Melinda's Dying Wish

Phoebe stroked her numb cheek.

She never imagined Melinda would hurt her in her wildest dreams. And now that she has, her brain is frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

She raised her eyes to meet Melinda's, and the pain in her grandmother's eyes pierced her chest like an arrow.

Phoebe wasn't the only one who was in pain.

Melinda quietly suffered as well.

However, the only difference between them was that the older woman had hidden her emotions behind a brave façade all these years.

"I spent the past twenty-seven years looking after you, Phoebe." Melinda spoke in hushed tones, her eyes welling up with tears. "I held you first after your mother gave birth to you and at that moment I promised myself to protect you at all costs."