Shouldn’t those words have come out without hesitation? Or rather, shouldn’t she have just said them directly? But on Grace’s side, she still couldn’t say it, even after all this time. Aurora truly couldn’t understand that. Was saying she loved her such a difficult thing to admit? Young Aurora’s heart grew colder by the second. And the more Grace hesitated, the more delighted Tessa became.

Wasn’t it obvious? Grace’s hesitation was a clear sign she didn’t love Aurora.

The longer it dragged on, the more their patience would be worn down. No one here was stupid. This kind of thing was painfully easy to see. Grace opened her mouth, just about to speak, but Aurora cut her off.

“That’s enough, Mom. You don’t need to answer anymore.” She lowered her eyes. “I already have the answer. I understand now.”

Hearing that, Grace’s heart gave a jolt. She didn’t know why, but she hated the feeling of being seen through. And perhaps to cover up her emotions, her voice suddenly rose again. “You silly girl, what do you think you understand? You’re just a kid—already trying to guess what us adults are thinking?”

But Aurora only gave a soft, quiet laugh and said nothing more. She already knew very well what Grace hadn’t been able to say. She wasn’t blind—she could read between the lines.

“Mom, I’m going back to study.”

With that, young Aurora turned and walked straight upstairs to her room. Older Aurora followed behind her.

After all, it was her younger self—no one understood how she felt right now better than she did. But at this moment, what mattered was how Grace would respond. Aurora tilted her head, thought for a second, and decided to follow young Aurora upstairs. After all, staying with those two cold, indifferent people downstairs was far less meaningful than keeping her younger self company. She couldn’t actually feel anything, but deep down, there was a bit of comfort.

No matter how she looked at it, her younger self at this moment was simply too pitiful. Tessa, with her poor health, had Grace by her side—but what about young Aurora? Aside from Megan, she had no one. And yet, Aurora knew exactly what kind of person she was. Even with Megan around, she wasn’t someone who shared everything or confided every thought. She was well aware that her personality tended to be more withdrawn. But even so, Megan never complained and always stayed by her side. After all this time, Megan probably knew her better than she knew herself.

So now, the truth was—she was all alone, with no one left beside her. No matter how much it hurt, she could only lick her wounds in silence.

Once upstairs, Aurora walked through the door and saw young Aurora sitting upright at the desk, doing her homework. Her face was unreadable, as if nothing that had just happened mattered at all. But Aurora knew that if her younger self had been able to ask that question, it meant she still cared about Grace. Even now, as an adult, she still couldn’t accept the way Grace had responded.