Chapter 130

Blood ties—no matter how distant or tangled—were not something that could be severed by choice alone. Elyana knew this truth well. And though her past was filled with pain and betrayal, she couldn't let those old wounds dictate the future her son would build. She didn’t want her bitterness to become his burden. Taking a quiet breath, she softened her voice and looked into the camera, into the eyes of her little boy who had just tried to shield her in his own small way. “Jo,” she said gently, “you’re still young, but I know your heart is kind and strong. I want you to remember something important. No matter what I’ve been through, you don’t have to carry the weight of my past.” Joxan looked up, startled by her tone. “Mommy?” She smiled, though her eyes carried a heaviness. “What I feel, or what I’ve endured… that’s for me to bear, not you. You don’t need to turn away from someone just because I feel uneasy about the people around them. That wouldn’t be fair—to you or to them.” Joxan wen