Listening to her grandmother’s gentle voice and feeling the hand stroking her back, Chloe Reed felt a sting in her nose, on the verge of breaking down in tears.

But she held it in, saying in a muffled voice, "Grandma, Walker Grant and I are going through a divorce."

The old lady was clearly stunned. She quickly looked at her. "What happened? How did it come to this?"

She had assumed it was just a little spat between a young couple.

After all, they had been together for many, many years. In the old lady’s mind, they wouldn’t divorce over just anything.

Chloe didn’t look up, her voice still muffled. "I don’t love him anymore. I don’t want him."

The old lady lay back down, sighed softly, and then said, "Then get a divorce."

Chloe was taken aback. She finally raised her head to look at her grandmother. "You’re not against it?"

Seeing her granddaughter’s red-rimmed eyes with tears welling up, the old lady’s heart ached for her.

"If you don’t love him anymore, that must mean he did something to hurt you. If that’s the case, then we’ll be done with him. You’re feeling wronged and sad, so of course Grandma is on your side." The old lady reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Chloe let out a few soft sobs, then buried her face in her grandmother’s embrace again. "Grandma..."

The single word was a choked sob.

She was letting out all the bitterness, suffering, and repressed pain she had endured all this time.

She had thought she would break down and cry uncontrollably, but she didn’t.

She just shed silent tears, whimpering in a way that was utterly heart-wrenching.

The old lady said no more, quietly waiting for her to let it all out. After a while, the girl in her arms finally calmed down, and her body stopped trembling.

She then spoke up. "Since you’re getting a divorce, we can’t stay in someone else’s house. Where are you living now?"

Chloe sniffled. Her eyes were a little red from crying, but they were much brighter than before.

It was as if the tears had washed away all the previous gloom.

"I’m living in another community. Should we leave now?"

"Of course." The old lady nodded, then got up and got dressed.

The two of them were soon neatly dressed and left the guest room together.

They didn’t expect to find Walker Grant in the living room. He was holding a glass of wine, his expression dignified and aloof.

Seeing them come out, he put down his glass and walked over. "Grandma," he asked, "where are you two going so late?"

The old lady replied, "I want to see the place where Chloe is living now."

Walker’s gaze fell on Chloe’s face.

It was obvious she had been crying, yet the corners of her lips held the hint of a smile. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She clung dependently to her grandmother’s arm.

’Looks like she told her about the divorce.’

Walker Grant said, "It’s late. If you want to go, Grandma, I’ll take you both tomorrow. It’s not safe for you to go out this late."

"It’s fine." The old lady was still smiling, but her smile had become somewhat distant. "We’ll get in the car as soon as we step outside. There won’t be much traffic at this hour, so nothing will happen."

A shadow slowly clouded Walker Grant’s expression.

The old lady said, "It’s getting late. You should get some rest."

Then, she turned and walked toward the main door.

Walker Grant couldn’t let them go back by themselves. His expression grim, he got in his car and followed theirs.

Their car reached the entrance to the Maplewood Gardens Community and was stopped.

Walker Grant pulled his car over to the side of the road and lit a cigarette. Thin white smoke filled the car, and his eyes grew even darker.