well–it was probably just anger talking.

Everything could still be salvaged.

Besides, between the two girls, she could never truly treat them equally.

One stayed by her side, warm and affectionate.

The other was always chasing success, rarely expressing anything heartfelt.

When it came down to it, Grace knew exactly where her heart leaned.

Tessa quietly watched her mother’s expression.

Seeing how unfazed she was, a flicker of satisfaction rose in her chest.

She hadn’t expected Grace to care this much.

To see her so willing to estrange herself from her other daughter, just to protect her—even if it meant pushing Aurora further and further away.

And yet, the irony wasn’t lost on Tessa.

Just as Aurora had said, she really was reaping what she sowed.

And Aurora–she was the one who had truly been wronged.