So now, seeing her so downcast, everyone was genuinely worried. What if Aurora really gave up and never recovered from this?

Aurora stood to the side, watching her younger self. She wasn’t worried, but she did feel a deep ache in her heart, because she knew one thing for sure: even if there had been moments of hesitation, the overall direction would never change. Otherwise, the girl she used to be wouldn’t have become the woman she was today.

Arnold grew increasingly anxious as he watched Aurora nearing the stairs. He didn’t believe this was how she should be. She was beautiful, talented, and had a shelf full of awards. How could someone like her feel inferior? She should have been like the sun in the sky—dazzling, radiant, and out of reach.

Aurora would never give up.

Arnold hurried over to her, his voice rising with emotion. “Miss Aurora, are you really going to give up just like that?”

Hearing that, Aurora couldn’t help but find it ridiculous. “It’s just a competition. What’s there to fuss about? I just want to rest.”

At this point, somewhere deep down, she felt that even if she kept winning awards and collecting trophies, what difference did it make? Grace didn’t care. No matter what she did, it was always met with indifference. No matter how much effort she put in, it would never compare to Tessa doing absolutely nothing. Thinking of that, Aurora felt her own hard work had been nothing but a cruel joke.

So, what exactly had she been striving for? To move herself to tears?

Arnold watched her walk away, heart aching, but he knew that there were some things Aurora had to realize herself. Only then could she truly climb out of that hole. And once she did, no one could ever take that growth away from her.

“Miss Aurora, it’s fine if you want to rest, but I don’t want to see you stuck in place,” Arnold spoke with gentle earnestness. “You must understand, life was never meant to be smooth sailing. Setbacks are part of the journey. They’re what make life real.”

Hearing that, Aurora paused, a rare look of confusion appearing on her delicate face. She had never really considered that before. She stopped walking and looked directly at Arnold. Her eyes were a little lost. “But Mr. Arnold, what am I supposed to do? It feels like I’ve always been chasing after my mother’s approval. I don’t think I’ve ever had thoughts of my own. I feel like a robot.”

Standing nearby, the older Aurora listened to her younger self and couldn’t help but feel moved. So even back then, her thoughts had been the same. From the very beginning, seeing the way Grace treated her, she had been trying to win her over.

She looked down at her hand, where an old scar, faint but still raised, marked her skin. Her left hand brushed over it—it was small, barely noticeable now, but it remained. It was proof of everything she’d done to try and please her mother.

After all this time, she still sometimes wondered—why did she ever have to do that? But no one had ever given her an answer. And now, unexpectedly, the first person to truly understand was Arnold.

He looked at the confused little girl before him and felt a pang of sorrow. He gently ruffled her soft hair and said with sincerity, “Your life is your own. Don’t live it for someone else.”