Chapter 51

Here we go again—those pitiful puppy eyes that are just impossible to say no to. Was Grandpa Gerry a stage actor in a past life or what? Alice casually picked up the teacup and took a sip, buying herself a second. She hadn’t expected Alexander to have gone through that kind of rough childhood. Sure, she had lost her parents young too, but at least she’d felt the warmth of a loving family before that. But him? From the moment he was born, it was nonstop family drama—parents constantly fighting, neither really caring about him, stuck growing up in a home where he clearly wasn’t wanted. Compared to that, her experience almost felt lucky. Alice did feel bad for him, honestly, and she could empathize with his pain. But she wasn’t the kind of person to get swept away by sympathy and forget reality just because of a tragic backstory. Divorce still needed to happen. She gently set the cup down and smiled. “Grandpa Gerry, at least... he’s always had you.” “I’ll never be able to replace the love