Meeting Grandma

Mommy, are we leaving? I haven't said 'hello' to Grandpa!"

 Valerie smiled when her daughter spoke, as they left the Wright estate. "You'll have many chances in the future."

 "Mommy, why did you tie your neck?" Ruby pointed at the scarf around her mother's neck. She didn't have that before.

Valerie touched the scarf around her neck. She had treated the injury and hidden it behind the scarf, so her curious daughter didn't find out. "I want to look like a flight attendant. Didn't you say you liked their dress code?" Valerie beamed.

Ruby nodded happily, while skipping behind Grace. "Mommy, what kind of person is Grandpa? What does he like, so I can get him a gift next time?... Mommy, would he like me?"

"Of course, he would! It's his blessing to have a little gorgeous and cute money-waster like you as his granddaughter."

The group burst into a puddle of laughter. Their cheerful voices soon faded into the night as Ruby continuously questioned her mother while Valerie never got tired of replying.

If only they knew what tomorrow held for them.

The next morning, Valerie woke up earlier than usual, leaving Ruby with Grace, as she left for her grandmother's place.

Old Madam Wright's ranch-style home didn't change much from what Valerie used to know. As she stood in front of the house, she felt nostalgic. Images of little Valerie running around the house while her mother chased her flashed past her eyes. Her grandmother's boisterous laughter echoed in the open space.

As Valerie opened the small bar gate and walked along the stone path, she couldn't help but sigh. The garden on both sides of the pathway looked overgrown, unlike her grandmother's style.

The woman loved her garden and took proper care of the flowers. 

As Valerie wondered what could have made her grandmother neglect her flowers this much, she found herself standing by the door. Her heart raced with uncertainty, wondering how her grandmother would treat her after severing ties with her.

Valerie had severed ties with her grandmother because the woman was against her relationship with Harry. After that, she didn't see her grandmother anymore until now. 

What was done, was done. She admitted she was very stupid back then. 

Valerie subconsciously clenched her fist and shut her eyes to compose herself. A few seconds later, she stood straight and confident, ready to meet her grandmother. She grabbed the door knob, turned it, and pushed the door open. Just as she stepped in, confetti popped in her face, followed by Nanny Rosaline's joyful voice. "Welcome home, Miss Valerie!"

Valerie froze. Before she could think, she caught sight of her grandmother sitting in a wheelchair.

Her eyes widened. How did she end up like this?

"You've finally returned home. I thought I would live the rest of my life without ever seeing you, you wicked girl," the woman smiled as she spread her hands out for a hug.

From the side, Nanny Rosaline uttered, "When your grandmother heard that you were in trouble six years ago, she was frantic and tried to reach you. Out of desperation, your grandmother took the car but had an accident and got crippled."

Valerie's mouth hung open, her heart beating chaotically.

Her grandmother stopped driving herself after her husband died in a car accident. Whenever she sat behind the wheel, she always remembered the ghastly accident that took her husband away from her. So she was advised to stop driving.

But because of her granddaughter, she forewent her fear of driving and took the wheel, but unfortunately, her trauma got the better of her, and she crashed into a tree.

Valerie felt a sting in her eyes before her vision blurred with tears. "Grandma..." she choked, unable to form words. Had she listened to her grandmother and stayed away from Harry, none of this would have happened.

Her child wouldn't have died, and her grandmother wouldn't have been crippled. Valerie clenched her fist. It was her fault!

"Rosaline, you talk too much," the woman chastised her nanny lightly and smiled at Valerie. "Don't just stand there. Come, come, I made your favorite cookies."

"Your grandmother single-handedly made your favorite biscuits. You should give them a try." The Nanny nudged her forward, smiling, but the depth of her eyes had tears welling up. She never thought that after the big fight where Valerie severed ties with her grandmother, she would live to see them reconcile. 

Nanny Rosaline excused herself to give them some space. 

Valerie's legs grew heavy with each step she took. Her heart filled with unspoken guilt. She wanted to weep, but her tears seemed angry at her too. Scattered scenes from years back flashed in front of her like a fleeting gallery. All the scenes were too painful to dive into. Valerie quickly shut the memories back in her mind, afraid she would feel too guilty to sit around.

"Little Val, you're making me sad." Her grandmother pouted, noticing Valerie's guilt.

"I – I'm sorry, Grandma." Valerie covered her face, unable to bear looking at her grandmother. She was only in her seventies but had already become a wheelchair user! It was all her fault!

The old woman pulled her lips down as she accused sadly. "Do you loath my touch now because I'm disabled?"

Valerie froze. How could she think that? "No!" she doubled her steps and crashed down in front of the woman, took her hand, and placed it on her head. "How could you think that way, Grandma?"

The woman beamed like a mischievous child. "If I hadn't said that, would you have stopped crying?" That was when Valerie realized she had been played. She chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Why are you so mischievous? Grandmothers are supposed to be strict."

"I'm not a grandmother, I'm your granny... there's a difference," she smiled, her eyes disappearing into her smile as she played with Valerie's hair.

Valerie's mood improved considerably. Her grandmother had always been cheeky and cute, only to her. "Yes, Granny." Valerie smiled and sat on the floor while munching on the biscuits. The taste was still the same. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but to not ruin the happy mood, she swallowed and suppressed her feelings. "Grandma, how did you know I'd returned?"

"Who do you think I am?" the woman's lips curled up, and she lowered her voice and whispered, "I'm a mysterious old woman with many secrets." The woman scoffed, feeling proud.

Valerie laughed; that was right. As the matriarch of the Wright family, Old Madam Wright had people stationed on the Wright estate, so it wasn't weird that she knew of Valerie's return.

Valerie didn't take her grandmother's words about her identity seriously. Moreover, she thought she knew her grandmother.

"I heard what happened." The old woman said, grabbing Valerie's attention. "Had you killed that maid, I would have made sure you didn't go to jail, even though it meant my death."

Hearing that, Valerie's eyes watered again. Her grandma had always been this protective and supportive of her, but she let her grandma down and broke her heart. Her grandmother never liked the Smith family. The same goes for her maternal family; they both hate the Smiths. But Valerie loved Harry right from childhood and everyone who disagreed with their union became her enemy.

How stupid and childish of her, Valerie thought, then bit down on the biscuit, she didn't want to think about Harry.

"I didn't want to become a murderer, so I spared her." Valerie said with a mouthful of snacks. Valerie indeed had the intention of killing Maya, but what would be the point of becoming a murderer, when she hadn't even sought revenge from the masterminds?

She was no longer that impulsive and naive anymore.

Old Madam Wright sighed faintly. She was relieved to hear that. Although she wouldn't have let her granddaughter go to jail, Valerie would still have lived with the guilt of taking a life, and it would have upset the old woman.

Valerie noticed her grandma's subtle reaction but said nothing.

Nanny Rosaline returned with a glass of juice and placed it on the table. Taking her seat on a vacant sofa, she broke the silence, "Did you know that boy from the Smith family and that snake you have as a stepsister are about to get married next month?"

Grandma Wright didn't stop Nanny Rossa. In fact, it was her idea for Rosaline to bring it up when Valerie dropped by, but on seeing a slight frown on Valerie's face, she quickly threw Rosaline under the bus.

"What are you doing, ruining my granddaughter's mood? Don't you know what to say and shouldn't say?!"