"...they always end up placing expectations on their children."
The mont Lana heard those words, her trembling eyes slowly lifted upward.
And standing there quietly beneath the umbrella... was Conrad.
The mont Lana saw him clearly, the emotional wall she had desperately been maintaining instantly cracked apart.
Without realizing it herself, she imdiately grabbed his clothes tightly and buried her face against him.
Her lips trembled violently while she shut her eyes firmly. She did not want to look pathetic. She truly did not.
Yet for so reason...
The mont she saw Conrad, all the grievances buried deep inside her heart suddenly beca even more unbearable.
Conrad imdiately knelt down in front of her without hesitation before gently hugging her tightly.
His expensive coat instantly beca soaked from the rainwater clinging to Lana’s body, yet he did not care in the slightest.
anwhile, Lana tightly hugged him back.
Then finally... she cried. "I hate you."
Her choked voice trembled painfully. "I hate all of you."
Tears continuously stread down her face. "You all arrived too late..."
Her fingers tightened against Conrad’s clothes desperately.
"So late that an entire lifeti already passed."
The mont she said those words, Conrad’s heart shook violently.
anwhile, Lana continued crying bitterly. "And now..."
Her voice broke completely. "Even if I want to forgive all of you..."
She slowly shook her head weakly. "I can’t."
That final sentence carried genuine pain from the depths of her soul.
’Because my past self would feel betrayed if I forgave you.’
The rain continued pouring heavily around them while Lana cried uncontrollably in Conrad’s embrace.
Conrad gently patted her back repeatedly while quietly comforting her. "It’s alright."
His own eyes had already turned red as well. "I understand."
However, Lana continued crying. "It would’ve been better if you never appeared in my life at all."
Her voice sounded broken and exhausted. "I could’ve continued living peacefully."
She clenched his clothes tightly again. "So why did all of you suddenly appear now?"
The bitterness within her voice beca heavier and heavier.
"You all keep giving expectations..."
Then she finally broke down completely. Conrad silently hugged her tighter.
For the very first ti... he genuinely realized just how deeply wounded Lana truly was.
That entire night, Lana remained in an extrely low mood.
And unfortunately... the next morning, she caught a severe fever.
Neither Axel nor Conrad had expected things to beco this serious.
Especially Lucian.
The mont he learned that Lana had beco sick after eting lody, his anger exploded instantly.
Without hesitation, he directly contacted Conrad.
The mont the call connected, Lucian’s icy voice imdiately echoed through the phone.
"What exactly did your mother say to her?"
Conrad remained silent briefly before replying quietly. "She’s Lana’s mother too."
Hearing those words, Lucian suddenly laughed coldly.
"I honestly don’t care whether the Peterson family acknowledges Lana or not."
His voice turned colder afterward. "But if your existence only makes her cry..."
The pressure within his tone beca terrifying.
"If your existence only gives her pain... then it would’ve been better if you never acknowledged her in the first place."
Lucian slowly closed his eyes.
Originally, he only contacted the Peterson family because he hoped Lana would be protected and Thessy would refrain from severe attack.
However... if it ant hurting her emotionally like this...
Then perhaps it would’ve been better to solve everything his own way instead of relying on this so-called family.
Hearing Lucian’s cold words, Conrad remained silent for several seconds.
Then finally, he spoke quietly. "I know."
His voice sounded unusually heavy. "I understand my mistake."
After taking a deep breath, he continued. "I’ll make sure my mother doesn’t contact Lana again."
Lucian no longer replied afterward and simply ended the call coldly.
anwhile, lody herself felt overwhelming guilt.
Even though Lana never openly cried in front of her inside the restaurant...
That trembling voice... those choked words...
They were already enough for lody to understand everything.
From that day onward, lody suddenly beca extrely busy.
Everyone within the Peterson family quickly noticed the strange change.
Nobody understood what she was doing.
Even when Phillips repeatedly attempted speaking with her, lody calmly ignored him and continued using her personal connections secretly.
Finally... on the third day, lody completed a full investigation report.
The mont she finished reading it entirely, her hands imdiately started trembling violently in anger.
For the very first ti in her life... she genuinely felt that Thessy no longer deserved remaining within the Peterson family.
How could the daughter she personally raised beco so vicious? So selfish?
Especially after seeing detailed records showing how Thessy deliberately allowed Lana to continue suffering despite already knowing the truth...
lody’s heart turned completely cold.
At the sa ti... another emotion also quietly surfaced within her.
Regret.
She rembered the things she previously told Lana. She rembered continuously asking Lana to be understanding.
And only now did she finally realize...
She never once properly considered how deeply those words would wound her biological daughter.
Slowly lowering her head, lody covered her face weakly. "I’m truly a terrible mother..."
Her voice sounded painfully hoarse.
anwhile, at that exact mont... Lucian finally returned to the country.
Long ago, he had already secretly broken off every contract connected to Thessy completely.
And imdiately after arriving back, he rushed directly toward the mansion.
anwhile, Lana herself remained completely unaware of everything happening outside.
Because of her fever, her consciousness felt extrely hazy.
Her entire body felt strangely warm and heavy.
Yet oddly enough... for so reason, she also felt an unusual sense of peace.
It almost felt as though nothing was wrong anymore. As if all the pain surrounding her had temporarily faded away.
Then suddenly... inside her hazy consciousness, Lana saw soone.
It was herself. Or more precisely... her past self.
That familiar girl stood quietly before her, covered in countless invisible scars.
Then slowly, the past Lana looked directly at her.
"Are you planning to acknowledge them?"
The mont Lana heard that question, she imdiately shook her head firmly. "No."
Her voice sounded certain. "I’m not."
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