Ace looked pained. He had sealed those memories away already, and didn't want to bring them up anymore. He told himself that he would use the rest of his life to repent for his sins.
However, Joanna had returned now, and he just couldn't pretend that she didn't exist in his heart.
"You said that I hated you, and I admit that I did for a while. But the truth is … I hated myself the most, since I couldn't manage our relationship well. I idealized everything, and in the end, I was too late. I couldn't stop this from happening…" Ace trailed off, unable to continue. He turned away, shaking, as if he was forcing himself to suppress his emotions.
Joanna had rarely seen him be vulnerable like this. He was always cold and conceited, but now… he looked like a lost child. She had only ever seen him like this one other time – at his brother's funeral. Her heart was breaking for him, and she couldn't stop herself from wanting to hug him…
Suddenly, a voice inside her mind reminded her, "You'll be unlucky for the rest of your life if you sympathize with this man… Don't do it!"
In the end, Joanna just consoled him with a few dismissive words, "It's already happened, so what can you do? Just cheer up!"
She couldn't think of anything else to get rid of such deeply rooted pain.
"So… do you need me to do anything for you?" Joanna asked Ace carefully.
The man took a deep breath and finally collected himself, and his expression became indifferent again. Despite this, his glistening eyes gave away his true feelings. "If you really do feel guilty, have some compassion towards Alice. She may not be a good person, but she's not evil either. Her life was tough, to say the least…"
He thought to himself, 'My brother loved her so deeply. If he was still alive now. I'm sure their family would've been able to live a blissful life. 'I suppose fate is cruel, and as the person my brother left his will to, I can only ease my guilt by treating Alice right.'
"Understood." Joanna nodded.
'Turns out Ace really does love Alice now – he's actually willing to stay by her side despite her current state. Ah, what a touching love story! No wonder he was so adamant on divorcing me back then!' She mused.
"We're going to visit the child's grave now. If you're not busy, you can come with us," Ace stated in a cold voice. He figured that Joanna had to be the one to resolve this, or else none of them would be able to move on, and they'd be trapped in this hell for eternity.
However, he wasn't quite sure if Joanna was willing to do it, considering her pride.
"Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you to," the man continued, looking at Joanna expectantly.
"I'll come with you. No matter what, the child was innocent." With that, Joanna chose to head to the cemetery with Ace and Alice. It was located on the west side of the City, and was surrounded by a large forest. With the tombs built within such a secluded area, it seemed rather eerie from the outside.
Joanna was sitting in the backseat at the time, watching as the car drove by the woods, her expression rather gloomy. She knew that the child had been the victim here, and whatever was going on between her and Alice had to be put aside for now.
She couldn't deny that she had harmed an innocent life.
The atmosphere in the vehicle was extremely tense, with the only sound in the car being Alice's sobbing. Although Joanna hated Alice, she understood how painful it was for a mother to experience such a thing.
"Here." She handed Alice a piece of tissue.
Alice turned to look at her with teary eyes, and shook her head. "Miss Pierce, I'm not trying to put up a pitiful act in front of you. I really am in pain, and I'm afraid…"
"I beg of you, please stop appearing before me and Ace. Every time I see you, I will only be reminded of how you pushed me to the ground, and how it felt when I was losing my child. I-'
'That's enough, there's no need to bring all this up if it upsets you." Ace's dismissive glare interrupted Alice's pleas. It was obvious that he didn't want Joanna to avoid him for Alice's sake.
However, Joanna quickly replied, "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me twice. I truly wish you both the best."
Since they were on the topic anyway, she decided to give them some suggestions. "Since you two are going to spend the rest of your lives together, you must still want children, right? When I was studying abroad, I made friends with this professor from the University of Calley. They were researching a procedure to create an artificial uterus. I can help you both ask if it's possible in your situation, and how to safely deliver a child of your own…"
Joanna figured that Ace wouldn't fight for custody once they had their own children, not even if he found out about Adie and Abby's existence. Moreover, she would also be able to make up for her mistakes.
She genuinely thought it was the perfect plan.
"Really? Can we really do that?" Alice's eyes lit up, a sudden liveliness returning to her soulless expression.
"If a procedure like that does exist, please let me know! I just want to help continue the Moran family's bloodline, and have no more regrets… You'll support me, right, Stef?" Alice said eagerly.
Ace was silent, frowning slightly as he focused on the road. However, anyone could tell that he was upset with the conversation, as his expression spoke volumes.
Joanna was worried that Ace would disagree, so she told him sincerely,' Mr. Moran, you're not getting any younger. You'll be thirty soon, so you should have a child before then. Not only can you birth an heir, but the child might improve your relationship with Miss Alice…"
"Don't worry about the procedure, there have already been a few successful precedents. It's just due to legalities that it hasn't been officially released to the public yet. I have some connections, so as long as you're willing, I can help you apply for it. You-"
"Enough!" Ace's expression was icy as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel. The loud honk made both Joanna and Alice jump in shock.
Ace shot both of them a dirty glare, then stared at Joanna through the rear view mirror and huffed coldly, "If you're really that passionate about helping us, why don't you do something practical instead?"
'How can I help? I can do anything as long as you're willing to have children!" Joanna said excitedly.
"No matter how great this artificial uterus is, it's bound to pose some kind of risk. Rather than helping us apply for the procedure, why don't you just offer yourself up instead?"
Joanna nearly choked on her own saliva after hearing the man's words. "Are you insane, Moran?! How is that the same?"