“She may have stolen something, but she’s still your grandmother—the woman who raised you. You owe her that respect,” Harry said.
My brows tightened. “She didn’t steal anything. And if we’re getting married, she’d be your grandmother too!”
“Alright,” he sighed. “There’s no hard evidence, so fine—let’s say she didn’t. Rosey said it was her mother’s necklace that went missing and she panicked. That’s why she called the police.”
“She feels bad your grandma ended up in the hospital. So let’s head there first and check on her, okay?”
Harry rolled down the window. Rose was in the front seat, smiling sweetly as she waved at me.
“I heard your grandma has high blood pressure,” she said. “I forgot to ask the police to keep meds on hand… so I bought her the best and most expensive medication. She’ll be out of the hospital in no time.”
Her syrupy smile made my stomach turn. “Don’t bother pretending to care, Save the act," I said coldly.
Rose’s smile froze mid-face.
Suddenly, Harry’s expression darkened. “Joyce, be grateful, would you? Rosey and I skipped two meetings to come here. We’re not here for your drama. Get in the car and stop wasting time.”
Rose nodded quickly, trying to recover. “Ms. Albyn, I came to apologize, sincerely. I admit I overreacted… It was all just a big misunderstanding.”
But her little “misunderstanding” had cost my grandma her life.
I clutched the urn tighter in my hands and took two steps back. “Sure, go ahead and apologize—on your knees.”
Rose’s eyes welled with tears.
“How could you say that? I’m here because I really want to apologize… I even brought medicine for your grandmother. Why are you telling me to kneel? Are you really trying to embarrass me?”
“This is all my fault, right? I lost something and panicked—it’s all on me." She then added, "You two, go and enjoy picking out your wedding outfits. I should’ve never come back…”
Rose he flung open the car door and ran off.
However, Harry caught up fast, grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. He gently comforted her as she sobbed into his chest.
Then he looked at me. “Joyce… even if you’re angry, you can’t make decisions for your grandmother.”
I met his eyes. “It’s fine. She already heard everything.”
Harry froze at that. I turned and walked away soon after.
***
The funeral service had already messaged several times—the burial was about to begin.
By the time everything was over and I got back to the city, it was already late. I had nowhere to go, so I checked into a cheap motel just to get some sleep.
After my shower, my phone kept buzzing. Harry had sent me photos of wedding dresses.
When I didn’t reply, he called again. And again. I didn’t care. I turned off my phone and rolled over. However, I didn’t expect what happened next.
Half-asleep, I jolted awake when the locked motel door was suddenly forced open.
Harry stood in the doorway, breathing hard, then exhaled in relief. “You scared the hell out of me. You can’t just shut off your phone and disappear. If you didn’t want to see Rosey, I get it. That’s why I came myself.”
I didn’t have the energy to fight him. So, I got in the car.
Fine. I’d go back. I needed to grab the gold bracelets Grandma left behind anyway.
But as soon as I opened the door to the apartment, the lights flicked on.
Rose stood in the center of the room, dressed in a bunny costume. She popped a party cannon in my face. "Happy 10-Year Meet-Cute Anniversary to me and my dearest Harry!”
I froze.
Behind me, Harry laughed in surprise. “I thought you went home! Why are you back already? And what is all this… You actually remembered the date?”
So that’s why he had time to chase after me earlier, because Rose had gone home. He only comforted me because his other woman wasn’t around.
Now he was holding Rose as she threw herself into his arms.
They laughed together and she shot me a smug, satisfied look.
I didn’t say a word at that and calmly walked into the bedroom.
Once I opened the door, I saw that it was packed wall to wall with junk. Like a storage closet, or a trash heap.
