The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty novel Chapter 605

Hillary was a bit surprised. "You're coming back tonight? I figured you'd both be exhausted after a long day of work and would just want to go home to Chaim."

"It's fine. We can just head home after dinner. Raymond mentioned you're taking the morning train back tomorrow, so I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

Hearing this, Hillary looked at her daughter quietly, a bittersweet ache settling in her chest.

"Vivica..."

"Hmm?" She looked up, instantly reading the hesitation in her mother's eyes.

Hillary fell silent for a moment, her expression tinged with nervous anticipation. "To be honest, I never expected you to forgive us so quickly, or to accept us back into your life so soon. Deep down... do you still blame us?"

Vivica paused, her fork hovering in the air. Her face remained calm and composed. After a couple of seconds, she met her mother's gaze with a faint smile. "Honestly, I didn't expect to forgive you and reconnect this fast either. As for whether I still blame you... it's hard to say."

Her inherent soft-heartedness kept her from laying all her cards on the table.

The truth was, yes, she still blamed them.

But seeing the tragic state her parents had been reduced to, she figured whatever karma they owed had been paid in full. Holding onto hate took energy—energy she'd rather spend on the parts of her life that actually mattered.

"I just feel that my life is really good right now. The love and care the Baird family has shown me make me willing to forgive anyone who has ever hurt me in the past."

Of course, some forgiveness meant cutting ties forever—like with the Lynn family and the Sanford family. Other forms of forgiveness allowed for healing and starting over—like with her biological parents.

Vivica nodded. Saying those words out loud actually made her feel a lot lighter.

"You don't need to worry about me. Just focus on taking care of yourselves. Now that I'm pregnant, I won't be able to visit you much over the next year or be there to look after you."

"That's completely fine. You just take care of yourself and Chaim. Don't you worry about us," Hillary quickly reassured her, terrified of becoming a burden to her daughter.

"Exactly, Vivica. Don't worry about your parents. I've taken care of them for years, and I'll keep doing it now and in the future," Cheryl chimed in.

"Thank you, Aunt Cheryl. You've really worked so hard all these years," Vivica thanked her sincerely. It was just polite conversation, but spending so much time around Joseph's family had taught her the art of graceful diplomacy.

By the time they finished lunch, it was past one o'clock. She needed to be back at work by two-thirty, so she had to get going.