Chapter 15 STUBBORN GRANDMA
Chapter 15 STUBBORN GRANDMA
EDWARD
After Toby’s death and Hayley’s affair, there’s no hope that our marriage is salvageable. It was never meant to work out between us.
A sharp rap on the door shatters the silence.
“Come in,” I call out as I return to my seat.
John, my right hand man and chief of security walks in with a newspaper neatly folded under one arm.
He drops the paper on my desk;
“This is from the National Gazette, sir. The tabloids picked it up too.”
The headline catches my attention first;
“COME RAIN OR SUN: THE SILENT VIGIL OF HAYLEY DASILVA.”
On the cover is a photo that sends a painful pang through my chest.
Hayley is seated beside Toby’s headstone, dressed in a long black dress that starkly contrasts her smooth olive skin.
Her face is turned away, probably shielding herself from the paparazzi. Her long, shiny hair falls in smooth tendrils down her back.
“What is this?”
“Mrs. DaSilva has kept vigil at Toby’s grave since the funeral, sir. She often leaves for a few hours each day, probably to freshen up, then she’s back again. She sits there through rain or shine, refusing to go home.
I did a little digging and found out that the first few days, cemetery security tried to get her to leave, but she brandished a rake in their faces and screamed that she would only leave when she was dead and cold.”
A tiny smile tugs at my lips. That sounds exactly like Hayley.
Catching myself in time, I school my features into a frown and sit up;
“And the guards?”
“You can be rest assured of your wife’s safety. I made sure to employ top notch private security to guard the cemetery at all times.”
I look away, telling myself that I’m only doing this for my unborn child.
Hayley and have not discussed the baby in her womb, but my investigations reveal that she’s two months along, so it’s definitely mine.
“I don’t care if she withers away in the sun or gets struck by thunder. All I care about is my unborn baby. Make sure she has an endless supply of food and warm clothes. Don’t let her know they’re from me.”
John nods, his lips curving in a tiny, secret smile.
“Of course, sir. Duly noted.”
Later that night, I come home to find grandma seated at the dining table while everyone else is fast asleep.
As I enter, her gaze slides past me, scanning the empty hallway — as if hoping I had brought someone home with me.
“Are you expecting anyone, grandma?”
The faintest frown tightens her lips.
“You came home alone again. Where’s Hayley? When is my daughter-in-law coming home?”
I place my briefcase on the table, swallowing the knot that has suddenly formed in my throat.
Hayley is grandma’s favorite, which makes this a bit more complicated than it should.
“Please sit down, grandma. We need to talk.”
She folds her arm and cocks her head, that familiar stubborn look settling over her features.
“I’m fine standing. What’s going on? Where’s Hayley?”
“She’s not coming back, grandma.” I deadpan, deciding to just rip off the band aid. “Hayley and I are getting a divorce.”
My heart twists painfully when she freezes, her mouth falling open in shock.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” I loosen my tie, drape it neatly across one of the chairs. “She wanted a divorce first. Then I found out she had an affair on the night Toby died.”
I thought I was over it, but the thought of Hayley with another man still ignites an urge to commit bloody fucking murder deep in my bloodstream.
“Hayley was having an affair? I don’t believe it! You’re lying to me.”
I’m not sure how I expected grandma to react, but I sure as hell did not expect her to bluntly take Hayley’s side.
“I’m your grandson. Why would I lie to you about this?”
She throws her frail hands in the air.
“I don’t know! All I know is that Hayley left because you pushed her away. You took her for granted, Edward. You drove her away.”
An icy weight settles in the pits of my stomach.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, grandma. She made her own decisions.”
“You have no idea? I watched that girl love you wholeheartedly for six years. And how did you repay her? You flaunted that slut, Victoria, in her face!
You cannot treat your wife like she’s nothing and expect her to stay! You couldn’t even stand up for her when Donatella and Aunt Susan gave her trouble. She endured it all because she loved you.
You pushed her away, Edward. No one but you!”
I ignore the sharp sting of her words, keeping my expression passive even though my insides are a dark, tangled mess.
“Victoria is not a slut, grandma. She’s my project manager.”
“And Hayley is not an adulteress.”
I let out an exasperated breath.
“I have evidence of her infidelity."
“If it’s not a video of her riding another man’s cock buck ass naked, then I don’t want to see it and she never cheated!”
Silence reigns in the room, thick with challenge as we stare each other down.
Grandma has always been a strong-willed woman. She singlehandedly managed DaSilva Automobiles after grandpa’s death, fighting his family tooth and nail to keep the legacy for his children.
Once she has an opinion, she cannot be swayed easily. Arguing with her is pointless.
“You know what, grandma? I’m exhausted. I’m headed to bed.”
I turn to leave but freeze mids-step when she lets out a sharp, panicked sound.
Turning on my heel, my soul almost leaves my body at the sight of grandma swaying on her feet.
With the speed of light, I lead her to one of the Mohair sofas, already barking instructions to Cassius.
“Call Dr. Enderley immediately! There’s something wrong with grandma.”
An hour later, the doctor is set to leave and there’s yet another bad news to be digested.
“Mrs. DaSilva has stage three breast cancer. I’m afraid she doesn’t have much longer to live.”
The news hit me like a blow to the chest.
Loss has filled my entire life for as long as I can remember.
I lost both parents to a plane crash at the age of 16. Five years later, I lost my only brother and best friend to leukemia.
Then I lost Toby.
Now, it’s grandma.
I’m not sure how much more loss I can handle before I finally reach my breaking point.
I return to the living room to find Aunt Susan seated beside grandma, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Why didn’t you tell us when you first detected the cancer, mom? Why did you wait until it was too late?”