Shirley Robinson shook her head, her heart heavy with grief and regret.
"Aurora, your mother entrusted you to me, pleading for your protection. But after that incident, you disappeared overseas without a word. I searched tirelessly—no response, no trace. That was my failure. Yet I never imagined you'd end up on such a disgraceful path!
If you choose to be with a man like Yorke Ashwell, that's your decision—just be honest with me! Even if I oppose it, if you're determined to marry him, I'd accept it.
If that scoundrel ever dares harm you, the power of the Wright and Gates families is more than enough to protect you. But you've hidden it from me, refused to confess even under pressure—what does that make me?
Am I no longer the elder you once revered and cherished? For five years, I've li
