I looked at him, helpless. “Let me think about it, okay?”

Maybe I truly carried scars. Even though I knew Edmund was sincere, and I didn’t push him away, every time I thought about fully accepting him, fear quietly crept into my heart.

In the end, Edmund respected my hesitation and gently let go.

The next day was the weekend. Edmund, his daughter Catherine, his granddaughter Margaret, and a close friend’s family came to my house for a small gathering. We had a BBQ in the afternoon, and by evening, Edmund had prepared a lavish dinner with his own hands.

“You still haven’t accepted him?”

After dinner, while Edmund played on the lawn with Margaret, Catherine walked over with a glass of wine and asked me casually. “Hmm. I just want to think about it a little more.”

“You know, no one’s ever turned my dad down before,” Catherine laughed freely. “But I haven’t seen him this happy in years. I really hope I hear good news soon.”

Yes. These days, Edmund’s joy had become something even strangers could see. His closest friends already treated us like a couple. We’d even started gathering more often, sharing meals and time.

After seeing the guests off, only Edmund and I remained. He handed me a ticket. “Next week is your birthday. I booked a six-day, five-night cruise to celebrate.”

“Okay.”

By then, I also wanted to give him the one thing he wished for the most. Because now, I was certain I liked Edmund too. Life was short. Maybe it was time I stepped out of Stephen’s shadow and truly followed my heart to embrace everything I deserved, including love.

Edmund and I walked to the door together to see off his friend and Catherine’s family. As their car disappeared down the road, just as we were about to go back inside, I caught sight of my son and daughter turning the corner with my grandson.

Arthur glared at the fading vehicle and pointed after it, his voice sharp with anger. “You abandoned us for those outsiders?” Then he turned that finger on Edmund. “And you left my father for this bastard?!”

I was already seething, but before I could say a word, Edmund’s gaze turned icy as he stepped forward. “Young Master Arthur, you’re nearly thirty. Isn’t it time you stopped nursing grievances? Victoria has every right to live her life however she chooses. Long before she was anyone’s wife or mother, she was her own person.”

“No one, no one, has the right to question or condemn her choices.”

My daughter suddenly burst into tears and clung to my arm, sobbing. “Mom, I’m your real daughter. Do you know how much it hurt to see you smiling at others like they were your family instead?”

“I know I hurt you before, but I really regret it now!”

Seeing her cry so miserably, I thought, maybe she truly did regret it. But even if I could still acknowledge her as my daughter, there was no way I’d ever return to the Mortimer family or to her father’s side.

So I said coldly, “Since you’re so supportive of your father finding new love, why pretend to care about bringing me back?”

Edmund cut in, his tone sharp with sarcasm. “What, do you want your mother to go back and serve Stephen like a maid again?”

“No!”

My daughter pointed to Henry, who clung tightly to her leg. “Fine, don’t acknowledge us, but what about Henry? He’s innocent. Why do you hug other people’s kids but not your own grandson?”

“I’m not his grandma. Eleanor is. He said it himself.”

Arthur exploded. “He’s just a kid! He doesn’t know what he’s saying, why take it to heart?!”

“But have you ever wondered why a child would say something like that?”

My chest rose and fell with anger, and Edmund immediately stepped forward, shielding me. “No point arguing with heartless ingrates. If logic worked with them, we wouldn’t be standing here.”

Then he turned to the bodyguards. “Victoria needs rest. Don’t let any outsiders bother her.”

“We’re not outsiders! Who the hell do you think you are to throw us out?!”

Because you’re unworthy of being her children. Have you ever respected her? Ever repaid her? You’ve always pushed away the very woman you call ‘Mom.’ What makes you any different from animals?”

Fury darkened Edmund’s brow, and a heavy, suffocating aura radiated from him, making it hard for either of them to even breathe. They opened their mouths to argue, but Edmund had already pulled out his phone. “If you won’t leave, I’ll call the police.”

With a simple gesture, the bodyguards shoved them away without mercy. I caught sight of tears brimming in Henry’s wide eyes. He cried out like a kitten, “Grandma!” Then, sniffling, he whispered, “Grandma is bad. Grandma abandoned me.”

I clenched my chest, swallowing the pain, and silently turned back into the house.