It felt like a knife stabbing into her chest.

    The pain washed over her in waves… until she slowly went numb.

    Aurora didn''t know how long she sat there, clutching her phone in a daze.

    It wasn''t until a soft knock on the door broke the silence that she snapped back to reality.

    Dominic and Eleanor walked in, their faces filled with concern. They sat beside her on the bed, each taking one of her hands.

    "Aurora, are you okay?" Dominic asked gently.

    For the past seven days, she and Eleanor had rarely left her side.

    Courtney, after using up all her leave, had stayed with Aurora for five days before she had to return to work.

    "Aurora, I know breaking up with Alexander must be painful for you," Eleanor said in a calm yet firm voice. "I''ve met plenty of artists, but few are as devoted as you. It''s admirable… but you need to pull yourself together."

    In Eleanor''s eyes, Alexander had never been worthy of Aurora.

    He hadn''t even given her the basic trust she deserved.

    And when she needed him the most, he turned his back on her.

    Yes, the situation with Everett was something most men wouldn''t be able to ept.

    But Alexander choosing to leave at this moment had inflicted the worst possible damage on her.

    Aurora''s lifeless eyes held a trace of bitterness. Her lips parted slightly.

    "I''m fine… I''ll be okay…"

    "Okay?" Eleanor scoffed, anger shing across her face. "Do you even see what you look like right now? Look at yourself!"

    She grabbed a small mirror from the nightstand and held it up in front of Aurora.

    Aurora stared at her reflection.

    Disheveled hair. A ghostly pale face. Chapped, cracked lips. And those eyes… empty, hollow.

    She barely recognized herself. The once radiant, fresh-faced Aurora was gone, reced by a woman who looked a decade older, like a lost soul drifting through an abyss.

    Eleanor yanked the mirror away.

    "Now do you see? Alexander dumped you. But are you really going to fall apart over a man?!" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the heavy silence. "Do you remember what your mother told you before she passed away?"

    Aurora remained still, unmoved by Eleanor''s words.

    Frustrated, Eleanor decided to y herst card—herte mother.

    She didn''t know exactly what Aurora''s mother had said before she passed, but she knew one thing for certain—every mother wants their child to live on, no matter what.

    A flicker of emotion stirred in Aurora''s dull eyes.

    A thin veil of tears blurred her vision.

    She could still hear her mother''s voice, hoarse and weak, from that fateful day…

    *"Aurora… my darling… I''m so sorry. I… have to leave first. But you are my pride, my greatest love… If it weren''t for you and your little brother, I would have ended my life long ago when your father cheated on me… beat me… humiliated me. But I didn''t. I held on for you two.

    But God saw my suffering and decided to free me early from this lifetime…

    But you—you must not follow my path. You have to live for me.

    Aurora, promise me… promise me you''ll keep living, that you''ll take care of your brother…

    You are my everything. Don''t let me down…"*

    She never got to finish her words.

    She had passed before she could say more.

    Aurora sniffled, feeling a tiny ember of warmth rekindle inside her frozen heart.

    Her body was still weak, her spirit still shattered.

    But at least now… she had a reason to keep going.

    She forced a small, bitter smile and whispered, "I remember… Don''t worry, I won''t do anything stupid."

    With a deep breath, she pulled her hands away and reached for the smallb on the nightstand.

    Slowly, she began brushing through her tangled hair, as if piecing herself back together.

    Dominic''s eyes turned red, and without another word, she got up and quietly left the room.

    Eleanor sighed. "You can''t stay here anymore. The reporters havepletely swarmed the area. Mr. Nelson is aware of your situation, so he went ahead and rented a vi near thepany just for you. But he did it under Mrs. Nelson''s name… So don''t worry—Mrs. Nelson personally called me to confirm everything. I''ll be staying with you, too, so even if the media finds out, they won''t have anything to gossip about."

    Aurora felt a warmth spread through her chest.

    She never expected that, even when she was drowning in scandal, Eric and E would still stand by her side.

    It seemed they didn''t just see her as LXL''s rising star—they truly saw her as a friend.

    With a manager and a boss like this, she felt like it was all her mother''s blessing from above.

    Her mother had always been kind—she had even taken in an abandoned child and fought to get Jesse legally registered, going so far as to beg her heartless husband for help, despite everything he had done to her.

    But kindness wasn''t always rewarded.

    Her mother had died far too young.

    After that, Aurora had to take on the responsibility of raising Jesse, scraping together money and even asking their uncle for help just to keep them afloat.

    But maybe… just maybe… the kindness her mother had given to the world was finally being repaid.

    Taking a deep breath, Aurora forced herself to sit up. The dizziness hit her hard, but after a few moments, she was able to move without feeling like she''d copse.

    —

    The next day, Eric sent a team to move Aurora into the vi near thepany.

    For an entire week, she barely left the house.

    But she didn''t waste time wallowing in misery.

    She forced herself to channel her pain into something productive—eating well, exercising, keeping her mind busy. Anything to stop herself from sinking into despair.

    And while she was doing that…

    Everett had finally gotten his hands on the files.

    The files containing the identities of the people who had kidnapped Alexander.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!