Chapter 4

Aurora knew exactly what was on her mind. She had raised this child, after all.

Half a year after Ares' death, the Thorpe family located Justine in Glascape.

Aurora hadn't wanted to be separated from the young woman, but Justine's worsening mental state had made her reconsider.

Justine had taken it poorly, wasting all her time searching for news about a man who was already dead.

She had been a woman possessed—everyone feared she would become more self-destructive.

Aurora had hoped that sending Justine away to a new place with her original family might help her move on. That was why she had accepted the Thorpes' offer. Thus, Justine returned to Sol.

Who would have thought Justine would marry someone not long after?

Aurora knew how much Justine had loved Ares. There was no way she could have accepted another man in her life so soon—let alone a husband.

Fearing it was a political marriage of convenience at the cost of her child's agency, Aurora had rushed to Sol.

That was when she met Ash Vanderbilt.

The young man had just returned from studying abroad. Most terrifying, though, was how much he resembled Ares physically. The only difference between them was the feeling they evoked.

Justine had gone mad! She had latched onto Ash as if he were her last hope, utterly convinced in her denial that Ash Vanderbilt was an amnesiac Ares Vance.

Any mention of the truth—Ares' death—would send Justine into uncontrollable hysteria.

So why was she so different today? Why was she looking at Aurora with such crushing dejection in her eyes… without a single retort of denial?

"Y-You know… he's not him, d-don't you?" Aurora whispered shakily.

Justine nodded tearfully.

Of course, she knew!

God, Ash could not muster even the smallest amount of the kindness Ares had so effortlessly displayed.

However, back then, Justine could not bear the thought of living in a world without Ares. She had deluded herself, clinging to an impostor, surviving through Ash's superficial semblance of him.

How else could she have lived this long?

But Ash... was a disappointment. He wore those suits so frequently now that it had become harder and harder to see Ares' ghost in him.

Aurora let out a pained sob. "God. No, no, no. How cruel has he been to you…"

How cruel had Ash been to Justine? How much abuse had she endured to break a spell so ingrained in her? What had it taken for Justine to admit she had been living in a delusion?

The implication stabbed Aurora like a knife. The equipment connected to her began to beep shrillily in alarm.

Justine panicked. She was about to call the nurse when Aurora suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Jean… once I'm gone, you're not bound to anyone in this world anymore… Do you understand me?" she croaked. "Leave them. Go home. L-Live… your life... You are free, Jean."

Justine nodded frantically, pressing the emergency button over and over.

Aurora's breathing grew erratic, but her eyes were fixed on Justine.

She could not leave just yet. Her precious girl was still there, all alone. No one would stand for her. No one would speak for her.

Alone.

"J-Jean..." she whispered one last time, holding Justine's hand. "C-Call me..."

Justine trembled.

"Call me... M-Mom..."

Aurora exhausted all her strength. Her body collapsed into Justine's arms, her breath short.

The old woman was hyperventilating, looking at Justine with a pleading gaze.

Justine had not been born mute. It was trauma—from before her time in the orphanage—that had caused her mutism.

Aurora had taken her to countless specialists, but the effects of the treatments had been discouragingly small.

Now, all Justine could hear was the ringing in her ears. She nodded vigorously and opened her mouth, trying to force out a sound.

Her throat felt strange. Panic welled inside her.

Time seemed to slow. All she could produce was silence.

The nurses rushed into the room, and Justine felt herself being pulled away from Aurora.

Chaos surrounded her, accompanied by the incessant ringing in her ears. It wasn't until she heard the long beep from the machine that the ringing finally subsided.

One of the nurses gently closed Aurora's eyes. She had been watching Justine until the very end.

Then, they covered her pain-twisted face with a piece of white cloth.

It was not the first corpse Justine had ever seen. The first time was at a funeral home in Glascape. Aurora had howled, her voice thick with tears, "Ares! God, no!"

'You see this, Ares? You loved me so much, and yet I wasn't there when you died. I never even visited you once in so many years.

'She raised me, right? She just wanted me to call her Mom. And I couldn't even do that.

'I'm a terrible person,' Justine thought.

-

Aurora had left notes for her burial. There was to be no funeral. She wanted to be cremated immediately. She had also appointed Justine to decide what to do with her ashes and belongings.

As Aurora was pushed into the crematory, the nurse who had cared for her the longest collapsed to her knees in tears, howling.

But Justine could only watch in cursed silence. Her lips were pale as she tried to call out to Aurora in her mind.

-

The first snow had arrived on Sol.

Ash's meeting had just ended.

Robin Letto, his secretary, rushed to his side.

"Mr. Vanderbilt! Ms. Pearce said she can't seem to contact Mrs. Vanderbilt," she said hesitantly, too afraid to even breathe too loudly.

Ash’s mood had been in the gutters today. It was as if the air itself could freeze around him.

Logically, after regaining full control over the family business and outmaneuvering his uncles, Ash should have been overjoyed. Yet, he was the exact opposite.

Ash frowned. "Fine."

He expected her to regret it, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Now, divorce was back on the table.

Despite Ash's thoughts, there was a renewed spring in his step, something even he failed to notice.

Nearby, Robin acutely sensed the change in his demeanor. His mood, unexpectedly, seemed to have improved.

Ash returned to his office and booted up his laptop.

The document he had been working on appeared on the screen: the divorce agreement. He had been revising the terms of the compensation Justine was entitled to receive.

The offers were generous. The money alone would be enough for her to live comfortably for a lifetime.

He had purchased a property for her abroad. Knowing she had been accepted as the prima ballerina of the Academie Royale, he had bought her a villa in Voue, the capital city of Charlemagne, where the ballet company was based.

To Ash, these gestures were his way of expressing gratitude for saving his life.

-

At noon, a meticulously dolled-up Jenny stepped into Ash's car, and they drove to a Michelin-starred restaurant she had been eager to visit for ages.

Grinning sweetly, she cooed, "Ngaww, I don't know what came over me! I just had to eat at this restaurant! You're such a gem, Ashie!"

Ash smiled faintly. "I'm glad you're happy."

Jenny nodded firmly. "Of course I am! You're always so nice to me."

She hesitated for a moment. "Um… Did Justine… you know…"

Ash's smile faded. "Let's just eat."

Jenny felt a surge of satisfaction at his darkened expression at the mere mention of Justine.

Lunch soon ended, and Ash needed to return to work.

"I've kept you long enough, Ashie! Good luck with work!" she said brightly. "I'm off to meet my friends for afternoon tea!"

Ash briefly glanced at her belly. "Please take care of yourself."

"Of course!" she chirped, waving him off.

Once he was out of sight, Jenny's smile disappeared. The innocence drained from her expression as she dialed a number.

"Hey. Are you sure Justine will be at the Thierry family's soiree?" she asked.