Raines fell silent, his voice low and heavy with concern, "Any news about Mom?"
Aurelia shook her head gently, "Nothing yet, we're still searching."
Worry etched itself deeper on Raines’ face.
Seeing his distress, Aurelia comforted him, "Elfreda should be alright for now."
Cupping his face in his hands, Raines muttered, "It's all my fault. | should have protected her better."
Skyler lifted a hand and patted him on the shoulder, "Raines, don't beat yourself up. Leopold will find your mom. How about | give
you a hypnosis session? Might jog your memory about Lisbeth."
Raines waved the offer away, "No thanks, | don't want any hypnosis, and | don't want to dig up the past."
Aurelia understood his reluctance, and it was natural not to want to revisit such harrowing memories.
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"It's cool, Raines. If you change your mind and want to get those memories back, just give Skyler a shout."
They chatted for a bit before Fredric popped in, calling Raines and Skyler to join him for a gof bridge.
"Raines, stay in Elysium from now on. It's good to have the family together, look out for each other, you know?"
Raines' greatest concern at the moment was Elfreda. Only when he knew she was safe could he truly find peace.
After they left, Aurelia was about to head back inside when she bumped into Harriet and Beverley on the path.
"How are you holding up, Aunt Harriet?" Aurelia inquired.
Harriet could hardly be fine under the circumstances.
"Thanks for bailingout today."
"It's what families do," Aurelia replied.
Beverley whispered, "Mom, did you have a hand in this? Dad mentioned the maid confessed, and it was you who put her up to it?"
With a snort, Harriet retorted, "They always find a way to blme, don't they? | bet that woman got knocked up by someone else
and cooked up this to frme. She's been with enough men, and who knows whose bastard she's carrying."
Beverley was fuming, "Sneaky as a fox. No wonder she's got Dad wrapped around her finger, playing high-level games like this."
Harriet continued, "I used to turn a blind eye to your father's flings, but this the's crossed the line."
"It's exactly because you always turned a blind eye that he's gotten worse, taking you for granted now," Beverley snapped.
With a sigh, Harriet lamented, "All men like that. Who doesn't play the field? How am | supposed to keep tabs on him? Follow him
around every day? He'd be sick ofin no time."
Aurelia reassured her, "Aunt Harriet, I've got your back, don't worry."
As for the issues between her and Charles, well, those were beyond her reach as an outsider.
Post-lunch, Skyler sought out Aurelia.
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"Angel, after observing Raines all morning, | think he might not actually have amnesia. He's just forcing himself not to remember,
unwilling to revisit the past."
Aurelia's heart skipped a beat at the revelation, "You mean he's pretending to have amnesia, pretending to forget about Lisbeth?"
Skyler nodded, "Yeah. Every t| mention Lisbeth, | notice subtle changes in his expression. It means he hasn't truly forgotten
about her, and he just can't accept the truth and won't forgive her."
Trusting his professional judgment, Aurelia also found it odd that Raines had forgotten only Lisbeth.
The only way to settle things between them was to let them work it out themselves.
How could she help Raines and Lisbeth mend their relationship?
After Skyler left, Aurelia poured herself sjuice and sat on the balcony, lost in thought with a heavy sigh.
Leopold joined her, stroking her hair gently.
"What's got you so down during the festivities?"
"I'm worried about Raines having PTSD, so | asked Skyler to keep an eye on him, and see if he could help. Skyler thinks he might
not have amnesia at all."