Chapter 1293:

Pearce exhaled deeply, his tone soothing. “Grandma, try to ignore her. Her accusations are baseless; they’re not worth your anger.”

Elyse approached Felicia slowly, her gaze filled with a mix of emotions. Her feelings toward Felicia, her father’s mother, were complicated. She had once dreamed of unconditional family love from her. Yet moments like these left her torn between gratitude for Felicia’s fierce defense and unease at the intensity of her reactions.

Elyse had never experienced the love of her parents or any other family members. When she first learned of Felicia’s existence, she had imagined an idealized reunion—Felicia would embrace her, speak to her warmly, and ask about her past, curious about the hardships she had endured. Yet the reality of their meeting had shattered those hopes.

For a fleeting moment, Elyse felt undeserving of family love, as though she were destined to remain alone. But she quickly composed herself, clearing away her idealistic expectations. She resolved to face whatever came her way with calm and peace.

Facing Elyse now, Felicia’s heart raced. Gripping her cane tightly, she managed a strained smile. “My dear, I hope your journey here was smooth. Please forgive my absence at your competition; I have been unwell.”

Beside her, Pearce nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Grandma had to undergo minor surgery.”

Elyse felt no resentment for their absence at her competition. Instead, she offered a gentle smile. “Grandma, you need to focus on your health. You’re not as young as you once were.”

Felicia mustered a smile, though she couldn’t ignore the subtle gap Elyse had placed between them. Elyse’s expression was cordial but cool, her polite smile as distant as a winter’s day. There was no trace of warmth, only a thin veil of civility.

Guilt gnawed at Felicia as memories of past wrongs replayed in her mind. Masking her regret with a cheerful facade, she reached out and gently placed her hand over Elyse’s.

Elyse instinctively flinched, ready to pull back, but the watchful eyes of the guests reminded her of the need for composure. She stiffened her arm, allowing Felicia to hold it, her restraint as firm as steel.

Without missing a beat, Felicia slid a jade bracelet off her own wrist and slipped it onto Elyse’s. Elyse blinked in surprise, recoiling slightly.

“Grandma, this is far too valuable. I can’t accept it,” she said, her fingers already poised to return the bracelet.

Felicia clasped Elyse’s hand tightly, her expression tinged with a mix of resignation and longing. “This bracelet was always meant for your mother. But I… I never approved of her, so I held onto it all these years.”

She studied Elyse’s hand with a faint, bittersweet smile. “I’ve come to realize it was selfish to keep it. It should have been hers. And since that’s no longer possible, it belongs to you.”

Felicia added softly, her voice trembling with emotion, “Passing it on to you brings me a sense of peace.”

The weight of Felicia’s words left Elyse bewildered, the reasoning behind the gesture slipping through her fingers like sand. She glanced down at the bracelet, her expression torn.