“It’s impossible. Do you think I don’t understand what it means to take on the role of head of the family? She has someone she loves. She would never give that up,” Tina said, fully aware of the bond between Aurora and Julian.
“Master, you should be grateful. You have a daughter braver than you think. Shall we make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?” Tina asked, confused.
“A bet on her love. I’ve already injected her with FT2. If she overcomes everything, I’ll make an exception for her. If she fails, she’ll end up just like every previous head of the family-alone for the rest of her life.”
“What?! You’ve injected her with FT2? Are you insane? Aurora is pregnant!”
“Relax. This drug has no effect on pregnant women. She has confidence in herself-don’t you?”
“You’re crazy. Absolutely crazy! If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll destroy the R family in a single night, no matter the cost!”
Tina was losing her mind. The daughter she had always protected so carefully, the one she cherished above all else-at this moment, family and responsibility meant nothing to her. All she wanted was for Aurora to be safe. No one was allowed to harm her daughter.
“Mom…”
As Tina shouted into the phone at Bramwell Elderstone, her eyes red with rage, a familiar voice reached her ears. Turning her head, she saw Aurora standing by the door, smiling through a cascade of tears.
Aurora finally realized how much Tina loved her. Her mother was willing to destroy the family she had protected for so long, just for her.
“Aurora…” Tina’s hand froze on the phone. Time seemed to stand still in that moment.
The call was still connected, and Bramwell Elderstone’s voice came through again. “I was just teasing you earlier. It looks like Miss Aurora is already with you.”
“You…” Tina was speechless. Bramwell Elderstone, usually so serious, had actually made such a joke.
“I’ve told her everything,” he continued. “And I’ve given her three days to decide. After three days, she’ll make her own choice. Alright, I won’t interrupt your reunion. Master, your daughter is stronger than you think. You should have more faith in her.” With that, he hung up.
Aurora ran toward Tina. Since Tina had reappeared in her life, Aurora had been turned away every time she tried to see her.
In Aurora’s mind, her mother had always been gentle and aloof. But now, seeing Tina lying weakly on the bed, Aurora was overcome with guilt. She threw herself into her mother’s arms.
“Mom, I know everything now. This time, even if you kill me, I won’t leave you. Don’t even think about pushing me away again!” Aurora thought back to their last meeting. If only she hadn’t left that day.
That day, Tina had coldly shut her out, even ordering Erica to send her away. At the time, Aurora hadn’t understood what her mother was trying to hide.
All she had wanted was to be closer to Tina, to have more heart-to-heart talks like they did when she was a child. But Tina had been so ruthless, so determined to push her away.
Tina held Aurora tightly, tears streaming down her face and onto Aurora’s neck. “Never again. I’ll never push you away again. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Every time she had rejected Aurora, every time she had hung up on her, Tina’s heart had twisted in pain.
Erica, watching the scene, also teared up. She knew better than anyone how much Tina had suffered. Seeing Tina’s health deteriorate day by day, watching her cough up blood, Erica had been deeply worried.
Tina’s physical condition was one thing, but what mattered more was her longing for Aurora. She could only hear about Aurora’s life from others, unable to do anything herself.
John Walsh stood nearby, smiling with relief. No one understood better than him how much Tina cared about her daughter.
Over the years, Tina had quietly watched over Aurora, her heart aching at the struggles her daughter faced. She had longed to see her, but the pain of being unable to do so had been unbearable.
Today, all of that was finally over. Mother and daughter were reunited, fulfilling one of Tina’s deepest wishes. From now on, she would have no regrets.
Tina wiped away Aurora’s tears, remembering her pregnancy. “Stop crying, sweetheart. You’re pregnant. You can’t get too emotional.”
“Mom, I won’t cry,” Aurora replied, holding back her tears. Being able to call Tina “Mom” again was the happiest moment of her life.
“Good girl.” Seeing Aurora’s tear-streaked face, Tina was reminded of her as a little girl.
When Aurora was young, she had been lively and a bit headstrong. One time, Magnus had promised to take them to an amusement park over the weekend.
Little Aurora had been excited all week. The night before, she pulled out a pile of dresses.
“Mom, should I wear the white dress or the red one tomorrow?”
“I think you’d be better off wearing pants,” Tina suggested, pulling out a pair of adorable overalls from the pile.
“Pants are for boys! I’m not wearing them!” Little Aurora pouted, her lips sticking out so far they could almost touch the sky. Tina ruffled her hair.
“If you wear a dress and ride the roller coaster, the wind might blow it up. Then everyone will see your underwear. That would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”
Like most little girls, Aurora loved dresses, especially princess dresses. But Tina felt they weren’t very practical for an amusement park.
With a childish voice, little Aurora declared, “Mom, I have a solution! This way, I can wear a dress and no one will see my underwear!”
“Oh? What’s your solution, sweetheart?” Tina asked, curious about what Aurora had come up with.
Aurora’s next words left her completely speechless. “Mom, I just won’t wear underwear! Then no one can see it. You’re so silly.”
Looking at the triumphant expression on little Aurora’s face, standing with her hands on her hips, Tina was at a loss for words.
“Yay! We’re going to the amusement park tomorrow!” Little Aurora cheered, jumping on the bed.
Tina quickly grabbed her. “No! Not wearing underwear is absolutely not allowed. Girls must wear them.”
“But it’s so troublesome to take them off when I need to pee,” little Aurora said, biting her finger. “If I don’t wear them, I can just squat and pee.”
Tina, who had spent her life learning so many sophisticated things, found herself utterly unprepared to deal with a child’s innocent logic.
“You silly girl. Tomorrow, you will wear underwear, and you will wear pants. You can choose whichever style you like, but that’s final.” Tina delivered her verdict.
Little Aurora burst into tears. “Bad Mommy! You’re so mean! I don’t want to wear them!”