âAnyone would have their suspicions after hearing you speak like that. Weâre alone now, Mara. Tell me the truth, does this have anything to do with you or not? Why on earth would Alyssa suddenly tumble down the stairs? Did you push her?â
Maraâs face went pale, her eyes wide with shock. âÃlivia, have you lost your mind? Sure, I made mistakes in the past, and Iâve wronged my sister, but thatâs history! Do you really think every little accident is my doing? Why would I push her? Sheâs Balfourâs grandmother, for heavenâs sake. Iâve been bending over backwards to get on her good side. Havenât you seen how Iâve been groveling to her?â
As she spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes.
âI know Iâve done some unforgivable things in the past, things you canât understand, and Iâd rather not share with anyone else. But can you please stop painting me as some kind of psychopath? I want to live a good life with whatever time I have left. Canât I make amends for my mistakes?â
She continued, a look of utter hurt painting her features, âAnd why would I harm Alyssa? It doesnât make any sense. Iâm not an idiot. What would be the point of pushing her down the stairs? If she came out of it, sheâd point the finger straight at me. Besides, you know full well, sheâs always looked down on me. Why would you doubt me like this? At the end of the day, you donât trust me because you never considered me a true friend.â
Olivia was conflicted. âYou have to understand, itâs not that I donât trust you, but you do have a history, Mara. And with Alyssa looking down on you the way she does, couldnât you have lost your temper and pushed her in a moment of anger? You should realize that sheâs the grandmother of the man you love most. She means the world to him. If youâve harmed her, youâve severed the bond between you and him for good. If it really was you, we should go back and apologize now. Maybe thereâs still a chance to make things right, if-â
Mara, now seething with anger, pushed Olivia away. âEnough! Youâre treating me like a suspect now. I get it; if you donât believe me, thereâs no point in arguing. Fine. If youâre so suspicious, go ahead and look for your evidence. If you find something that proves your point, Iâll admit to it. But until you have any proof, stop dragging my name through the mud. Iâm a human being too, you know. I can feel just as wronged as you.â
With those final words, Mara stormed off, leaving Oliviaâs voice to fade into the breeze, âThat was exactly where we had our argument. I hope Iâm just overthinking this.â
Olivia sighed deeply and followed after her.
Meanwhile, Balfour and lvy had taken care of everything at home and went straight to the hospital.
Seeing Dean, who seemed to have aged a decade overnight, they felt a pang of guilt.
âIâm so sorry, Grandpa. We should have been here sooner.â
âOh, youâre here. You havenât slept a wink with all the commotion today. Arenât you tired?â
Dean looked at Balfour and Ivy with weary eyes.
Their relationship had stabilized, and at that moment, he felt that if he let go and left this world, he would have no regrets.