Chapter 223
“Rosa…” Evelyn stood next to the hospital bed. Her eyes were red and filled with tears; she had a lost look in her gaze. Deep down, she felt a knot of unease.
The joy of Rosa waking up was quickly overshadowed by a looming fear. She had just shared too much about Charlie while at Rosa’s side. The doctor had warned them again that Rosa mustn’t be upset. Evelyn wasn’t sure when Rosa had regained consciousness or if she had overheard that Charlie had died and that Dahlia was responsible. As much as Evelyn wanted Rosa to be on her side, the thought of causing her any distress was something Evelyn just couldn’t bear.
Rosa could see right through Evelyn’s conflicted expression. What a sweet, misguided girl Evelyn was. Even when she was in pieces, her first thought was about someone else’s well-being. How could Charles have hurt such a wonderful girl like this?
“I know about… Charlie. She…” Rosa stumbled over her words, unable to say “died.” Even after seeing the gravestone herself and hearing Evelyn confirm it, her heart just couldn’t grasp it all at once. At the mention of Charlie, tears started to spill down her cheeks uncontrollably. The pain of an elder burying the young was too overwhelming.
“Eve, you and Charlie have endured so much these past years.” Rosa’s voice cracked with emotion. How could she not feel shattered? Her sweet, precious great-granddaughter! She would never again hear her call out in that soft, endearing voice, “Great-grandma…” or hear her sweetly insist, “Great-grandma, I miss you. Did you miss me?” Charlie would always side with Marian and Evelyn when they urged Rosa to take her medicine. She would act like a little grown-up, frowning and saying, “Great-grandma, you have to listen to the doctor, take your medicine and get your shots so you can get better and come back to be with me every day.”
Charlie talked about her dad, Charles, all the time. She couldn’t go a few sentences without mentioning him. During their video calls, Charlie would beam as she showed off new clothes and toys, saying, “Great- grandma, Daddy got these for me. I really like them.” When she spoke of her dad, her eyes would grow wide and glimmer brightly with delight. Anyone could see how dearly she loved Charles.
Evelyn and Charlie never let on that they were suffering, always showing Rosa the best side of Charles. So, Rosa had believed that after Dahlia left the country, Charles had reverted to the man he was before Dahlia came into their lives and genuinely cared for Evelyn and Charlie. She had never doubted that Charles could be anything but loving towards Charlie, who adored him so much and was so well-behaved. “Eve, don’t cry. I’ve got your back! I will never let Dahlia get away with taking Charlie from us. She will have to pay for what she did to Charlie!”