The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1845

"It's freezing out—be careful not to get your tears on Bella’s clothes." Sean stepped in and separated them, "What's the big deal, huh? It’s just realizing we've been raising a viper all this time. Well, that viper's been dealt with, and is half-dead. If you feel like you owe Bella, just take care of her—send her checks, buy her gifts, spend some quality time with her. What is this crying for."

"You little rascal..." Bernard feigned anger and raised his hand as if to swat him, but Sean's words broke through his sorrow and coaxed a reluctant chuckle from him.

"Come on, you're too old for this waterworks show. And you, Granny, you're usually such a tough cookie—that’s out of character for you. Back in the day, if anyone dared cross one of ours, you'd be the first to grab a baseball bat and go knocking on their door."

Cornelia shot him a stern glance. That boy always spoke his mind, no filter, but her mood visibly lifted. The tempest of grief and anger within her was finally calming down.

"Both of you, stop scaring Bella," Sean continued, patting Arabella on the head. "This poor girl was working too hard—after returning to this home, she's been running around saving people; it’s almost driving her to exhaustion."

"Bella, come here next to Grandma," Cornelia finally said, wiping away her tears and gesturing for Arabella to come closer. "Sean's right. Instead of drowning in the past regrets, what we need to do now is make it up to you. There’s no point in rehashing the past, but I still owe you an apology, a real heartfelt one. We thought you and Serena could get along, but we never anticipated her jealousy and resentment to reach such extremes."

"Grandma, you don't owe me anything. What I've found in this family in the last six months is far more than I ever got from the Murphys in the past eighteen years—more than a million times over. Everyone in the Collins family has been so kind to me, and I'm just happy to be back home with all of you."

Hearing her say this, everyone's hearts softened, and their eyes welled up.

What they had given her was nothing compared to the attention they'd showered on Serena for eighteen years.

The meticulous care and concern they'd lavished on Serena couldn’t be compared to what Arabella had received.

Yet this child held no grudges and was full of gratitude and contentment.

They became emotional once more, and their eyes reddened with tears.