Beyond the Divorce

I chuckled, thinking Ava was indeed attached to me. However, I had been so busy that I hadn't spent much quality time with her. Honestly, I felt guilty about it.

Since my mom told me not to enter the music room, I sat with her in the small living area upstairs instead. I leaned against her affectionately, as it had been a long time since I felt this close to my mom, especially after learning about my true identity.

I felt an unusual comfort as I rested against her. However, Atlas's description of Lucille's final moments flooded my mind, sending shivers down my spine. My mom glanced down at me and asked, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

She instinctively palmed my forehead to check for signs of illness. I quickly reassured her, "No, I'm just tired from today."

"Then go to bed. You've been through a lot, dear," my mom spoke softly.

I murmured, "I'm waiting for Atlas to get back. I have something to tell him." Suddenly, my nose tingled, and I silently uttered, "My poor mother died tragically."

I involuntarily began to harbor resentment toward Clark, thinking I'd never let him off the hook. Meanwhile, my mom continued to stroke my hair, and I felt a lovely warmth. I wished everything was just a dream. There were no so-called truths in dreams, just a lifetime of love and companionship with Atlas. We'd share the joy of family life with our elders. After all, they treated me no differently than their own.

might sense my inner turmoil. I changed the subject, "I sent Ryan back to Bibury for a two-week vacation. He has a girlfriend who's an architect. She's beautiful, and they love each other. They went

in handling that. I can finally feel at ease, or I'd always feel indebted to Ryan. He should have found a girlfriend years ago. He should already be married and had children. If he did,

her son-in-law, so she always

my mom was and continued, "I'm considering inviting them for the New Year. Since our old house is vacant, they can stay there.

big, so having more people over would be great.

sounds wonderful.

It felt like

October now." My mom sighed and then added, "Our house is nearing the end of its

and looked at her. "What's there to check out? Let's

rent it out instead! We can't sell it,"