Chapter 257

Orla was left alone to face her husband's fury.

Instinctively, she tried to explain, "Why are you here? I just dropped off the kids and was about to buy some groceries."

"You dressed like this to drop off the kids?" He pointed at her, his eyes blazing with anger. "Are you kidding me? Who was that guy? He didn't even look at you, and you were practically throwing yourself at him. Enough, I don't want to waste any more words on you. Let's just get a divorce."

He couldn't stand having a wife like this.

If William had shown her any kindness, Orla would have eagerly asked for a divorce.

But William didn't.

If her husband didn't want her anymore, what would she have left?

"Honey, you misunderstood. I was just trying to get close to him to help with your job."

"I don't need to sell out my wife to get a job. If you want to climb the social ladder, don't pretend it's for my sake." He shook off her hand again.

He wasn't negotiating; he was informing her. "We're going to schedule the divorce now. In a month, we'll finalize it. Orla, I don't want you anymore. The house is mine, and the kids are mine. I can't trust someone like you with our children."

Orla cried harder, but it was no use.

Meanwhile, Christina was missing her daughter. She hadn't seen Harper in days and needed their nightly video calls to sleep peacefully.

Elisa would also say hello to Harper.

"Grandma, have you not been eating well? You seem much weaker than before," Harper, even as a child, noticed something was wrong with Elisa.

Elisa was much thinner than twenty days ago, as fragile as paper, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Elisa smiled and shook her head. "Grandma is getting old. You need to be good and listen to your mom. Grandma will be watching over you from a very far place."

"Where is that far place? Is it another country?" Harper asked, confused.

Elisa nodded.

It was better to tell a little white lie than to explain death to such a young child.

Christina watched from the side, feeling an indescribable sadness.

She had been away for so many days, watching her mother's condition worsen. Now, Elisa was at death's door.

Christina wanted to do something, but there was nothing she could do. The helplessness was torturous.

"Christina, let's go back home tomorrow. They say you should return to your roots. I don't want to stay here anymore," Elisa said after hanging up the call. "I don't want to stay in the hospital. I want to spend my last days at home."

"Okay, whatever you want," Christina agreed.

She bought plane tickets for the next day and took Elisa to the airport early in the morning.

The flight was five hours long, and Elisa slept for four of them.

She was so weak now that even talking was exhausting.

William had gotten the news and was waiting with Harper in the terminal. When he saw them, he immediately went to support Elisa.

"William, how have you and Harper been getting along?" Elisa gently patted his hand.

William nodded. "We've been getting along great. Harper is very well-behaved."

"That puts my mind at ease. You're a responsible man. Please take care of them," Elisa said earnestly.

Christina didn't say anything. In these final days, she would go along with whatever Elisa wanted.

William also went along with her wishes, making many promises.

Elisa nodded, knowing William was a man of his word. With his promises, she felt at peace.

Considering her condition and personal wishes, William arranged for a home doctor so Elisa could rest at home.

Christina took a long leave from work to stay home with Harper and be with Elisa in her final days.

In the following days, Elisa's periods of lucidity grew shorter.

She ate less and less. At first, she could manage some liquid food, but eventually, she couldn't even drink water.

The home doctor administered nutritional injections daily, but their effect was limited, and too many caused her skin to swell.

"Christina, I don't want any more treatment," Elisa said during a moment of clarity. "The thing I worry about most is you. Promise me you'll be good to William. It's best for you and Harper."

"I know," Christina said, her eyes moist.

She could feel Elisa's concern, even if she couldn't accept the way it was expressed. She appreciated the sentiment.

After leaving the bedroom, Christina stood outside, her mind in turmoil.

Elisa was in such pain, even with painkillers.

She didn't want any more treatment, not wanting to prolong the suffering.

But as a daughter, Christina found it hard to stop the nutritional injections, knowing it would hasten her mother's death.

"Christina, what are you thinking?" William approached. "You should eat something. You haven't eaten much these days."

"I'm not hungry," Christina shook her head.

She needed time to think about whether to continue the injections.

Before she could decide, that night, just as she lay down to rest, the home doctor knocked on her door. "Ms. Windsor, your mother..."

"What happened to my mom?" Christina quickly opened the door.

She ran barefoot to Elisa's room.

Elisa had only a breath left. She gripped Christina's hand, using all her strength to give her final advice, "Be good to William... You all need to be good..."

With those words, Elisa closed her eyes forever.

Harper didn't understand death. She thought Elisa was just sleeping and tried to wake her.

"William," Christina called his name. "Take Harper away."

She didn't have the energy to care for Harper right now.

William picked Harper up. "Sweetie, let's go to the next room to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep. I want to see Grandma. What's wrong with her?" Harper struggled in his arms.

She looked at William, then at Christina, and asked, "Is Grandma dead?"

"Harper?" William was taken aback.

Neither he nor Christina had mentioned death to Harper. Had someone else told her?

"A classmate said his grandma died. Grandma told me she was going abroad, but that's not true," Harper said, her voice breaking. "My grandma is dead. I don't have a grandma anymore."