Matilda didn’t want to go up against Sophia now, so she just winked at John. He didn’t go out by himself, but instead, he took out his phone and sent a message.
Sophia was in so much pain that she was barely conscious. She felt a buzzing in her mind as many chaotic images appeared alternately, and she couldn’t even figure out where she was at a certain moment.
After a wave of pain passed, Sophia gasped for air, and then in a trance, she felt as if she saw someone.
The man stood not far from her, and his slightly rickety figure was clad in old linen clothes. He looked at her and smiled. Seeing him, Sophia felt like she was standing on the ground and slowly walked toward the figure as she whispered, “Grandpa.”
The man didn’t speak; he just looked at her and continued smiling, after which Sophia reflexively held her belly with one hand as she walked a little faster. “Grandpa, are you here to see me?”
After walking forward a few steps, Sophia pursed her lips, looking like she was about to cry. She could see the person in front of her very clearly. It was how her grandfather looked before he became very old.
Sophia had already forgotten what her grandfather looked like when he was healthy. In the end, the old man was so tormented by his illness that he had been reduced to a disfigured and frail sack of bones. Sophia’s memory of him, except for what she saw in photos, stayed at that time.
The old man was wearing rubber shoes on his feet. He walked two steps toward Sophia and looked down at her belly.
At the sight of him approaching, Sophia felt her tears threatening to overflow out of her eyes. She didn’t know what else to say, so she repeated, “Grandpa.”
John heard Sophia mutter something next to him. In order to get what she was saying, he hurried over and put his ear to Sophia’s lips.
After hearing what Sophia said, John paused and then let out a long sigh.
Sophia’s hallucinations didn’t last long. The next time the pain struck, the image of her grandfather disappeared.
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