Chapter 292 Judgment

Chapter 292 Judgment

Aurora Ross's POV:

I had given them a heads-up, so Sophia and Richard were already seated on the couch when I walked in.

Despite the sound of the door opening, neither of them turned around.

"Dad, Mom."

I called out tentatively, and Richard finally looked over.

But Sophia kept her head down, knitting away, and I instantly felt a wave of anxiety.

Don't be fooled by Richard's usual stern demeanor; when Sophia got angry, it was serious.

I stood there, feeling a bit lost, and Richard frowned but eventually softened.

"Why are you just standing there? Have you been gone so long you forgot where your home is?"

His words were harsh, but I knew he was giving me an out.

I nodded gratefully and quickly went to sit down.

As soon as I touched the couch, Sophia's knitting needle struck sharply, making me stand up straight.

"No, it's fine. I'm not tired. Standing is good."

Richard glanced at Sophia and sighed.

There was no way around this.

The living room was eerily quiet.

My eyes instinctively darted to the door, and I suddenly felt that Alex might not be the best person to show up right now.

My parents were already furious, and his arrival would only make things worse.

I decided to calm them down first before bringing him in.

I reached into my pocket to send Alex a message.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Sophia's knitting needle paused.

Richard looked at me, incredulous. "You dared to bring him here?"

I felt a bit awkward but responded softly.

"You've misunderstood him."

Sophia spoke, "Misunderstood what? That your sudden disappearance had nothing to do with him, or that your damaged voice had nothing to do with him?"

Sophia, who had been silent, slowly raised her head, and I saw her eyes were already red.

"Or maybe your injured leg had nothing to do with him."

I was taken aback. I had kept my voice low when speaking and deliberately slowed my pace when entering. They shouldn't have noticed.

"You..."

Sophia put down her knitting needle and pulled out a stack of photos from behind her, throwing them heavily at me.

"Aurora!"

"Your father and I raised you, not so you could suffer like this for a man!"

The sharp edges of the photos scraped my face, stinging like a slap.

This was the first time Sophia had ever been this angry with me.

I lowered my head, unable to meet her gaze.

On the floor were photos of me kneeling in the manor.

Not just kneeling, but also dressed as a maid serving drinks, sitting in a wheelchair being pushed, walking with a limp...

I didn't need to guess whose handiwork this was.

My cheeks suddenly felt like they were on fire.

Everything I had tried to hide was laid bare by Eder, right in front of my parents.

Showing them how I had endured such humiliation for a man.

"If these photos hadn't been sent home, would you have pretended nothing happened?"

"Aurora Ross, how could you be so disgraceful!"

I remained silent.

Sophia's eyes were filled with sadness and disappointment.

I pressed my lips together, tears welling up.

Richard glanced at Sophia in shock but fell silent upon seeing her equally red eyes.

Outside, the doorbell rang again, as if someone had heard the commotion.

I silently prayed that Alex would see the situation and leave, but he only pressed the doorbell more urgently.

Sophia said, "Let him in!"

...

Third-person perspective.

As soon as Alex walked in, his eyes fell on Aurora in the center of the room.

She stood there with her head down, like a child who had done something wrong, clutching her clothes tightly, tears streaming down her face.

He lowered his gaze slightly and walked over to her.

"Mrs. Ross."

Sophia replied, "Don't call me that. We're not important enough for a wealthy son like you to use such a title."

Her tone was icy and sarcastic.

Aurora pleaded, "Mom..."

She tried to speak, but Alex stopped her.

He shook his head at Aurora.

He couldn't let her shield him anymore.

Then he turned to Sophia, bending his knee and kneeling before her.

"I'm deeply sorry for what Aurora has gone through."

These photos not only hurt them as parents but also filled him with shame.

"I know what's done is done, and no amount of words can undo it. I just hope you'll give me a chance to make amends. I'm willing to offer everything I have."

This was unexpected for everyone.

Sophia's expression was one of shock.

In her memory, Alex had long been a figure feared by everyone in City A, yet here he was, willingly kneeling and admitting his wrongs.

"Do you think this can make up for it?"

She looked at Alex, the boy she had once liked so much.

"Alex, if it weren't for your coercion."

"Your relationship with Aurora ended when she went abroad."

Aurora didn't dare to guess how much Sophia had known."You grew up under our watch. Ask yourself honestly, did we ever mistreat you?"

Alex's fingers slowly tightened.

"No, sometimes when my parents were busy with work, you and Mr. Ross would take me out to eat. I've always remembered that."

Sophia retorted, "Since you remember, why did you torment my daughter!"

Her voice was filled with anger and resentment.

Aurora had been raised like a treasure. Whoever she married, whoever she loved, or even if she never married, she would be happy.

Except for loving Alex, which brought her so much pain.

If Aurora had willingly reunited with him, Sophia might not have been so angry.

But their reunion began with Alex forcing her daughter to be his mistress!

Sophia said, "I will never forgive you!"

Aurora couldn't hold back any longer.

"Love is mutual. I willingly sacrificed for him."

Sophia looked at Aurora, her expression full of regret, "And I can't forgive myself either."

"If I had known you would sacrifice your dignity to be someone's mistress for the sake of a company, for our lives, we would have rather died in prison."

"Mom!" Aurora's heart ached, and she pleaded.

"Alex and I never wanted to hurt each other. We didn't want any of this."

"Our initial wish... was just to be together forever."

"I just didn't realize loving someone could be so hard."

Alex added, "Mrs. Ross, Aurora has been on the road for a long time. Her leg and voice are at their limit. Let her go upstairs and rest."

What? Aurora looked at Alex in shock.

He wanted her to leave? Was he crazy?

She was the only one who could speak for him here.

Alex lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes.

Sophia glanced at Aurora. Despite her anger, she was still a mother at heart. Hearing Alex's words, her voice remained cold.

Sophia said, "Go upstairs."

Aurora wanted to say more, "I..."

Alex chimed in, "Listen, go rest."