Chapter 319
Briony stared blankly at her mother, uncertain she'd heard her right.
What was her mother saying?
Lauren had stolen her husband?
Julia's eyes drifted closed, tears slipping from the corners.
She kept murmuring, voice trembling, "Bryn, I'm sorry... I've failed you. I've failed you, sweetheart..."
Briony knelt beside her and gently wiped away her mother's tears.
Her own eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her voice catching. "Mom, I'm here. Don't worry, I promise we'll be okay. Things will get better from now on."
Julia's face twisted with pain. "Bryn, I'm so angry. My whole life, I've been a failure. Why did Lauren have to be my daughter? Why her... why..."
Her words faded to nothing, exhaustion overtaking her.
Briony watched her mother drift into sleep, silent tears streaming down her face.
The gray streaks in Julia's hair, the deep lines at the corners of her eyes-five years in prison, four years missing. Nine years had ground her down, leaving her looking decades older than her forty-something years. Now, she looked closer to seventy than forty.
All her life, Julia had known nothing but suffering.
Briony squeezed her mother's hand. "Rest now, Mom. From here on, I'll be by your side. I won't let you suffer anymore."
Gina stood at the foot of the bed, their faces heavy with
watching quietly for some time. The
into
"Mommy...?"
started, hastily wiping her face and
rimmed with red as she
heart. She'd completely forgotten her daughter was there she didn't even
afraid. Grandma's
tiny hand and gently
together, forcing a
her head. "It's okay to cry, Mommy.
caught between laughter and tears at her daughter's wisdom. "Mommy's just sad for
neck, patting
Don't
her daughter close, burying her face in the warm, sweet-smelling crook
nodded firmly. "I'm not afraid. With you here, Mommy's not afraid of
...
the adults
age, but she was still only four. Briony didn't want her to shoulder these burdens so
before Julia regained
Gina and Ferdinand to watch over Nina, then stepped
Julia
"So Lauren stole your dad, and
Mrs. Hudson knew Rosita was Lauren's
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