Chapter 163
Ava got out of the car and walked straight ahead, pulling her suitcase, not noticing that the Bentley behind her only changed lanes after she got out.
The hospital, bustling with people during the day, had now quieted down. It was a full moon night, with a round moon hanging in the sky, sparsely dotted with a few stars.
The moon waxes and wanes—an eternal truth.
Ava used to think that life couldn't be forever miserable. After losing her mother, losing her grandmother, and being abandoned by her biological father, she married the man she loved during her loneliest and most helpless moment. She once thought she finally had a home, that the rest of her life would be complete.
Reality had slapped her hard in the face.
Pulling her thoughts back, Ava returned to Howard's hospital room.
Howard had slept quite a bit during the day and wasn't tired yet. His energy had recovered considerably. Seeing her return with her suitcase, looking ready to camp out at the hospital, he scolded her,
"You stubborn girl, didn't I tell you to go home? I'm fine here. Just come to keep me company and chat during the day. Your body can't take this."
Ava put the suitcase in the corner and sat back down by the bed,
"Grandpa, I can't sleep well at home alone. I'd rather be here with you—at least I can get some rest."
She accidentally let something slip. Howard snorted,
"What, that jerk doesn't come home every night?"
Howard only knew the couple was getting divorced, not that Ava had moved out. He already had a big problem with his own grandson, and hearing Ava say she slept at home alone made him want to drag that boy over for another scolding.
Ava quickly corrected herself,
"Grandpa, no. He's been working overtime a lot lately. He sleeps in the study when he comes home late so he won't wake me."
Howard blinked, clear as day in his mind. Even at a time like this, she was still making excuses for that boy.
"Ava, tomorrow is your grandmother Victoria's death anniversary. I can't go with this body of mine, and I don't have the face to see her. Go in my place and bring her some flowers. Tell her I'm sorry."
Ava fell silent, her eyes welling up.
She remembered her grandmother's death anniversary. When grandmother passed, she worried most about Ava. She also understood what Howard meant—Howard felt guilty for not taking good care of Ava.
"Grandpa, my grandmother won't blame you."
Ava thought to herself, no matter where things stood with William, she had never regretted it. Even though he chose Sarah again and again, loving him was her own choice.
Loving someone doesn't give you the right to demand equal love in return. She believed that two people falling in love requires a certain amount of luck, and she was the unlucky one who could only give one-sidedly, unable to win his heart.
But Howard squinted his eyes, lost in thought.
Ava spent the night on the family bed. The next morning, after watching Howard finish breakfast, she went to a flower shop and bought three bouquets.
Nancy's favorite daisies when she was alive—she picked the freshest bunch.
For her grandmother, she chose two elegant bouquets of chrysanthemums, one of which was bought on Howard's behalf.
She drove straight to the suburban cemetery.
When her mother passed away, Ava hadn't yet fallen out with Steven. Steven at least gave Nancy some dignity by buying her a plot in the best location in the cemetery.
But when grandmother was on her deathbed, Ava had begged Steven several times to visit her. That stone-hearted man ultimately threw her out the door, and grandmother passed with regret.
Before dying, her grandmother had forced Ava to first buy and sign for the cheapest few square meters in the suburban cemetery before she could rest in peace. The old woman's only worry about leaving this world was her helpless granddaughter. That cheapest plot was the last bit of money she saved for Ava.
Grandmother's grave was in the most remote corner of the cemetery. Ava went there first, placing down the two bouquets. The headstone had gathered dust, so she took out tissues and wiped it clean.
Seeing her grandmother's photo on the headstone, her heart ached. She started talking to herself,
"Grandma, are you doing well over there? In about twenty days, I'll be leaving Emerald City. I might not be able to visit you for a long time. You won't blame me, will you?
I haven't told anyone about this decision yet. I hope you'll support me in doing this. I really don't have the courage to stay in this city anymore."
A light drizzle started falling from the sky. Ava sat on the ground crying for a long time, her pants soaked through. After pulling herself together, she walked toward Nancy's grave in the distance.
The moment she saw Nancy's grave covered with fresh flowers, she thought she'd come to the wrong place.
In all the years since Nancy left, she would visit from time to time to share her thoughts. But never in all these years had she seen any sign of someone else visiting.
Besides, she knew Nancy wasn't from Emerald City and had no relatives here. Not many friends either. Ava looked carefully at the flowers—some were still fresh, while a few wilted ones had been moved to the side. It looked like someone came every day to leave a bouquet in remembrance.
She thought and thought, but couldn't figure out who it could be.
Steven was absolutely impossible. So who else in Emerald City cared about Nancy as much as she did?
Ava left the cemetery with a heavy heart. By chance, she ran into the groundskeeper at the entrance, a kind old man close to seventy.
"Sir, does anyone come to sweep graves very early in this cemetery?"
The old man smiled,
"Most people come around the same time as you, but recently there's been this young man—don't know which relative he's mourning—who comes every day at dawn. He just left before you arrived."
Ava's heart jumped. She felt the young man the old man mentioned must be connected to the flowers at Nancy's grave. She pressed on,
"Sir, do you remember which direction he went?"
The old man thought for a moment and pointed,
"That way. As for which grave exactly, I couldn't see clearly—too far, and my eyes aren't what they used to be."
Ava looked in that direction. It was exactly where Nancy's grave was.
"Sir, do you remember what that young man looked like?"
The old man recalled,
"Pretty tall, thin, wearing a suit. That's all I can remember."
Ava searched her mind for someone matching the old man's description, but couldn't think of anyone.
The rain was getting heavier. She hadn't brought an umbrella, and there was some distance between the cemetery entrance and the parking lot. She walked toward the parking lot with one hand shielding her forehead, struggling along the wet, slippery ground.
When she got back to the hospital, she'd planned to take a hot shower in Howard's room and change into clean clothes. But after parking the car, she discovered Steven and Nola waiting in the parking lot to catch her.
Ava got out of the car and was caught red-handed.