Chapter 2112
Two weeks later, Hilaria returned. She hadn't been able to reach Wayne for a while, and a gnawing sense of dread had settled in her gut.
Once she was home, she summoned Rosalynn to her room without delay. Rosalynn spilled everything about Wayne's condition, and Hilaria was floored.
"Do you really have to have this man?" Hilaria finally asked, her voice heavy with concern. "You can think I'm cold-hearted if you want, but mental illness like this... it can't be cured! His uncle Ayden was a prime example, and you probably don't know the half of it. Let me tell you..."
"I know," Rosalynn replied calmly. "Grandma, Ayden wasn't Wayne's uncle. He was his biological father."
Hilaria's face twisted briefly in shock. "What are you talking about? Everyone knows that Ayden had been dead for years when Wayne was born. How could he possibly be Wayne's father?"
"Natalie used sperm Ayden had banked before his death..."d2
"Enough!" Hilaria stood up, her voice a mix of alarm and disbelief. In the upper echelons of society where Hilaria resided, beneath the veneer of glitz and glamour, she knew all too well the filth and stench that could fester. She had heard and seen many outlandish things, but this revelation from Rosalynn was beyond anything she had encountered.
Rosalynn sat quietly, saying no more, but Hilaria could guess the rest. "No wonder... no wonder Maddie suddenly turned on Wayne, eager to join his old enemies in bringing him down. She must have discovered the truth."
Rosalynn nodded.
Hilaria's brows furrowed, and she sipped more water to steady herself. "So, that's why Wayne shares the same illness as Ayden... I need to book an appointment with a geneticist, for Cory and Ivy too!" Her voice broke with emotion, "If my babies have inherited this, it would be the death of me!"
"Grandma, they've been tested. They're clear," Rosalynn hurried to reassure her, seeing Hilaria's trembling hands.
"What do you mean 'clear'? Cory had an acute bout of leukemia out of the blue. Who's to say it isn't some flawed gene from the Silverman side?"
"Grandma, I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you'd react like this," Roslyn said as she gently stroked Hilaria's back. "You asked if I can't do without this man, and no, I can't. Wayne is irreplaceable for me, through all the shameful past and the uncertain future."
Hilaria was torn between affection and frustration. She thumped Rosalynn's arm with her fist. "Why are you so stubborn? What's so good about him?"
Hilaria only had room in her heart for Rosalynn and the kids.
She knew her years were numbered, and if she were gone, who would protect her babies if Wayne was incapacitated?
Rosalynn smiled, taking hold of the hand that had been striking her. "I'm stubborn, Grandma, just like you in your youth - that's what your old friends used to say."
"I never suffered for a man the way you do. When your grandfather did me wrong, I kicked him to the curb without a second thought!"
"If Wayne ever turned bad like Grandpa, I'd kick him to the curb too," Rosalynn replied.
Hilaria was momentarily at a loss for words.
Truth be told, Wayne, both before and after the incident, was nothing but sweet. He was kind to the elderly, cherished the kids, and his love for Rosalynn was unquestionable. "Why such illness?" Hilaria slumped down, then suddenly burst out, "What about Evan? Are you two still in touch?"
"No," Rosalynn answered.
Hilaria was worried, already thinking of whom to contact for the best specialists.
Rosalynn stopped her.
"Grandma, Wayne is being treated by a very prestigious professor. Trust me, from the feedback we've been getting, his episodes of hallucinations are becoming less frequent." Hilaria looked at Rosalynn, seeing her after what felt like a lifetime.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.