Night fell.
When Lucas ca ho, he found only six kids in the living room.
"Daddy!"
"Where’s your mommy?"
"Nanny Wilson said Mommy went out. We don’t know where."
Lucas frowned.
He had practically forbidden Sophia from going out alone, yet the mont he wasn’t ho for half a day, she was gone.
He picked up his phone, ready to call her, when he suddenly heard the door open behind him.
Sophia walked in. The mont her eyes t his, he could tell sothing was off—her expression was heavy, weighed down.
"Where did you go?"
"I went to see an embroidery master."
"Embroidery? Since when are you interested in embroidery?"
He walked over and gently took her hand—only to feel how cold it was.
"Your hands are freezing."
He guided her to sit on the sofa, poured a cup of hot water, and placed it in her hands.
"I really don’t like you going out alone. I told you—if you’re going anywhere, you need to tell first. I worry about you. And lately... there are too many eyes on us."
Sophia opened her mouth, then closed it, not sure where to start.
Lucas saw it imdiately. He leaned forward.
"What happened? You can tell anything. I’m the one person you can trust completely."
Slowly, Sophia reached into her bag and took out two pouches—placing them in front of him.
"What’s this?"
"The older one is from my mom. The other one... ca in today’s delivery."
"What do you an?"
Lucas sensed sothing was wrong, but wanted her to say it herself.
"You’re smart—how could you not guess what I’m thinking? It just feels unbelievable. More than that... I don’t dare believe it. But I’m not completely sure yet, so..."
"You went to the embroidery master to see if both pouches were made by the sa person?"
Sophia nodded.
"And the result?"
If Aurora was truly alive, the implication was beyond shocking.
"She didn’t say it directly, but..."
Sophia looked at Lucas and forced a smile.
"No matter what, if she really is alive... then the hatred I carried all these years—was I wrong this whole ti?"
If Aurora never died, then she must have faked her death.
And the reason behind it...
When Sophia first saw the new pouch, she couldn’t believe it. She knew too well where that design ca from, what it ant.
No one in this world wanted Aurora alive more than she did.
Aurora was her mother—Sophia had only ever had one mother.
But she had never even imagined that Aurora might still be alive—that her death had been a lie, kept from her.
"So how did you find out today? There has to be a reason. Sothing like this wouldn’t suddenly happen for no reason. And after so many years... could it be a setup? Soone trying to manipulate your emotions? Mislead you?"
"You know I’ve hated Andrew all this ti. Everything that’s happened to him—I caused it, because I believed he killed my mother. But what happened today—the pouch, the description from the courier—it made doubt myself. No one wants her alive more than I do... but this way?
And if she really rembered she had a daughter, why didn’t she co find ? Do you know what I think about every ti I stand in front of her grave?"
Sophia’s eyes dimd, her voice low and hollow.
"Sotis I wonder... if I had been smarter back then, would she still be alive? I blad everything on Andrew, blad the entire Morgan family, even blad my own uselessness. But now..."
Lucas pulled her into his arms.
For soone in her state, Sophia was surprisingly calm.
He could already imagine what she must’ve looked like the mont she saw that pouch today—shocked, shattered, barely able to breathe.
"Sophia... is it possible there’s been so kind of misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding? I heard Olivia with my own ears when she said Andrew killed my mother. With my own ears, Lucas! How the hell could I misunderstand that? My hearing has never been the problem!"
She had heard it.
Clear as day.
How could she be wrong?
"Sophia, sweetheart, calm down. Just—"
"How do you expect to calm down? The person I’ve missed for over ten years might actually be alive. And maybe—maybe she was playing so kind of ga with this whole ti. Lucas, everything—my hatred, my strength, my independence—everything I beca was because she died! But she didn’t! If she’s alive, why would she do this to ? Why lie to ?! Why?!"
Sophia clutched his shirt, breaking down completely.
She didn’t know the truth yet, but the two identical embroidered pouches spoke louder than anything else.
The person she mourned for years might’ve never left her.
Even the ashes she personally placed into the urn... could be fake.
How could she possibly stay calm?
How could anyone?
All she wanted was the truth.
The truth behind a decade of pain.
"She lied to ... She lied to , Lucas—my mom didn’t die. She didn’t die! She didn’t die!"
Sophia sobbed uncontrollably.
The six children stood nearby, frozen, not knowing what to do.
They wanted to go to her, but Lucas didn’t even give them the chance.
He waved a hand, sending them upstairs.
Angela frowned and pulled her younger siblings along.
"Angela... what did Mommy an just now? Grandma... isn’t dead?"
Eric whispered, confused.
Mommy always told them stories about Aurora.
She made them morize her face from photos—told them this was their grandmother.
Even if they’d never t her, they knew her features by heart.
And now—
From Mommy’s reaction...the grandmother who supposedly died over a decade ago...might actually be alive?
Angela crossed her arms, thinking hard.
"Mommy didn’t give us enough information. But from what she said... it’s very possible Grandma is alive. And Mommy... may have been tricked for years."
"Angela, that makes no sense." Eric shook his head. "Mommy heard Andrew confess. How could she have heard wrong? What if soone wants to hurt Mommy? What if they planted Grandma’s things to ss with her head and lure her in?"
Dustin rubbed his chin. "I actually have a way to figure out whether Andrew was telling the truth."
"What way?"
"We do what those people did when they almost caused Mommy’s car accident—sa strategy."
His eyebrow lifted.
"No," Angela rejected imdiately. "Andrew is locked up. We won’t even get close."
Billy had been silent, head down, thinking fast.
And then—suddenly—his eyes lit up.
"I’ve got it."
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