Aurora couldn’t help but feel both amused and helpless at the sight. But in her current state, she didn’t have the energy to respond to John. Grace looked at her daughter – weak, clothes torn and filthy – and her eyes turned red in an instant. But Aurora didn’t see any of it. Her gaze drifted around, searching for the boy who had been with her moments ago. All she saw was a figure being helped away, his back turned to her. Aurora’s vision blurred as she lifted her hand toward him, but before she could say a word, her head tilted, and she passed out. She had been without oxygen for too long. Finally breathing fresh air again, her body simply couldn’t adjust that quickly.
Seeing this, Grace cried out, “Doctor! Where’s the doctor? Get my daughter to the hospital now! Where is everyone? Can’t you see she’s fainted? If anything happens to her, I swear none of you will hear the end of it!”
Aurora, in a daze, watched everything unfold. She saw Grace screaming, frantic and desperate, and it felt almost unfamiliar. Was this really her mother? She had never seen her like this before. In Aurora’s memory, Grace was always calm and composed. No matter the situation, she always had a solution – like a superhero who never lost control. But today, Aurora saw a different side of her. So, her mother did love her – there was no doubt about it anymore… Aurora smiled faintly and turned her head toward the boy again. And in that instant, his face came into focus. Her eyes widened in shock, stunned by what she saw. “No… it’s you?”
Tears welled up in Aurora’s eyes, her heart overwhelmed. After all this time, after everything she’d been through, the person she had been searching for had been right beside her all along. And just now, Aurora finally realized why she had mistaken him. When her younger self was brought out, the first person she saw was Joseph’s back. She saw it was a boy and assumed he was the one who had been speaking to her. So, she had reached her hand out in that direction. But in fact, she’d gotten the direction wrong–because the older version of herself, who came out just before her, had seen everything clearly. Later on, when she asked who the boy was who saved her, everyone said it was Joseph because the first thing she did after being rescued was reach toward him. Everyone misunderstood and assumed he was the one. But he wasn’t. Thinking of that, Aurora’s eyes welled up again, but she couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh. “I’m sorry, Lucas… I’m such an idiot.”
Yes, now that she saw him clearly, Lucas looked exactly like a younger version of his future self. It was unmistakable. Anyone with eyes could see it instantly. There was no doubt. That sharp nose, those deep-set eyes, and those soft, defined lips… He looked exactly like the man he would become. Seeing Lucas now, Aurora couldn’t help but compare him to the version of him from the future. They truly were the same. Both were gentle with her. Even the way they looked at her seemed to carry the same quiet warmth, as if their eyes spoke a language only she could understand.