Chapter 31

The old man lay on the hospital bed, his face ashen, and his voice barely audible. Rita's eyes welled up with tears as she approached him. She knelt down by his side, clasping his hand tightly. As soon as she called him "grandfather," her voice trembled with sobs. The old man's temples' hair had turned white overnight. But he looked at Rita with no hint of reproach, only deep concern. "Is he treating you well?" he asked. "Grandpa..." Rita's heart swelled with emotion, and she couldn't help but cry harder. When Caroline called her in the morning, she saw the news and knew that the Wallis family would be furious. But now, faced with her grandfather, she realized the true gravity of the situation. The consequences of the news spreading to the Wallis family were far worse than she had imagined. That was, his grandfather was lying here. She even felt pain when she breathed. The old man gazed at Rita, his eyes brimming with love and regret. "My dear, I have failed to fulfill your grandmother