Naomi's POV
As such, I turned to leave, but Wilbur grabbed my wrist and suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
Roxanne’s expression shifted the moment she saw him kneeling. Her brows knitted together, and before I could react, she shoved me hard. I had always been frail, and the force sent me stumbling straight into the doorframe. Pain shot through my entire body as I slammed into the wood.
“Naomi! Can’t you be more understanding? Wilbur is literally on his knees begging you—what else do you want?!” Roxanne scolded, crouching down to help him up as if she were the one wronged.
I blinked in surprise and disbelief.
Excuse me? Did she really just say that?
The audacity of a woman who knowingly got involved with someone else’s boyfriend, only to turn around and tell me—the actual girlfriend—that I’m being unreasonable? This was beyond ridiculous.
Wilbur shoved her hand away and scrambled toward me, his movements clumsy and frantic. He reached for my shoulder, the very same one that had just taken the brunt of my fall.
“Naomi, are you hurt? I’m so sorry… I should have protected you,” he said, his voice filled with guilt.
But I jerked away before his fingers could touch me. My bloodshot eyes locked onto his as I gritted out, “Don’t touch me with the same hands you just used on her.”
His face paled.
Ignoring it, I threw him one last, cold look and said with finality, “I never want to see you again.”
Then, without another word, I turned and walked away.
The moment I stepped outside the villa, I hesitated—just for a second. I had a gut feeling he would follow me, and sure enough when I glanced back, he was right there, trailing after me.
Fearing I might waver, I quickened my pace, climbed into my car, and slammed the door shut.
Right then, my phone rang. It was the hospital.
I took a deep breath, swallowed the lump in my throat, and answered. “Dr. Beck, is something wrong?” My voice still sounded hoarse.
Sounding urgent, the doctor replied, “Naomi, your grandmother just woke up. She’s been asking for you non-stop. If you’re done with whatever you were handling, please come back as soon as you can.”
“I’ll be right there. Thank you, Dr. Beck.”
By the time I arrived at the hospital, my grandmother was sitting up in bed, peeling an orange. The sight of her, so frail yet still trying to act strong, sent a wave of emotion crashing over me. I didn’t know whether I should tell her about my breakup with Wilbur.
To her, he was a dependable, good man—someone she had always believed I could entrust my future to. We were at the age where marriage was the next natural step, and I wasn’t sure how she would take it if I told her everything had fallen apart.
Maybe it was best to wait until she was feeling better.
Sensing me at the door, she waved me over impatiently. “Naomi, come here.”
I nodded, avoiding her gaze as I walked over and sat beside her. “Grandma, did you sleep well? Are you craving anything? I can go downstairs and buy you something.”
But before I could move, she grabbed my hand, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “Naomi, my health is getting worse,” she said softly. “Dr. Beck already told me everything. It’s late-stage bone cancer. I don’t have much time left.”
My chest tightened.
“Grandma…” My voice cracked as tears spilled over. Without thinking, I buried my face against her shoulder, just like I used to when I was a child.
She gently stroked my hair. “All I want before I go is to see you and Wilbur get married. If I could witness that, I could leave this world peacefully.”
I stiffened. A lump formed in my throat as I looked up at her, torn between her last wish and my own future.
How could I possibly marry a man who had already betrayed me before the wedding?
Grandma studied my face and sighed. “Did you two have a fight?”
I frowned and asked back, “How did you know?”
She gave me a knowing look and revealed, “Wilbur called Dr. Beck earlier. He told me he upset you and that you probably didn’t want to see him right now. So, he asked me to talk to you on his behalf.”
