Rhea watched as Valerie tended to her sick grandmother. She had never thought Valerie had this caring side of hers.
After the incident last night, Valerie had brought her here, to a comfortable, small apartment with just a living room and a tiny bedroom.
Rhea had slept on the couch while Valerie slept on the floor. They didn’t exchange a word until the next morning.
“You have such a cute friend,” Old Nana chuckled, chewing on the pasta Valerie had made for breakfast.
“Thanks,” Rhea replied with a small bow as Valerie placed her share of pasta in front of her.
“Eat well,” Valerie said with a smile before going to get her own plate.
Rhea’s face flushed slightly red.
“So, do you go to the same college as my Vee?” Old Nana asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rhea nodded.
“This is the first time my Vee has brought a friend here. It’s so unlike her, but I’m happy,” Nana said.
“Don’t talk too much, Nana. Eat so you can take your medicine,” Valerie said, sitting beside Rhea at the small table.
“I’m just curious about your Indian friend.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have been attacked if you’d left this area, Nana. Some bastards tried to hurt her,” Valerie said, dropping her spoon. “For the millionth time, can you just move out of this godforsaken area? The crime rate is getting worse.”
“Oh,” concern etched onto Old Nana’s face as she turned to Rhea. “Were you hurt?”
Rhea shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. Val came to save me before they could do anything.” She glanced at Valerie. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Next time, call before you come looking for me. I was pretty upset-I can’t bear to see you get hurt,” Valerie sighed, mumbling, “I feel like beating those bastards over and over again.” She met Old Nana’s smirking face. “What are you smiling about? You need to move out.”
“What’s the point? The criminals have nothing to take from me here. I’m just an old woman living in this place. Some even visit to give me fruits and flowers. Besides, this house holds the memories of your grandfather. We built it together. I can’t leave,” Nana said, resuming her meal.
Valerie sighed. “She’s so good with her words,” she muttered before noticing Rhea staring at her. “Y-you’re not eating.”
Rhea, realizing she’d been staring, snapped back to reality. “Oh, yeah,” she quickly turned to her meal and began eating.
“You should stay here for a while,” Old Nana suddenly suggested, and Valerie almost choked.
“Huh?” Rhea blinked.
“I have a pile of work on the farm due to my sickness. I think you should stay for a while and help.”
“Nana,” Valerie interjected.
“It’s okay,” Rhea said with a smile, surprising Valerie. “I’d love to stay.”
–
Less than a month??
The news hit like a tidal wave, leaving Klaus restless and consumed with finding a cure. After spending the entire night searching online, he still hadn’t found anything useful.
Apparently, the survival rate for someone with a brain tumor was less than fifty percent. But as long as there was a small chance, Klaus was determined to try-even if it meant joining forces with the person he despised most.
His father.
“I’ve been looking for months and still haven’t found anything, but I won’t give up. I want her to survive,” Finn said to the somber man sitting across from him.
“Klaus,” he called softly, but Klaus ignored him. “You need to rest. You haven’t-”
“You can go to bed and leave me the fuck alone,” Klaus snapped, his piercing gaze meeting Finn’s.
“You might fall si-”
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. It’s irritating, and it won’t change the fact that I loathe you with every fiber of my being,” he muttered, returning his focus to the screen.
Sighing, Finn stood. “Goodnight.”
As the door clicked shut behind him, Klaus exhaled softly, leaning back in his chair. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the thought of losing his mother.
A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by the creak of it opening.
Klaus’s brows furrowed as he saw someone unexpected-Katie.
“Hello, Klaus,” she greeted.
Klaus didn’t reply, his gaze cold and blank.
“Can you spare me a moment? I need to talk to you,” Katie said softly.
Klaus scoffed, shutting his laptop. He stood and moved to walk past her, intending to ignore her entirely. Her next words, however, stopped him.
“I might have a solution to treat your mother.”
Klaus’s brows shot up. “What?”
“I know a skilled doctor who successfully treated a similar case. The patient survived, and-”
“Why should I trust you?” Klaus interrupted, his voice sharp.
“Because I have no intention of harming this family,” she replied swiftly.
“Then why did you marry your friend’s husband? Ah, never mind. No need to explain,” Klaus said, his tone hard. “You have no excuse.”
“I’m just here to help with your mother’s case. Will you hear me out now?” Katie’s voice remained soft. “I can help your mother survive.”
–
Morticia tried to keep her mind busy, forcing her thoughts away from Klaus. She focused on the movie she was watching with her mother, but it was futile.
Klaus was in his room, and she barely saw him. Ava had mentioned he was busy trying to find a way to help Josephine.
She missed him but knew she had to put his needs above her own.
“I’m still wondering,” Ava’s voice broke the silence. Morticia looked up at her mother’s pale face.
Ava had tried to act fine, but Morticia knew she was struggling, breaking under the weight of potentially losing her best friend in less than a month.
Josephine needed to survive. Her loss would break too many hearts.
“What is it, Mom?” Morticia asked as Ava ran her fingers through her hair.
“It’s about Finn,” Ava sighed. “Why did he marry Katie of all people? An old friend of Josephine’s? It doesn’t sit right with me, especially when he clearly still cares for her.”
“Klaus told me what happened years ago. How Mr. Finn hurt his mother and how they eventually reconciled,” Morticia paused. “Do you think she’s still hurting from the past?”
“No,” Ava replied. “Though she hasn’t forgotten. Josephine is good at hiding her pain. One might think she and Finn are newlyweds after their reconciliation. But Klaus… Klaus never forgets. He sees through his mother better than anyone.
“Josephine asked for a divorce after she learned of her illness. I remember the pain in Finn’s eyes when he argued against it for days before finally agreeing. It was odd, though-she never asked for her share of Finn’s property.
“When I questioned her about it, she said Klaus would inherit everything once he finished college. She wanted to let go of everything, but it wasn’t easy to keep the news from her son. During those months, she worked so hard to protect him. She never wanted to see him break, just like he did years ago. She thought leaving him in peace was the best thing to do.”
Morticia bit her lip as her mother’s words weighed heavy on her.
“But I don’t think that’s the whole story,” Ava sighed, pulling Morticia closer as they lay on the bed.
“You think Josephine’s hiding something?” Morticia whispered.
Ava hummed. “Something crucial-to protect someone. And I’ll get to the root of it.”