Chapter 274 Newborn

Chapter 274 Newborn

The day Evelyn landed, she immediately sought out Lucas.

Seeing Evelyn, Lucas showed no guilt or remorse. His mind was still consumed with Aria—every word dripping with unwillingness, inability to let go, demanding to know why.

He repeatedly recounted to Evelyn his years of sacrifice, stubbornly insisting Aria had betrayed their relationship.

Watching her son trapped in hopeless self-pity, Evelyn's heart turned completely cold.

She didn't scold or strike him. Instead, with the most decisive, unyielding attitude, she shattered all of Lucas's fantasies.

She ordered him to abandon his studies immediately and return home with her.

Lucas frantically refused, adamantly unwilling to leave this city, unwilling to leave Aria.

"I'm not going! If I leave, I'll never see her again! I can't accept this!"

But this time, Evelyn would no longer indulge his obsession.

She employed both carrot and stick—cutting off all his financial resources, confiscating all his communication devices, severing all his social connections, completely isolating him from everything in this city.

All of Lucas's persistence and harassment crumbled before Evelyn's absolute control.

After days of struggle with no success, he was finally forced to compromise and accept the reality of leaving.

Knowing her son was at fault, Evelyn didn't want things to end badly or cause Aria further trouble. She proactively contacted Aria and Sean with a sincere apology, suggesting they all sit down for a meal to clear up all grievances and misunderstandings face-to-face.

When Aria received the news, her mindset was exceptionally calm.

After her self-healing journey, she felt neither love nor hate toward Lucas—only indifference.

She readily accepted Evelyn's invitation.

She was exhausted and simply wanted to close this chapter completely, then focus on her recovery and live her own life in peace.

The dinner was set at a private, elegant Western restaurant.

When she arrived, Lucas sat in a corner, silent and dejected throughout, his eyes bloodshot, his entire being devoid of spirit.

Just one month of entanglement and emotional drain had completely stripped away his former confidence, leaving only listlessness.

He never once looked up at Aria, nor spoke a single word.

All communication and apologies were handled entirely by Evelyn.

Evelyn's attitude was sincere and genuine. She stood first to apologize, taking all the blame onto her own child.

"Aria, from start to finish, this was Lucas being immature. His selfishness was too heavy, his possessiveness too strong—that's what dragged you into this. I sincerely apologize."

"He was young and foolish, obstinate, ruining his own future while constantly harassing you, emotionally blackmailing you, causing you tremendous psychological trauma and mental exhaustion. All the fault lies with him—none of it is your responsibility."

"Rest assured, I'll take him back home immediately and remove him completely from your life. From now on, I absolutely will not allow him to disturb you in any way."

This speech from Evelyn was straightforward and decisive, completely tearing away the mask of Lucas's self-pitying martyrdom.

It also lifted the moral burden that had weighed on Aria's heart for so long.

Previously, everyone had used Lucas's sacrifices to morally bind her, criticize her. Even she had once doubted herself, trapped in internal conflict.

Until this moment, when Evelyn personally set the record straight.

All his sacrifices were voluntary. She owed Lucas nothing.

Aria sat composed, her expression calm and detached.

"Mrs. Moore, I accept your apology. As for the future, I hope Lucas can also move on and stop doing these pointless things."

Lucas, silent throughout, clenched his fingers tightly, his chest heaving violently.

Hearing Evelyn personally terminate all his obsessions, the last shred of hope in his heart shattered completely.

He finally understood thoroughly.

He had lost.

Lost utterly and completely.

With his obsession and selfishness, he had personally destroyed the girl who had loved him and forgiven him time and again.

How was he any different from Larry now?

The dinner ended, and both parties politely said goodbye.

Evelyn led Lucas out first, immediately proceeding to arrange their return home.

From that moment on, Lucas's presence vanished from this foreign city.

The shadow that had pressed on Aria's heart for so long finally dispersed completely.

After completely settling accounts with Lucas, Aria's life finally returned to peace.

She focused wholeheartedly on recovering at home, following medical orders for rehabilitation training.

The secondary injury to her left hand healed slowly—it couldn't be rushed, nor could she exert force carelessly.

She patiently persisted day after day with training, her mindset relaxed and stable, no longer anxious about returning to the stage, no longer dwelling on past gains, losses, rights, and wrongs.

For a full six months, she stayed away from all disputes, settled herself, and cultivated her well-being.

Her inner demons completely dissipated, her sleep returned to normal, and her entire temperament visibly transformed.

The former exhaustion and sensitivity were replaced by clarity and openness.

She no longer denied herself, no longer felt inferior because of her left hand injury, no longer felt she owed anyone anything.

She understood clearly that her passion was pure and clean, unrelated to anyone else's sacrifices or contributions.

After six months of recovery, the doctor gave a definitive examination result.

The inflammation in her left hand tendon had completely subsided, the secondary injury had healed successfully. Though it left a permanent old injury that couldn't withstand extreme high-intensity exertion, it was sufficient to support regular performance and wouldn't affect her continued professional development at all.

Simply put, she could officially return to the stage and restart her music career.

This news allowed Sean, who had been worried about her all along, to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the original symphony orchestra, after over half a year of reorganization and adjustment, had completely emerged from the negative impact of that year's performance boycott scandal.

The backup lead vocalist implicated in the punishment had graduated and left school. The orchestra had serious vacancies in voice sections, a talent gap, and urgently needed to recruit new members to rebuild a complete performance lineup.

The orchestra's school administration and instructors contacted Aria first.

Everyone knew clearly that she had single-handedly carried that international performance.

The orchestra's current reputation, external resources, and international collaboration opportunities were mostly earned by Aria.

Even though she had voluntarily left the orchestra back then, everyone still considered her the core soul of the entire ensemble.

The school sincerely invited her to return to the orchestra as a principal performer, while also participating in this recruitment assessment, responsible for screening newcomers, cultivating backup talent, and leading the orchestra's fresh start.

Aria didn't hesitate and readily agreed.

Her passion had never disappeared because of hurt and turmoil.

She had been dormant for six months, waiting for exactly this day to stand on stage again.

On her first day back with the orchestra, all the teachers and veteran members warmly welcomed her.

No one mentioned that year's fiasco anymore. Everyone respected her abilities and knew clearly how outstanding she was.

After half a year, Aria stood once again in the familiar rehearsal hall, her fingers touching long-missed sheet music and piano, her heart filled only with pure passion, no longer burdened by any distracting thoughts.

The orchestra's recruitment officially launched. Applications flooded in, with art specialty students from all majors enthusiastically participating.