âGrant was 15 years old that year, so he was only slightly taller
stronger than Justin. He was just a young and defenseless boy. I donât know what gave him the
strength to restrain the kidnappers and
let his brother escape.â
Bella had questions, but she kept them to herself. Instead, she asked, âWhat happened after that,
Grandpa Nigel? How did Grant escape? We gave Jeremy $2 billion, and Grant was dumped outside
Tideview
Manor without any clothes on.â
Nigelâs complexion was discolored, and his lips quivered. âThe child came back covered in blood. He
was tortured and barely breathing. It took a month in the hospital and six months of therapy for him to
get
better. But all that took a toll on his body.â
âWhy?â Bella asked in shock.
âWe later found out from Grant that Jeremy and his gang were so
furious about him helping Justin escape. But they couldnât kill Grant
before getting the money. Hence, they took their anger out on him.
They denied him food and beat him up. They even locked him in a
sealed container. The long-term beating and lack of oxygen caused
his lungs, kidneys, heart, and other organs to shut down. He nearly
didnât survive. It took quite a lot to save Grant. To this day, Grant
remains frail, and his immune system is compromised. Most of the
time, he has to rely on a wheelchair to leave home. At the end of the
day, we couldâve done better for him!â
Bella has a general idea of the incident now.
This source of Justinâs guilt toward his brother and the
WES
reason why Gregory was so strict and unhappy with Justin.
Justin managed to escape with his brotherâs help, but his brother became a shell of his former self as a
result.
Bella could only imagine the heavy burden and guilt riding on Justinâs
back for him to get so far. Justin could have fought back when Gregory hit him, but he put up with it
anyway.
Justin felt like he owed it to Grant.
âPlease donât tell Justin what I told you, Anna. If he doesnât bring it up
you, just play dumb,â Nigel urged.
Bella let out a thoughtful smile and said tenderly, âI understand. Donât
worry.â
âAnna, are you going to look down on Justin? Do you think heâs a coward who cares only about himself
without any regard for his brother?â Nigelâs strained voice was filled with concern.
Bella felt distraught. She took a seat next to Nigel and put her warm
hand over the old manâs cold hand.
âI have never looked down on Justin, Grandpa Nigel. Otherwise, I wouldnât have married him in the first
place. Like Grant, heâs the victim of a kidnapping. Justin got a little lucky because he had a brother who
was willing to do anything to keep him safe. Thank God he made it safely back to you. I feel bad for
Grant, but this is no reason to condemn and criticize Justin. I believe he wished he could
save his brother too, but he was too young to do anything. He must
have blamed himself for a long timeâ
Feeling moved, Nigel gave Bella a bear hug. âAnna, I feel better knowing youâre with Justin. Should one
day Iâm no longer alive and kicking, I can rest easy knowing youâre by his side.â
Bella was speechless. As rosiness crept onto her cheeks, she wanted to say something but simply
patted the old man on the back in the
end.
By the time Justin had gone through his physical examination and infusion therapy, it was dark outside
Picking up on Carrieâs rumbling belly, Ryan knew the girl was too shy to admit she was hungry. He got
up and said goodbye to Justin and
Bella.
âMy girl is hungry. I need to go home and cook for her.â Ryan wrapped his arm around Carrieâs waist,
bringing her closer to him. He could not get his hands off her.