Chapter 198
I know Violet genuinely cared about me and Milly.
She was probably the only real warmth left in that cold, hollow Smith Family mansion.
She wanted nothing more than for George and me to be happy together, to grow old side by side.
But she didn't know.
She didn't know that her beloved grandson had already broken our marriage and brought another woman and her child openly into our home.
She didn't know that her stern warning to George in that hospital room—telling him to make Sarah leave—was likely forgotten the moment she walked out the door.
Right now Sarah was probably still wearing my pajamas, perfectly comfortable in the Smith Villa.
None of it mattered to me anymore.
Where George's heart was, where Sarah slept—none of it concerned me now.
I wanted to cut myself free from all of it and start over somewhere new with my family.
I gently pulled my hand away from Violet's warm grip.
Slowly, but without hesitation.
"Grandma." I held her gaze, keeping my voice soft. "Things have been a bit hectic at home lately. My mother's company is going through some difficulties and she needs my help."
"My aunt is still in the hospital too. I need to go see her soon."
"I'm so sorry, but I can't stay for lunch today. Once everything settles down, I'll come back and we'll have a proper meal together. I promise."
Violet hadn't expected me to say no so directly.
She went still, the smile on her face slowly fading.
She didn't get angry. She just looked at me with concern and followed my lead. "What's wrong with your aunt? Is it serious? And your mother's company? Do you need help? Tell George. You're all family, he should be helping you through things like this."
Listening to her, I almost let out a bitter laugh.
I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to say that George had a hand in my mother's company nearly collapsing.
That he and Sarah had watched us fall apart, that he'd nearly bought our last home himself just to make Sarah smile.
I wondered if she would faint from anger, and if the truth would break her.
I looked at her eyes, full of genuine care and hope, and swallowed every word back down.
Some truths were too cruel to say out loud.
For this woman who had always been kind to me, not knowing might be the kinder thing.
I lowered my eyelashes to hide what was moving through them and shook my head gently. "It's alright, Grandma. My aunt has an old condition, she just needs time to rest. And Mom's company—I can handle it. There's no need to trouble George."
I said his name the way you'd say the name of a stranger.
Violet's brow creased.
She looked at me steadily, something searching and worried in her eyes.
She could feel that something was off. I could tell.
But in the end she only sighed, long and heavy, and let it go.
She had probably heard something through her own channels—sensed that George and I were in trouble, maybe even knew about Sarah.
However, whether she was considering my feelings or just unwilling to face that ugly truth, she'd never brought it up in front of me. She only wanted to fix things in her own way.
Now that I'd stepped back so plainly, hurt crossed her face, and something exposed and embarrassed behind it.
But she didn't push.She just sighed again, and this time the sigh carried the weight of exhaustion and helplessness.
"Then let me come with you to pick up Milly? I haven't seen my granddaughter in so long. I miss her terribly."
She paused, a new thought lighting her eyes. "Actually, Grace—Milly's weekend break is coming up soon, isn't it? Let me take her to the old house for a couple of days. The fruit trees are all bearing this year—the Sunshine Muscat grapes she loves are especially good, big and sweet. And the stream behind the mountain has fish and little shrimp to catch. She used to love that."
She must have seen something cautious in my expression, because she quickly added, "Don't worry. The bodyguards will be with her every step of the way. Nothing will happen to her. You focus on your work — I'll take care of her for two days. Let the child breathe a little."
Looking at the earnest, almost pleading look in her eyes, I understood. She genuinely missed Milly. She was humbling herself to ask me, and she meant every word of it.
And to be fair—setting aside everything with George and Sarah—Violet's love for Milly had always been real.
When Milly was small, Violet made time for her constantly, always wanting to give her the best of everything.
But I couldn't bring myself to let Milly go that far from me right now.
Especially not to the Smith Family's old house. Even with Violet there, I couldn't rule out running into people we didn't need to see, or Milly overhearing things she shouldn't.
I thought for a moment and found a middle ground.
"Grandma," I softened my tone, "since you're already in the city, why not stay a few days? Milly's been asking to go to that new theme park. We could all go together this weekend—it would be fun for you too."
Violet was getting older, but she'd always had a lively spirit. She didn't like to sit still.
Sure enough, the shadow lifted from her face a little. "An amusement park? That does sound fun. I haven't been somewhere like that in ages." She agreed easily, then added, "But we bring bodyguards. Safety first."
"Of course." I nodded.
Having them there would put me at ease too.
That afternoon I picked Milly up from kindergarten.
On the way home I asked carefully, "Milly, Grandma's in the city this weekend. She wants to take you to the amusement park. Do you want to go?"
"I love Grandma!" Milly clapped her hands immediately. "Yes! But..."
Her little face clouded over. "Mommy, can we visit Grandma Luna first? She's sick and I miss her. Can we go see her before we go play?"
The warmth that moved through me at those words made my eyes sting.
She was so small and so thoughtful.
"Of course we can, sweetheart." I stroked her hair. "We'll go see Grandma Luna tomorrow morning, then go find Grandma Violet."
I chose my next words carefully. "Mommy might be a bit busy with work over the next few days. Could you stay with Grandma and keep her company? If anything comes up, just call me on your watch."
Milly nodded seriously, with all the gravity of someone twice her age. "Don't worry about work, Mommy. I'll take good care of Grandma. I'll call call you if anything happens."
Friday night, after Milly fell asleep, I sat in the study and called my mother to go over the weekend plans.
She was hesitant when she heard about Violet. "Grace, are you sure about this? The Smith family right now..."
"Mom, it's fine." I kept my voice steady. "Violet loves Milly—that's never been in question. She'll have bodyguards with her the whole time. It's just two days, and Milly really does miss her. It'll be good for her."
Mom sighed. "Alright. You know best. Bring her by tomorrow morning—I miss her too."
Saturday morning, Milly was up before the sun. She bounced out of bed with her little face bright with excitement, happy about seeing Grandma Luna and the amusement park all at once, chattering to herself like a small, cheerful bird.
We went to see Mom first.
Milly curled up beside her on the bed and whispered a stream of secrets into her ear, then looked at her very seriously and reminded her to take her medicine and get better soon.
Mom laughed until her eyes crinkled, and some of the color came back into her face.
Then I took Milly to meet Violet.