A Life Debt Repaid

Chapter 1231

Every guest was staring at Cordy, convinced that she was going to declare her love for Jay because her affection for him was all too visible.

And given Zoe's personality, she would want nothing less than to announce it to the whole world.

And yet, when she began, she said, "There are two people I want to thank. The first is Clara Gooding, my mother."

Clara was sitting below stage, her body obviously stiffening when Zoe suddenly mentioned her.

She was holding Yelena in her arms after she got off the stage.

"Yes, she's my mother," Zoe said. "But I never called her that, because there was a time I hated her. If not for her, I wouldn't have gone through the worst moment of my life-1 mean, who would've thought that an heiress of the great Levine family would turn out to be just a maid's daughter?"

Her words were calm, but everyone could empathize with her pain and despair of the time.

want to acknowledge her. I really wanted to disown her..." she continued even as she looked at

eyes were red, her eyes welling

against her, but

that back then.

was the one who had been regretting her actions

did something in the heat of the moment and committed an irreparable

given me all her love in a way that no one else could accept," Zoe said, looking at Clara then. "The world might not understand you, but

time Zoe called her that, and Clara's

dry her tears. "It's alright, Grandma. I'm

had she done to deserve a daughter

for her, and Jay and I would have gone on living our separate lives. I know you've been quietly sacrificing yourself for all our sake, telling me to rest while Yelena was sick while you stayed overnight with her, saying that you're not tired even though

to bridge the gap between us, but in the end, I chose to walk away because it's what you're obliged to do, to atone for the years I was left with the Levines," Zoe said, her voice

away her tears, offering her