Walking on the bustling streets, Nana heard the conversations of passersby and the constant honking of cars.
Surrounded by noise and chaos, she felt like a lost soul.
Dragging her suitcase aimlessly along the sidewalk, she had no destination in mind.
Meanwhile, Carl had just been released after a month of confinement due to his fight with William at the funeral home.
As Nana strolled towards the outskirts, Carl took a special car provided by the Waters family to the cemetery.
“You don’t have to follow me. Just wait here.”
When Carl got off the car, he noticed that the driver was still with him, so he immediately instructed him to stay put.
He then walked step by step towards the cemetery, arriving at the graves of Jerry and Tracy.
Carl vividly remembered the scene from a month ago when the elderly couple was buried, and Nana’s heart-wrenching cries.
However, what he saw before him now were three tombstones.
On the far right were Jerry and Tracy buried together, next to them was a solitary tombstone engraved with Nana’s name, and the small tombstone on the right belonged to their young daughter, Janelle.
Staring at this cruel scene, Carl could no longer control his restrained emotions. He fell to his knees in front of the graves, mentally shattered.
“Nana, Janelle…”
He called out the names of his beloved wife and daughter repeatedly, his fingers digging into the soil with intense grief, overwhelmed by the loss of his loved ones.
At that moment, the Waters family driver quietly approached from behind and upon hearing Carl’s low sobbing nearby, hurriedly called Mrs. Waters.
At dusk, when Mrs. Waters arrived from home, Carl still remained kneeling at the graveside, unwilling to leave.
He could imagine how cold and terrifying the cemetery would be when night fell and silence enveloped it.
How could Carl bear to leave Nana and their daughter here?
“Nana, Janelle, I’ll accompany you. You won’t be alone with me by your side.”
Carl painfully muttered to himself, unable to banish the sorrow from the depths of his heart.
Mrs. Waters felt a pang of distress seeing her son unable to extricate him from grief.
Of course, her main concern was for Carl, never expecting that after a month, he still hadn’t come to terms with their deaths.
She quickly walked up to Carl and squatted down, gently stroking his back.
“Carl, I know you’re in pain, but once someone is gone, they can’t come back. Accept this fact and let them rest.”
Mrs. Waters comforted Carl with kind words, hoping he would recover soon and marry Grace, bringing happiness to their lives.
However, as Carl heard his mother’s voice, his painful emotions instantly turned into resentment.
“Why are you here? They’re all dead now, and you still want to keep pushing me?”
Carl abruptly lifted his head, his sinister eyes cold and terrifying, like a sharp razor cutting through Mrs. Waters’ heart.
Mrs. Waters was startled and took a step back, explaining to Carl, “You’ve misunderstood, my son. I’m here because I see how much you’re suffering, and as a mother, it hurts me too.”
“Heh, you’ll be relieved once I marry Grace.”
Carl coldly retorted, harboring nothing but hatred towards the person who gave birth to him.
Since the moment Nana moved into the Waters Residence while pregnant, Mrs. Waters had subjected her to endless harassment and disdain.
Initially, Carl tried to reconcile and sometimes advised Nana not to argue with his mother.
But he later realized that his tolerance and concessions only fueled Mrs. Waters’ malicious behavior and pushed Nana further into despair.
To a certain extent, the misfortunes of the Lawson family were brought upon by him.
And the instigator was none other than his picky and meddlesome mother.
Until now, Mrs. Waters was still unaware, thinking that Carl just needed to get through this period to start a new life.
She cautiously approached Carl again, patiently trying to persuade him, “Carl, I’ve been standing here for half an hour. Come home with me now before it gets dark…”
“You go on your own!”
Carl interrupted Mrs. Waters without hesitation, his tone resolute. “From now on, I won’t listen to any of your commands. Don’t think you can control me in the name of blood relations!”
As Carl spoke, his face turned ice-cold, his eyes filled with a murderous intent.
Seeing him like this, Mrs. Waters couldn’t help but tremble. Her hands shook involuntarily, and her feet uncontrollably trembled.
“Carl, please don’t be like this. You’re scaring me…”
Mrs. Waters awkwardly forced a smile, still trying to reconcile with Carl.
“Leave, all of you. Disappear from my sight immediately. I don’t want to see anyone now!”
Carl’s face twisted, his eyes scanning Mrs. Waters and several Waters family servants like sharp knives.
Mrs. Waters didn’t dare to approach him. She realized that her son had undergone a drastic change and was completely different from the obedient and well-behaved Carl of the past.
“Ah, what a calamity!”
Mrs. Waters sighed with a tearful voice. She had intended to complain to Carl, but he forcefully drove her to the entrance of the cemetery.
The driver also persuaded Mrs. Waters not to provoke Carl for the time being, to prevent the relationship from further deteriorating.
Helpless, Mrs. Waters had no choice but to return home.
At this moment, Grace was in her room making a phone call when her subordinate informed her that the child had been left at the doorstep of the welfare home and was most likely adopted.
This news brought a sense of relief to Grace. The thought of Janelle growing up as an orphan, without parents, gave her a sense of satisfaction and revenge.
“Well done! Now that the child is gone, no matter how much Carl struggles, he’ll eventually exhaust himself and stay by my side!”
Grace smirked cunningly, believing that one day she would have Carl.
Unexpectedly, just at that moment, Mrs. Waters happened to return home. As soon as she went upstairs, she heard voices coming from Grace’s room.
She walked over and listened, unexpectedly learning that her granddaughter, Janelle, was still alive.
Instantly, Mrs. Waters couldn’t remain calm. Overwhelmed with emotions, she pushed the door open and walked in.
“Who are you talking to on the phone? I heard your conversation just now!”
Mrs. Waters glared at Grace in anger, not expecting this woman to deceive her.
She had always believed that Grace was a simple and obedient woman, someone who would never defy her and had no ulterior motives.
Little did she know that Grace was much more complicated than she had imagined.
Mrs. Waters felt a sense of disappointment in her heart and urgently wanted to understand the whole situation.
And Grace was taken aback. She knew that Mrs. Waters had gone to the cemetery to find Carl, but she returned too quickly…
“Why did you come back alone? Where is Carl?”
Grace stammered, attempting to divert the topic.
But Mrs. Waters couldn’t be fooled so easily. She stared at Grace’s panicked face and asked relentlessly, word by word, “Carl is still at the cemetery. Now answer me, what’s going on? Is my granddaughter still alive? Where is she?”
Faced with this series of pressing questions, Grace knew she couldn’t continue hiding the truth. She had to come up with a new set of explanations to temporarily pacify Mrs. Waters.