Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 223

Leaning heavily on her cane, Genevieve looked at Willow with immense heartache. "You foolish child, how could you keep something so major from me? If I hadn't forced it out of Julian, were you just going to leave me in the dark forever?"

Willow quickly helped her to a nearby chair. "Please, don't worry. My mother is doing very well. The doctors say everything is under control."

"Where is she? Can I see her?"

Willow shook her head. "She's in the sterile isolation ward. The transplant is scheduled for today, so we have to wait until she's cleared to come out."

"Your poor mother. And poor you." Genevieve reached out, wrapping her wrinkled hands around Willow's. "Whenever I think about you shouldering all this terror on your own, my heart just breaks. I can barely breathe."

With that, she shot a vicious, reprimanding glare at Julian, who stood silently nearby.

Willow saw the look. She knew Genevieve was trying to defend her, to offer some semblance of justice. But honestly? It was entirely unnecessary. She hadn't received support when she desperately needed it; she certainly didn't need it now.

"It's all fine now," Willow said softly. No matter how agonizing those dark nights had been, she had survived them. "My mom is in good spirits, and the doctors are very confident."

"Thank goodness. Then I'll wait right here. I won't leave until the transplant is completely finished." But a hospital corridor was no place for an ailing elderly woman. After only a few minutes, Genevieve began coughing again.

Willow gently rubbed her back. "You need to go home, Grandma. The procedure takes all day. Sitting out here in the cold will only make you sick."

Genevieve desperately wanted to stay, but her frail body simply wouldn't allow it. "Then I'll have Julian stay here with you."

"No." Willow's rejection was instant and cold.

"Alright. It's your choice. I won't force you." Genevieve patted her hand. "You have every right to refuse them. But with your mother in the hospital, it was their basic duty to show up. I didn't know before, but now that I do, I couldn't let them ignore it."

"I understand. I'm not upset with you." Willow knew that's how a normal, loving family should operate. It just didn't apply to the toxic mess that was the Sinclairs.

Having settled everything, Genevieve prepared to leave. Right before she stepped away, she pressed a bank card into Willow's hand. Before Willow could even process it, Genevieve ordered her nurse to whisk her away down the hall.

Willow couldn't chase after her, not when she had to stay near the surgical ward. Besides, Julian was still looming right there. She could just hand the card back to him.

As soon as Genevieve was gone, a suffocating silence slammed into the corridor. Without the older woman acting as a buffer, the sheer animosity between Willow and Julian thickened the air, sparking with volatile tension.