One of the most painful things a mother could experience was being deceived by her own child...
The countless pangs, sharp as knives, came from the backlash of having my selfless devotion betrayed time and again.
I had poured my heart into her over and over.
And in the end, she'd taken the spirit stones I gave her and gambled them away without a care.
I'd thought her nature wasn't beyond saving.
But reality had proved otherwise.
I'd been wrong—terribly wrong.
For the first time, I wondered if she'd ever seen me as her mother.
Those words had crossed the deepest line I had.
Ye Zhaoxuan came over and gently took my hand.
I slowly crouched down and pulled my second daughter into a tight embrace.
Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn't seem to stop them.
I'd never been one to cry easily.
Ever since I'd had several daughters, though, my emotions had grown more sensitive.
I didn't know whether that sensitivity meant I was becoming fragile.
Was I... really a fragile person?
Ye Zhaoxuan gently patted my arm. "Mother, don't be sad. Don't be sad. Xiao Xuan will always be here with you."
The pain in my heart eased just a little, and only then, comforted by my daughter, could I find the slightest relief.
Half an hour later.
On the surface, I'd regained my composure. My face was expressionless, betraying not the slightest flicker of emotion.
But to Ye Zhaoxuan, it seemed more like the calm before a storm.
She couldn't help shrinking her neck. Someone was about to be in trouble.
When Ye Ranxing returned to the cave dwelling, the first thing she said was, "Ye Xiaoyao, give me some more spirit stones. I'm running short."
I suppressed my anger and the constant trembling of