Kennedy brought over a damp towel. Alexander wiped his face and eyes, sobering up a bit.
"Kennedy, go make him some hangover soup. I’ll clean up here," Mrs. Lewis said. Seeing her son in this state, she swallowed her anger and started tidying up the mess on the floor.
While Mrs. Lewis busied herself cleaning, Alexander’s eyes lost focus again. He reached for the half-finished bottle of alcohol next to him.
Mrs. Lewis panicked and quickly snatched the bottle away. "What are you doing? Are you trying to drink yourself to death? Look at yourself! You’re not a kid anymore. Can you stop making your mother worry?"
Alexander was breathing heavily, staring hard at the bottle. "Mom, give it back... I want to drink. I haven’t had enough. Just let me drink myself to death—I’d rather not wake up again!"
Mrs. Lewis was furious. She wanted to slap him awake.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Alexander, how did you end up ? Is it because that slut Aurora didn’t take you back? So now you’re drinking to numb the pain? I told you, that woman found herself a rich guy. Why would she ever come back to you? Why would she even want to?"
"Enough! Stop calling her a slut!" Alexander shouted. "Mom, Kennedy—you’re both women too. Can’t you show some respect? If it weren’t for you two, I would’ve never doubted her. I would’ve trusted her! You’re the ones who pushed me to be with Peyton..."
All the frustration inside him finally exploded. His voice roared, eyes bloodshot.
Mrs. Lewis was stunned. Alexander never yelled at her like that. It was like he had become someone else—all because of that woman.
"Alexander! How dare you shout at me? I’m your mother!" Her eyes welled up. "How could you treat me over some outsider?"
"Enough! I don’t need you cleaning my house. Get out—both of you!"
Alexander kicked the bottle violently. It shattered against the floor with a sharp crack.
The place was a wreck.
Mrs. Lewis sat off to the side, crying.
Alexander held his aching head in his hands. He was falling apart and didn’t want anyone around.
But Mrs. Lewis and Kennedy kept hovering, and it was driving him crazy.
Still... she was his mom.
Alexander slowly slumped back onto the couch, eyes red and burning. It hurt so much inside.
Since losing Aurora, it was like he’d lost his soul. Just going through the motions, no drive, no purpose. Nothing interested him anymore.
He couldn’t lose her. He had to win her back.
Outside the cemetery, the grass was lush and green.
But the air was bleak, and the wind cut like ice.
Aurora pulled her black coat tighter around her and held a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. She climbed the long steps with Jesse and her grandfather.
The cemetery grounds were well-maintained, with little trees planted every few steps. Their leaves fluttered in the wind, a few falling silently.
The sky was heavy and gray, like it could rain any moment. The cold wind stung, chilling Aurora to the bone.
She saw a woman standing in front of her mother’s grave, dressed in pink.
What the hell was she doing here? Knowing her, it couldn’t be anything good.
Aurora frowned. Her grandfather looked puzzled and glanced at Abigail. "Who’s that woman?"
He clearly didn’t remember her. Jesse sneered, "The daughter of the homewrecker."
Her grandfather’s face darkened. What was the mistress’s daughter doing here? And in pink, no less—clearly not here out of any real respect.
Aurora’s face was as cold as the wind.
The three of them walked up to Abigail. None of their expressions were friendly. Abigail let out a soft laugh, turning to face Aurora with a sarcastic smile on her wind-reddened face.
"Abigail, what are you doing here? Get out of here! Don’t you dare dirty my mother’s resting place!"
Jesse snapped coldly, his voice like ice.
Abigail raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped to the side. "Why so aggressive? Afraid you’ll disturb your mom’s peace? Hmph."
"Not at all," Jesse sneered. "She was tough. I think... she’ll probably pay you a visit tonight."
He smiled wickedly. Dealing with shameless people like Abigail called for tactics .
Abigail turned pale. "Y-You... what kind of nonsense are you spewing?"
Aurora and her grandfather stayed silent. Jesse took a step closer and muttered darkly, "My mom adored me and my sister. Anyone who’s ever hurt us won’t get off easy. You better run home and light some incense—start praying."
Abigail’s heart skipped a beat, and sweat gathered in her palms. She was usually scared of superstitions . But she’d shown up today just to get under Aurora’s skin.
"Aurora, don’t get cocky! Didn’t some people online say you were dating Everett? Ha—how naïve. He’s about to get engaged to a rich girl from a respectable family. Go ahead and cry about it. That’s all I came to say. Bye now."
Abigail let out a mocking laugh, lifted her chin in triumph, and walked away.
Aurora felt a weight drop in her chest. What did Abigail mean by that?
Everett was getting engaged to some rich girl? Who told her that? Was it true—or just another one of her lies?
"Aurora, are you in love?" her grandfather asked, his voice calm again as he looked at her.
Aurora blushed slightly. "Yeah, Grandpa. I’m ready to be in love again. This time... Mom doesn’t need to worry about me anymore. Even though I broke up with Alexander and have been through some scary stuff, someone’s always been there to protect me."
Her grandfather gently placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of Mrs. Wilson’s grave. "You and your mom... both left us too soon. But Aurora’s grown up now. We may not be rich, but she’s worked so hard and made good money... Thanks to her, we don’t live in poverty anymore."
Jesse stayed quiet, his hand resting supportively on their grandfather’s arm, eyes dim.
"Grandpa, don’t say that. We’re family—of course you and Uncle should enjoy life. Mom, Uncle’s out of the country on business and couldn’t make it to see you today. But he said he’ll be back in a week to visit. Jesse’s doing great in school, just like you wanted."
Aurora’s voice was soft. The mood between the three of them was heavy and quiet.
Her grandfather spoke to Mrs. Wilson’s grave for a long time. Aurora and Jesse stood by respectfully, listening in silence.
An hour later, they finally started to leave the cemetery.
Her grandfather coughed a few times, his eyes full of longing. "Aurora... I really hope I live to see you get married. To a good man."
Aurora pressed her lips together. "You will, Grandpa. I promise."
"Just don’t end up like your mother, falling for the wrong man. Men these days... they’ve changed. I told your uncle—if he ever hurts his wife, I’ll break his legs and kick him out of the Hunter family!"
Aurora chuckled lightly. "Uncle’s not that kind of man."
Her grandfather sighed again, visibly weighed down by emotion.
Aurora’s heart was heavy too. Her mom had been such a good person and never got to live a happy life. It was hard not to feel bitter about it.
As they left the cemetery, Aurora suddenly spotted Mrs. Lewis standing by a nearby car, staring at her with a cold, hard gaze.