Chapter 43 : Walking Away

Mia tosses the phone on the counter, rushing to her grandpa’s side.

“What did he say to you?” she asks, eyes scanning him with concern.

Nick shakes his head, putting a hand over his mouth. After a moment, he clears his throat, seemingly recovering from whatever it was.

“We…sold the house to the bank after your father passed. We couldn’t afford the mortgage without him. They’ve been letting us stay here for years for a discounted rent, and we thought we would finally be able to buy it back after you started living with us. We didn’t want to tell you because we didn’t want you to worry about us," he explains. "But whoever that was, he said he’d buy the house out from under us if I didn’t put you on the phone right away. I’m sorry, kiddo. I wish we could have been stronger for you,” he concludes, looking dismayed.

Mia puts a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“You should have told me earlier, I could have helped,” she whispers.