Chapter 169
It was something Valeria could never get over or forget.
In the dead of night, when no one else was around, she would cry quietly to herself. In the living room, the only sound was her muffled, broken sobs.
A little later, Selena woke up and wandered out.
Martha quickly wiped her tears dry and opened a tin of cookies she’d had the kitchen bake fresh with healthy and clean ingredients.
“Lenny, come here,” she said.
“Hello, Mrs. Grant Sr.” Selena sat next to Martha, taking a cookie and offering the first one to her. “After you.”
Martha was touched. The gesture nearly made her cry again, causing her to dab her eyes with a handkerchief.
Valeria stood up and went to the kitchen, putting on a fresh pot of water.
Avery followed her in. “Ms. Neal, apologies… but I hope you could treat what Mrs. Grant Sr. said today from the perspective of a listener. Please don’t mind if she talked a little too much.
“This happened over 20 years ago, and she’s never dared bring it up at home. If she does, the whole family ends up in tears.
“As the years went on, she stopped talking about it. But that was her own child. She had her two sons late in life… No mother could ever forget something like that.”
Valeria nodded, a dull ache settling in her chest. “I understand. I really do.”
“Thank you so much, Ms. Neal.” Avery glanced toward the living room. “The New Year’s coming, and right after that is Mr. Grant’s birthday.
“When the date gets close, it’s hard on everyone. They will put on a happy face and celebrate, but after the guests leave and the house gets quiet, everyone tears up in private.”
Valeria had been with Sebastian for three of his birthdays. Every time, he drank far too much.
She remembered one year in particular when he had gone out with his friends to celebrate his birthday. He was in high spirits. That night, she waited for him to come home, but he never came back. When he finally showed up the next day, he was running a high fever.
He told her to get out, his tone sharp and cold, then curled up in bed, his face pale.
So, he wasn’t actually happy that day. That kind of happiness… had only been an act.
Chapter 169
“Ms. Neal, not many people know about this. Mrs. Grant Sr. has just been feeling, low with his birthday coming up, so she wanted to confide in someone outside the family. Please…”
Valeria blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. Her gaze wavered as she nodded slightly. Her voice came out hoarse. “I know. I won’t say a word.”
“I heard you and Mr. Grant went to high school together. That’s nice. At your age, you already have a six–year–old, but he still doesn’t have a girlfriend. Mrs. Grant Sr. worries about him,” Avery admitted as she looked toward the living room again, where Selena was seated next to Martha.
Martha looked at Selena with such tenderness. She would’ve scooped Selena right into her
arms if she were younger.
“He’s the kind of man who could have any woman he wanted,” Valeria murmured so quietly that no one else could hear her.
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Chapter 170
