hapter 269
In her heart, she already knew the answer. Her grandson had been to dutiful how could m go six years without calling her?
I had always told her that Sam was busy with classified missions, that he could only occasionally contact me. But this was the modern world, with countless ways to communicate. How could he never reach out to his family?
Such an obvious lie–how had she believed it for so long?
The pain in my chest was still unbearable, leaving me struggling to breathe normally. If not for Harper’s grip on my hand, I would have remained lost in my grief.
I had kept Sam’s death a secret, fearing the news would be too devastating for Harper’s fragile health.
Out of concern for her physical well–being, I never revealed that he had died in the line of duty. I’d handled all the funeral arrangements alone.
In the end, I personally carried his ashes to the military cemetery, placing a small bouquet of daisies on his grave.
When the person I loved most in the world died, I was inconsolable.
At the time, I was pregnant but not yet showing. During the burial, I hadn’t shed a single tear.
Only after everything was settled did I finally break down, sobbing uncontrollably until my entire body convulsed with grief.
Those memories flooded back now, the cruel past resurfacing to rip open wounds that had never truly healed, leaving my heart raw and bleeding all over again,
My prolonged silence and the tears streaming down my face told Harper everything she needed to
know.
“Sophia,” she said softly, “I’ve lived a long life. I’ve seen everything. Birth, aging, sickness, death- these are the inevitable things we can’t control.” Her voice trembled slightly. “You shouldn’t have kept Sam’s death from me.”
She paused, her blind eyes searching for my face. “I know you meant well–you were concerned about my health. I don’t blame you for that.”
Her voice suddenly rose in yolume. “And yet, I can’t help but blame you! When my grandson passed away, I, his grandmother, couldn’t even send him off properly. That will be my regret for the rest of
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Chapter 2691
my life!
The last sentence was almost a scream, as if she were trying to expel the pain from her very organs.
Seeing Harper yell at me like that delighted Ava. She stood there with her head tilted to one side, reveling in my misery, her eyes gleaming with vindictive satisfaction.
Sophia, if I can’t be happy, neither can you!
Terrified that the shock might be too much for Harper, who had just left intensive care, I held her hands tightly, trying to calm her.
“Grandma, please don’t be like this. When Sam left us, you were his biggest concern. My voice broke with emotion. “Grandma, if you need someone to blame, blame me. Hit me, scold me—what happened back then was all my fault.”
Harper’s face had turned ashen white, her unseeing eyes staring into nothing. She gripped my hand so tightly that the back of it turned purple. Her entire body trembled violently, barely able to remain standing.
“Grandma, you’re scaring me! Grandma!”
Just as I was trying to soothe her, Harper’s eyes closed, and her body pitched forward.
I immediately called for a doctor, and Harper was rushed back to the emergency room.
Harper had been out of the ICU for barely five minutes before being sent back for emergency treatment—thanks largely to Ava’s cruel revelation.
Rage building inside me with nowhere to vent, I turned to see Ava sitting casually on a bench, swinging her legs with smug satisfaction. Something in me snapped.
I stormed over to the seemingly oblivious girl, raising my hand and slapping her hard across the face. “Who told you to do this? Why would you do such a thing?” My voice rose with each word. “That’s your grandmother!”
Ava shook her head, rising slowly from the bench. She spat out a mouthful of blood, then tilted her head to look at me with pure contempt.
“Didn’t you claim to love my brother?” she sneered. “If you loved him so much, why did you marry another man?”
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