Chapter 1284
“Then why did you even bother bringing me into this world?”
Aurora could barely hold her emotions in check. She couldn’t understand–if someone was never meant to be a parent, why choose to have a child? Wasn’t that just a waste of time and energy? And more than that, deeply unfair to the child.
Sometimes, she thought, if children had the choice, she never would have chosen to be born into this family. But clearly, some people never thought that way.
Grace let out a cold snort. “Do you think I actually wanted to have you? If it hadn’t been for family obligations, and your father drunk that night, you wouldn’t even exist.”
Aurora felt as though she’d been struck by lightning. So, all her effort and striving, had been nothing but a joke? She had been unwanted from the very beginning, born without love and a moment of joy at her arrival.
So, what was the point of everything she had done since? Did any of it have meaning? Her chest tightened, eyes burning with unshed tears as disbelief tangled with anguish inside her.
Looking at her daughter’s trembling frame, a flicker of guilt stirred in Grace, but it was quickly drowned out. Aurora’s recent choices had made her impossible to like. And each act had been worse than the last. Even if Grace wanted to excuse her, she couldn’t find a reason. She had no patience left. She had never cared for Aurora’s father, and seeing his features reflected in her daughter’s face only fueled the hatred. No matter how many times she told herself it had nothing to do with the child–that the grudges belonged to the previous generation–her heart refused to separate the two.
At the end of the day, she was the one who had given Aurora life. And in her mind, that meant she held the right to decide her fate. If Aurora refused to obey, then why waste another word?
Aurora’s whole body trembled. And before her, Grace no longer looked like a mother at all–she looked like a demon risen from the depths of hell, here to claim a debt.
“I get it. So, you asked me here today just to knock me down?” Aurora’s eyes still shimmered with tears, but she forced herself to look steadily at Grace.
She knew perfectly well what her mother was thinking. If she crumbled now, then Frost & Clear Studio–barely opened–would be finished before it even had a chance. Clenching her fists, Aurora couldn’t help but marvel at just how ruthless Grace could be.
Before she could say anything more, Lucas suddenly appeared in the café. He seized Aurora’s wrist and sat down naturally at her side. He looked straight at Grace and said, “I spoke to you about this back at the house, but clearly you didn’t take it to heart. Do I need to spell it out more seriously now?”
Seeing her son–in–law like this only stoked Grace’s fury. “With a son–in–law like you, it’s nothing but shame. Not only do you disrespect your elders, but you even speak with such vulgarity.”
“If I didn’t, then I’d be letting you walk all over me,” Lucas shot back without the slightest courtesy. He knew exactly what Grace was like now. Even he, someone who hadn’t been around her for long, could see how much she had changed. She used to at least show some care for Aurora. But now? It had been so long, and she hadn’t even bought her daughter so much as a gift. When Aurora fell sick, it was Lucas who had been the one at her side, taking care of her.