Chapter 61
As Torin reflected on the past , a sudden realization struck him like a flash of lightning ,
Torin thought , When had my relationship with Rowena become so close ! Was it after Elysia came back ? â
Ten years ago .
he had misunderstood Elysiaâs selfless act of pushing him our of the way and jumping from the car as abandonment .
her regret it .
He flaunted his
He had harbored that resentment for a decade .
When she was finally found , his immaturity drove him to make h affection for another sister , Rowena , right in front of her .
Î
Later , he had believed Rowenaâs claims that Elysia was bullying her .
He thought Rowena had bravely protected his test admission ticket from Elysia , risking her safety for him .
And then there was the medicine , the use of blood for treatment â if all of that turned out to be lies â¦.
Torinâs gaze darkened like the setting sun , clouds of doubt swirling in his eyes .
Rowena , if all of this is fake , I swear I wonât let you off .
Torin thought .
Fenwick , noticing Torinâs long silence , couldnât hold hack his curiosity .
â Torin , youâre not seriously in love with Rowena , are
e you ? Sheâs supposed to be our sister ! How could you ⦠â
â Fenwick , shut up ! â Torinâs response was sharp , his voice trembling g with barely contained fury
â If youâve got time to spout nonsense , why donât you think about the things you said to Elysia back then ? How are you going to make up for that ? â Torin snapped .
â She
was so desperate she considered disappearing â thank God she didnât do something irreversible .
If she had .
â Torinâs voice cracked .
â I wouldnât forgive you I wouldnât forgive myself either ,â
[ Torin would never love Rowena .
Heâs too smart to fall for someone like her ]
[ Smart ? If he was so perceptive , why did he treat his kindhearted sister like trash while pampering a conniving outsider : ]
The Drayton family really takes the cake ainong Stonefordâs elite .
Ignoring their own daughter while fawning over a stranger â Rowena could dine out on that for life I
[ If I were Rowena .
Td bite my tongue and end it all .
Better than waiting for karma to come for me I
As debates raged in the live stream chat , the scene shifted again .
The camera followed Elysia , now walking through a somber , overcast cemetery .
Around her were rows of gray tombstones , their solemnity reflecung the heavy atmosphere .
The camera lingered on one gravestone in particular , where the name â Valerie , beloved wife of Rupert was etched .
It was Elysiaâs motherâs grave .
[ Wait , how did she find this place ? Wasnât no one willing to tell her where it was ? ]
With renewed curiosity , the audience fell silent , their focus sharpening .
Elysia stood before the gravestone , her blue â and â white school uniform contrasting starkly against the gray skies .
In one hand , she held a bouquet of pure white carnations .
Around her neck hung an oval locket , glinuing faintly .
â Mom ⦠Mom .
â Her voice was soft , trembling with emotion as she called out to the mother she hadnât seen in so long .
The gravestoneâs picture of Valerie had grown dull with dust from years
ars of neglect .
Elysia knelt down , carefully wiping it clean with a tissue
She placed the fresh carnations in front of the grave , arranged neatly .
Only when everything was in order did she finally remove her mask and lower herself fully to her kneel
Her unblemished face , flawless and radiant , was exposed to the world for the first time in years .
It was as if she wanted to let her r mother see how much she had grown in their twelve years apart
â Mom ⦠â This was the second time she called out
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Chapter 61
But just as she was about to speak , her gaze fell on the smiling face in the photo , and her emotions overwhelmed her .
A single sob escaped her lips , quickly escalating into uncontrollable , heart â wrenching cries .
At that moment , she was no longer the strong stole girl everyone knew .
She was just a child , longing for her motherâs love and comfort .
How long she knelt there , crying , was unclear .
But eventually , she mustered the courage to reach out and gently touch the photo ,
â Mom , I fully found you â¦â she whispered , her voice choked with sobs .
Tim sorry I came so late .
I thought you wouldnât want to see me .
Iâm sorry .
Iâm so sorry ⦠Please donât be mad at me , Mom .
Please â¦
Her words dissolved into fresh tears .
From her eyes fell not tears , but blood .
What began as an apology soon turned into a torrent of grievances :
â Tad ⦠heâs not my dad anymore .
My brothers have a new sister now â her name is Rowena .
They all love her so much â¦.
â But sheâs so cruel , Mom .
Sheâs done so many terrible things .
Why hasnât she been punished yet ? Why hasnât karma come for her !
â Or maybe there is no such thing as karma .
Maybe Dad was lying to me all along .
He wouldnât even tell me where your grave was â¦
â The brothers didnât either .
In the end , it was Rowena â the worst of them all â who told me .
But only because I promised to take her place for the placement test .
â
Her voice faltered .
Her face turned pale , but she forced a smile .
Reaching into her pocket , she pulled out a small , elegant folding knife
â Mom , I think Iâm going to break that promise â Elysia said .
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