Chapter 824

“Mom.”

The moment Aurora spoke, the stream of words from the other end came to an abrupt halt.

Grace froze, unable to react at first when she heard that familiar voice. She exchanged a stunned glance with Arnold, and both saw the disbelief mirrored in each other’s eyes. It turned out that they had both thought the same thing.

At first, Grace thought she’d misheard that word. But now she realized, no matter when or where, she would always recognize her daughter’s voice with just one word.

Aurora added, “Mom, I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days. I’ve woken up now and am staying in the hospital to recover.”

Hearing her daughter’s voice clearly, and then those words, Grace couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Only now did she realize how foolish she had been. She had a daughter this wonderful, and she hadn’t cherished her. They were both her daughters – why did she ever treat them so differently? It was true what people said – only after losing something did one begin to see its true worth; only then did one understand what it meant to truly cherish it.

Arnold, already in his later years, quietly turned his head and used his sleeve to wipe at his eyes. This child was far too thoughtful. The first thing she did after waking up was call her mother and take all the blame onto herself.

Grace, now overwhelmed with emotion, wept as she choked out, “Silly… silly girl, don’t say that. You don’t owe me an apology. I’m your mother. If something’s wrong with your health, there’s nothing to apologize for. All I feel is heartache…” That last part came out softer, muddled by her sobs, barely audible.

Grace herself felt frustrated – why was it so hard to say the words her daughter needed to hear? Just as Grace was about to explain herself, Aurora’s calm voice came through the line: “Mom, I’ve always known you cared about me.”

In that instant, Grace realized clearly that Aurora had heard everything she just said. Grace finally broke down. Her sobs were raw and wrenching. “Aurora, I’ve been so worried about you these past few days. It was my fault. I was too hard on you before. I was wrong… I don’t ask for anything else. I just want you to be kinder to yourself from now on."

Aurora’s eyes filled with tears. She had never seen this side of her mother – crying uncontrollably like a child. If she told anyone about this, they probably wouldn’t believe it.

Aurora fumbled for words, caught off guard. “Mom, please don’t cry. Your eyes will hurt. Don’t worry, I’m okay now, aren’t I? I just need a few more days to rest. Soon enough, you’ll see me up and bouncing around again.”

Even through her tears, Grace hung onto every word Aurora said. She was terrified of missing a single sentence – if Aurora had to repeat herself, it would only drain more of her energy. Right now, all Grace wanted was for her daughter to rest well.

“Okay, okay… Aurora, when did you wake up?”

But the moment she asked, she regretted it. She had already promised herself she wouldn’t make Aurora think about upsetting things. But she couldn’t help it.

Aurora immediately understood what her mother really meant. She wanted to know why Aurora hadn’t called her the moment she woke up.