Chapter 283. Forgiveness and Blame

Aurora’s POV

Ashton didn’t stay long after that. After all, he had been up all night and so had Maggie. That’s why they had headed back to their condo to get some rest.

The silence he left behind wasn’t peaceful—it was heavy, pulsing with the weight of everything unspoken. My heart was pounding against my ribs, and it wasn’t from fear—it was from guilt. Raw, blistering guilt that seeped into my bones and made it hard to breathe.

I turned slowly, my fingers curling tightly around the fabric of my sleeves. “Alice…” My voice cracked, my eyes brimming. “Did I… do the right thing?” I felt my lip tremble as I tried to hold it together, but my chest was aching like I had just torn something sacred apart. “I feel like I just betrayed my family… like I turned my back on someone I was supposed to protect.”

Alice didn’t speak immediately. She was sitting in the chair by the desk, several equipments still scattered all around her. She looked up at me with that imp