?Chapter 1034:


    “What are you getting at?” Katie clutched her chest, her breathing uneven. Every dull thud of her heartbeat sounded like a countdown to something inescapable. “Do you have any idea how much I suffered to bring you into this world? The pressure I was under?”


    Rnd’s eyes burned red. “And in all these years, have you spared a single thought for me? Did you ever think of bringing me back? Like my aunt, who regrets it every single day?”


    Katie didn’t answer. She just stared at the spilled medicine on the floor, avoiding his gaze. Her thoughts weren’t on him or his words. All she could think about was how unfair it all was.


    Why was she the one saddled with a terminal illness? Why was she the only one suffering daily, trapped in an endless cycle of pain, exhaustion, and the looming fear of death?


    “No!” she finally said. “Are you satisfied now?”


    “I am.” Rnd wiped the tears from his face, feeling lighter than he had in years. “Thank you for being exactly who you’ve always been. Really, I needed that!”


    The father he had once admired was a fraud—a devil who had merely worn a mask of decency.


    The mother he had longed for was an illusion—a selfish woman unwilling to fade quietly.


    “Son? Rnd! Come back! Come back to me! I know I was wrong! Don’t leave me to die alone! Rnd! Rnd! Help me!”


    Her hoarse cries echoed down the hallway as Rnd stepped out of the room.


    Adrian was waiting outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Now he understood Rndpletely.


    Rnd hated showing vulnerability, but it was toote to hide it now. His grief was out in the open, raw and unfiltered.


    When the tears finally fell, Adrian gave him a quiet pat on the back, a silent gesture of understanding. No words were needed.


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    Down in the front yard, the family had gathered for an urgent discussion—one centered around Aurora.


    Molly, upon overhearing that their parents had found out about Aurora and Dunn, bolted toward the stairs in a panic. “Dad, Mom, I’ll just head back upstairs.”


    “Hold it!” Joelle’s sharp gaze pinned her in ce. She knew her youngest daughter too well. Molly was a terrible liar—she wore her emotions on her sleeve like an open book. “Did you know about your sister and Dunn beforehand?”


    Molly’s eyes flickered toward Aurora, who stood with her head bowed, nervously twisting her fingers. There was no point in trying to cover for her now.


    “Yes,” Molly admitted. “But it wasn’t her fault! Dunn was the one who kept chasing after her! She turned him down so many times, but he just wouldn’t give up!”


    Adrian’s jaw tightened, his sharp instincts as a father kicking in. “Looks like I need to have a little chat with the Finch family.”


    “Dad!” Aurora and Molly protested in unison.


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