?Chapter 1019:


    Rnd’s brow furrowed. “You can let it go because you were the ones who caused it, right?”


    Joelle’s gaze was steady as she answered, “What does it really mean to be a perpetrator or a victim? Is there a perfect scale to measure such things? You’ve seen the horrors of war. Do you believe that only both parties suffer? In the end, it’s always the innocent caught in the middle. Your uncle and I didn’t want this cycle of hate to continue. That’s why we brought your mother back. We’re stopping here. Can we leave it at that?”


    Rnd studied Joelle’s gentle face, partially obscured by the towel. The air was chilly, his body still damp, but her warmth wrapped around him like a nket, urging him to stop, to rest, to ept.


    Katie, his mother, had taught him nothing but hatred—just like Wade. But why was Joelle so different? Why did she embrace him unconditionally, as though he were her own? Who was telling the truth? Who was worthy of his trust and loyalty?


    As Joelle continued drying his hair, Rnd’s mind raced. His voice broke through the silence. “Why did you raise me back then?”


    “I pitied you. I couldn’t bear the thought of a child alone, abandoned in an orphanage, with no one to care for him,” Joelle said frankly.


    “Is that really the reason?”


    “Believe it or not.”


    Rnd swallowed hard, the lump in his throat growing. He pressed her further, “Then why did you desert me?”


    “I never deserted you,” Joelle said, her gaze unwavering. “Wade took you from me. He never told you, did he? To build a blood bank for Chris, he killed many people. What could he possibly want with you? After I refused time and time again, he stole you away. But I never stopped searching for you.”


    For the first time, Rnd began to see Wade in a different light. He had always known Wade was ruthless, but now, a deeper, darker truth was beginning to surface. If he hadn’t been cold and cruel, how would he have ever risen to power in Kebrea?


    ?????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? g???????ν??????﹐?????


    “But my dad never hurt me.”


    “That’s because Chris died,” Joelle cupped his face. “Rnd, human nature isplex. Not everything is ck and white. Life is messy, and we must learn to navigate it, making decisions at each crossroad, hoping we don’t regret them.”


    Rnd was troubled. There was something about her, a kind of quiet power, that made it almost impossible to doubt her.


    He turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze. “I don’t understand human nature. But blood ties? Those don’t lie. I choose Katie not because she’s perfect, but because she’s my mother.”


    Joelle’s lips curled into a small smile. “I understand, Rnd. You have your reasons. But I won’t give up. I believe you’ll understand one day.”


    Rnd said nothing. What could he say? Torn between the woman who had always been there for him and the blood that ran in his veins, he chose to walk away, pretending indifference even as his heart raged.


    Once he left, Joelle’s expression softened into one of quiet resolve.


    .


    .


    .