It was not that Delphine was selfish and wanted to tie her daughter to the O'Connor family to bear its heavy burdens. It was just that the risks of Isabella moving away were too great.

When she had seen the two young ones embracing earlier, Delphine had paled, as if the sky were about to collapse.

At that moment, she nearly screamed. She had to clamp a hand tightly over her mouth to stop herself.

Once the two separated, she quickly turned away, not daring to linger at the staircase. She had wanted to pretend she had not seen anything, to return to her room and silently process the matter.

But she could not. She needed to talk to her daughter.

While she was torn with indecision, Isabella came upstairs.

And now, here she was, sitting in her daughter’s room.

After studying her mother for a moment, Isabella said, “Then, Mom, sit here for a bit. I’ll go take a hot shower.”

Delphine nodded and Isabella left. While waiting, Delphine sighed repeatedly.

Now that she had calmed down, sh