Patrick Grant flipped through a thick photo album, sighing. "How ti flies. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I still rember you were born on Christmas Eve, a whole month premature. You were so weak, you had to stay in an incubator for three or four weeks. We’d almost given up hope back then. I can’t believe you’re all grown up now... and even married."
Leona offered a small smile. "I have, but I still rember those days. I rember how you used to take traveling all over the world, taught how to fight, and showed new people and things. You raised yourself."
"Yes... but you’re still strong and healthy, while your old grandfather isn’t..." Patrick Grant trailed off, coughing twice.
"Grandpa, don’t say that!"
Leona’s faint smile vanished, her expression turning serious as she quickly patted Patrick Grant’s back to help him catch his breath.
Patrick Grant smiled and waved a dismissive hand. "Don’t worry, don’t worry. I know my own body."
"Leona, the reason I asked you here today isn’t for anything in particular. I just wanted to talk, to have a little chat."
Leona’s tone was as respectful as ever. "What did you want to talk about, Grandpa?"
"About you and Annabelle."
Leona froze—
"Leona, Annabelle has changed. Have you noticed? She used to be so quiet, she had almost no presence in the house. She was very easygoing, too. No matter what it was, she’d always go along with what others wanted. She was the type of person who would rather suffer in silence than cause trouble for anyone."
"But now, that excessive kindness in her heart is gone. Her nature used to be as gentle as water, but now it’s as detached as the wind. Do you understand the difference?"
Leona pursed her lips.
’She had always thought Annabelle’s gentleness was an act—a way to bully Vivian Yates out of jealousy before playing the innocent victim.’
’But after this past month, she was starting to realize that she might have been prejudiced, that she’d misunderstood her.’
’Thinking back, Annabelle had never really done anything to deliberately hurt Vivian Yates. It had all just been a series of coincidences.’
’And yet, she had always instinctively blad her.’
’Her opinion of Annabelle had changed completely, especially after Ashley Grant told her about all the sacrifices Annabelle had made in the past.’
Thinking of Annabelle’s current indifferent, almost otherworldly deanor, Leona frowned. "She has changed. She’s no longer weak."
Patrick Grant laughed heartily. "Weak? Leona, I’ve always known Annabelle to be gentle, but I never said she was weak. Think about it. In what way was she ever weak?"
Leona stared at Patrick Grant in surprise—
"She grew up without a mother, and her father paid her no mind, yet she still cultivated a fine character. She never fought for things, was never arrogant or impatient. She mastered every skill and grace expected of a young lady from a good family."
"Music, art, singing, dance, academics, etiquette, languages... even her ntal fortitude was far beyond that of her peers."
"She studied abroad alone for four years at one of the top dical universities in the world, graduating with the highest honors and a doctorate. And yet, she earned all the money for her expenses herself, including her younger brother’s tuition."
"A young woman, all on her own in a foreign country, facing exorbitant tuition and living costs, and she never once complained about how hard it was. Does that sound like a weak woman? On the contrary, I think she’s stronger than anyone."
Leona’s frown deepened. ’She had never thought about any of this before.’
User Comments
0 comments from readers