A FOOL....

George just hummed but did not say anything, it was as if he was lost deep in his thoughts, tuning out everything else around him.

It was not until he felt a tap on his shoulder, did he snap out of it and looked at De Xi who handed him his cup of coffee with a concerned look.

"Don't overthink things." De Xi commented softly, without much of any expression on her face.

"Eva... Am I the reason for all of this mess? If not for me provoking Eli back then, none of this would have happened. All of us would be living happily."

"Why do you never blame me for the pain I have caused you and our friends? All your acceptance is just suffocating me." George said wearily as he buried his head in his palms, frustrated with himself.

"Call it rain and not pain. You have no idea, how much it helps you grow." De Xi quoted airily as she chuckled lightly and looked at George seriously.

"Believe me George, all of this has nothing to do with you. It was us and will always be us, ultimately, we were the ones who choose to do those things." De Xi said calmly, her smile serene just like her heart.

It was hard at first to accept it, but slowly she had come to terms with the truth and blamed no one but herself and luck.

George simply sighed and finished his cup of coffee in silence as De Xi drank her tea. After finishing his cup, George left the study and De Xi stood up and sat at her table.

Just as she settled at her table she heard another knock, making De Xi raise her eyes in amusement and surprise.

'Why am I getting so many visitors in my study today?' De Xi thought to herself as she chuckled and asked the person to come in.

"Grandma?" De Xi was pleasantly surprised when she saw Grandma Lu enter the study with a warm, motherly smile on her face.

"Are you busy sweetheart?" Grandma Lu asked warmly, as she walked towards the couch slowly but elegantly and sat down, her back still straight as a pine tree despite her age.

"When am I not busy Grandma, but family comes first and beautiful ladies like you are my foremost priority." De Xi said as she cheekily winked at Grandma Lu, the latter jokingly smacked her on the shoulder.

"Your cheekiness still hasn't gone away despite being a mother of two." Grandma Lu said in amusement as she sighed softly.

"What has me being a mother got with my cheekiness?" De Xi asked cluelessly in confusion.

"If you are so playful, how will you be strict with your kids and bring them up?" Grandma Lu asked in amusement and feigned strictness.

"Grandma, didn't you say being friends is the best way to converse and get our thoughts across to the other person? I'm just following that." De Xi said with a pout as if she was being wronged.

"I said that in case of husband and wife, not mother and child." Grandma Lu said in exasperation, simply stumped at her statement being used against her.

"I believe friendship is the key to every relationship's transparency. It has worked out well until now, I believe it will continue to work in the future as well." De Xi said lightly.

"Then looks like you need to work on repairing your friendship with Bai." Grandma Lu stated airily but looked at De Xi nervously as if worried her statement might anger De Xi.

"Grandma, do you know at times, we need to withhold some things from our dear ones to protect them from the harm." De Xi said calmly with a small smile.

"But that protection ends up hurting them more." Grandma Lu said in an equally calm tone.

"Some wounds make us stronger." De Xi shrugged casually.

"As a doctor yourself, I don't need to tell you this, but every wound doesn't make you stronger. Fatal wounds in critical areas might lead to worse situations. The sooner you treat them, the better it will heal and lesser will be the irreversible damage done."

"You are wiser than the rest... *sigh* I am glad and worried at the same time." Grandma Lu said with a heavy sigh.

De Xi looked at Grandma Lu with a frown as she did not understand what she meant.

"All birds find shelter during rain, but eagles avoid rain by flying above the clouds."

"I am glad you are like an eagle but oftentimes, flying too high means facing the heat of the sun or even getting burnt."

"So remember it, you are not omnipotent, you need to take shelter at times as well. Crying over spilled milk is foolishness. Don't be a fool." Grandma Lu said calmly but her voice held grave seriousness in them.

"I won't disturb you any longer. Go ahead with your work." Grandma Lu said as she stood up and walked out, without giving De Xi a chance to say something.

Even if given a chance, De Xi won't have anything to say because Grandma Lu's words made her think through her decisions.

She knew it well, no matter how much all the grandparents might seems like noisy oldies but they would never interfere with the decisions their kids make but if they do, that means their kids were going wrong somewhere.

"Am I really being a fool? Why am I not able to make this decision the right one as well, like the rest? Is there a better option than this? Which will not hurt people more than it already has?" De Xi mumbled to herself with a sigh.

She then looked towards the door and then with a sigh stood up and went back to her seat behind the study table.

It was going to be a long evening for her and many more people, thinking about all the regrets from the past.