Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

Julia frowned and shot her daughter a playful glare. "Come on, I'm just your mother—what secrets could I possibly keep from you?"

But Briony still looked uneasy. "Mom, if there's ever anything you want to tell me, promise you won't just keep it to yourself, okay?"

Julia reached over and squeezed her hand. "Sweetheart, I'm fine. And if there ever was something important, you'd be the very first to know, I promise."

She smiled, her eyes softening. "Honestly, Bryn, the thing I'm most proud of in this life is having you as my daughter. I know I wasn't able to give you everything you deserved, sending you to the countryside to live with your grandfather when you were just a little girl. But your grandpa raised you well, and you've grown up into someone wonderful."

"Mom, please don't say that." Briony's brow creased with concern. "You didn't have a choice. Even though you had to send me away, you still came to visit me every month, sneaking around behind the Kensingtons' backs. I know you always cared about me."

Julia reached up to gently smooth Briony's hair. "All I want is for you to be happy, Bryn. No matter what you decide to do, I'll always be here, supporting you."

Briony glanced at her mother, an unshakable sense of unease lingering in her chest.

reached up, clasping Julia's hand

make a lot of money-after New Year's, I'm thinking about buying a house on the river. The yard is huge there, and you love gardening, right? You could fill the whole place with flowers, and we could build a little fish pond, maybe get some fish... If you want, we could even get a dog or a cat. Whatever you like, I'll make it happen for

and she could almost see

her dreams. So she just nodded, smiling warmly. "You're such a good girl, Bryn. Just

moment, Briony simply watched her mother. The uneasy feeling still

on instinct, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around her mother, resting her cheek on

her back, her tone gently teasing. "What's gotten into you? Aren't you a little

your child even when I'm eighty!" Briony replied, her voice suddenly playful. "You have to live to a hundred-so even when I'm old, I'll still

catching their reflection-mother

as she squeezed Briony tighter. "Alright, for you, I'll do my best to make

Briony's heart started to ebb away. She closed her eyes

It might seem like children depend on their mothers, but really, it's a mother who draws endless strength from her child. The love a child gives is the