Chapter 268
“Grandma, wake up! My brother has been dead for years and Sophia is the one who killed him
Ava’s shrill voice echoed through the hospital corridor, her words slicing through the air like a knife.
I froze mid–step, my hand still supporting Harper’s frail body.
A week earlier, Ava had been ambushed and beaten by strangers whose identities remained a
mystery to her.
The attackers had been merciless, leaving her bedridden for a full week. Unable to identify her assailants, she’d immediately blamed me for orchestrating the attack.
This thought consumed her as she lay recovering, her mind filling with venomous plans for revenge.
Learning that today was the day her grandmother would be released from the ICU and knowing I would certainly be there–Ava had dragged herself to the hospital, determined to make me suffer.
If she couldn’t be happy, why should I be?
The moment she saw me guiding Harper down the hallway, something inside her snapped. All her pent–up rage erupted at once as she blurted out the secret I’d kept hidden for six years.
I stood there, completely blindsided, my body suddenly numb. Despite all the mental preparation I’d done over the years, nothing could have readied me for this moment.
The truth about Sam’s death–violently thrust into the open–made my heart feel like it had been plunged into freezing water.
Every time I thought about losing him, my chest constricted with pain.
Now, with Ava’s cruel announcement, it was as if someone had struck me from behind with a blunt object. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think clearly as I stood there, my face draining
of all color.
Harper’s reaction was immediate, her voice quivering with disbelief. “Ava! What nonsense are you shouting? Your brother is on a special assignment–that’s why he hasn’t been in touch with us. He still communicates with Sophia occasionally. How dare you wish such terrible things on him?”
Her milky eyes, though blind, seemed to search the space where she’d heard her granddaughter’s voice.
“You’re becoming more and more–disrespectful! What’s happened to you?” She spat on the ground, then quickly made the sign of the cross. “Take back what you just said! I forbid you to speak of your
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Chapter 268
brother that way!”
Ava shot me a venomous glare, clearly relishing my shock.
With cruel deliberation, she repeated herself, this time even more forcefully.
“Grandma, he’s been dead for six years! Sophia has been lying to you all this time! Her voice dripped with spite. “This is the woman you treat like your own flesh and blood–she treats you like a fool, deceiving you for years!”
I remained frozen, unable to defend myself, my face completely pale. Seeing my reaction only fueled
Ava’s satisfaction.
“Grandma, you don’t even know the half of it,” she continued, her voice growing almost excited. “After my brother died, this woman had his heart transplanted into another man. That family was so generous–they gave us several million dollars and bought us an apartment in the county. How incredibly generous of them!”
She let out a bitter laugh. “But do you know what several million means to a man like that? Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all!”
你
With each revelation, Ava’s voice grew more animated, her eyes darting between Harper and me.
She derived vindictive pleasure from our suffering.
Harper still couldn’t–or wouldn’t–believe what she was hearing. She clutched my hand so tightly that her nails dug into my skin, leaving marks.
“Sophia,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “What she’s saying… is it… true? Is Sam really…” Her voice broke. “Tell me! I need to hear the truth!”
Harper had raised three children on her own. Sam, as the oldest, had always been the most responsible. From the age of five, he’d helped with household chores and looked after his sisters. To support the family, he’d enlisted in the military right after high school graduation.
Even while serving, he never forgot to send money home, always reminding his grandmother to take good care of his sisters. He’d even paid for my education.
“Sophia, please tell me,” Harper pleaded, her voice growing increasingly desperate. “Tell your grandmother the truth, will you?”
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