No matter what decision Arthur made, they would support him! They would help clear every obstacle in his path! As Ashley finished speaking, the room fell into a deep silence, the only sound left was her heavy breathing. Arthur looked at Ashley in surprise. Her small figure stood unwaveringly in front of him, shielding him with all her might. Just like two years ago! It was from this very moment—this very silhouette—that Arthur first fell for Ashley. And now, standing beside Ashley, in front of him, were many more figures. Some were tall, some were short, but every single one of them stood with the same unshakable determination. The darkness in Arthur’s heart vanished completely, replaced by the warmth of sunlight. What does it mean to be family? It means that when something happens, there are people who will stand in front of you without hesitation, no matter what. Arthur suddenly felt at peace. With Ashley’s love, with the support of so many people who cared for him, what was there to fear? What is there to feel sad about? With their warmth beside him, no challenge seemed insurmountable. Raelynn and the others, on the other hand, were utterly humiliated by Ashley’s words! Every single sentence she spoke pierced them like a knife, brutally exposing their shameful and ugly past. Every event she recounted was something they had desperately tried to bury. Raelynn had believed that since this was Seacity, a place much larger than South City, the scandals that had once spread like wildfire in South City wouldn’t be well-known here. After all, who would concern themselves with such matters? That was why she had tried so hard to act natural upon entering. But now, Ashley had laid everything bare! The crowd erupted in disbelief! People stared at them, eyes sharp as daggers, leaving them no place to hide! Just moments ago, some had thought Arthur was cruel for cutting ties with his family. But now, those same people were pointing fingers at them, cursing them with rage! "Oh my! I knew the Gray family had mistreated Mr. Gray, but I never imagined they were this monstrous!" "Who was really their biological child? What kind of parents treat their own son like this?" "They say every parent loves their child, but you people don’t even deserve to be called parents! You’re worse than enemies!" "Where’s your conscience? If you gave birth to him, you should have raised him properly! How could you abuse him like that?" "You keep saying you were deceived by your adopted son—are you telling me, as grown adults, you had no judgment of your own? How old was that boy? Could he really have fooled you?" "Your hearts were biased from the start! Living under the same roof, could you not have asked Mr. Gray what really happened? How could you let your adopted son bully him for eight years?" "And even after everything, you didn’t send that adopted son to prison? With your influence back then, that wouldn’t have been difficult!" "You let your adopted son break your real son’s arms and ribs, yet you still took his side? What, was he actually your illegitimate child?" The crowd’s words sliced through Raelynn and the others like a dagger to the heart. But nothing hit harder than that final question, was Zac my illegitimate child? How absurd. How utterly absurd! Raelynn’s face turned ashen. The pretense was gone—no more fake composure. The truth was, she had treated Zac as her own flesh and blood. Thinking about it now, it really did seem like he was her illegitimate child. Otherwise, why would she neglect her own son while loving Zac so unconditionally, so blindly? But the most ironic part? Zac wasn’t her illegitimate child. He was Renee’s. He was John’s supposed son with Renee! If Zac really had been John’s child, Raelynn might have coughed up blood from sheer rage. Arthur took Ashley’s hand, his tone filled with both affection and amusement. "Ashley, don’t lower yourself to the level of irrelevant people." Just moments ago, she had been fuming with rage, like a little firecracker ready to explode—so fierce, yet so adorably fierce. But most importantly, everything she did was for him. She was standing up for him. She couldn’t bear to see him get hurt. To have a wife like this, what more could a man ask for?Ashley felt Arthur’s silent comfort, and the fire in her chest gradually subsided. She squeezed his hand in return, offering him the same silent strength. Hearing Arthur's words, Raelynn suddenly lifted her head. No. No! I couldn’t give up just yet!