Chapter 249
What Ian didn''t realize was that the moment he plunged off the cliff, her heart shattered along with
him.
During the agonizing wait for rescue, it felt like she had lived through a century. She whispered Ian''s
name to herself countless times. With each utterance, her heart throbbed with pain.
This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.
It was only then that ra came to understand that she had long since let go of their troubled past.
What took root in the depths of her heart was a steadfast yearning that had not waned through the
years. It was love that had seeped into her very bones.
Rose watched ra, her eyes brimming with tears of anguish, and felt her own eyes moisten. She
crouched down and patted ra on the shoulder. "ra, you must be scared out of your wits.
Come here, let me give you a hug."
ra looked at her through tear-blurred eyes and choked out a sob. "Grandma Rose, I''m so sorry."
Rose had lived for so many years, yet she weathered the storms alongside them. It was always a
narrow escape from death, and every time, it was her dearest grandson who got hurt. Not once did
shein, and here she was, stooping down tofort ra. Guilt and remorse flooded ra''s
heart.
Rose gently stroked her head and said with a smile, "What are you talking about, dear. You''re going
to be my granddaughter-inw. That boy was saving his father-inw-to-be. It''s only right and
proper—no need to feel sorry. Now, no more tears. Ian needs you to be strong for him. I''ll have
someone bring you somefort food."
Throughout Ian''s hospitalization, it was ra who cared for him.
On the third night of Ian''sa, Brodie came to check on ra. Seeing her gaunt cheeks, a flicker
of concern passed through his narrowed eyes. "ra, are you holding up okay?"
ra was surprised, "Mr. Brodie, what brings you here?"
"I heard about the ident and wanted to see how you were doing."
Brodie nced at Ian lying on the bed, his head wrapped in bandages and his face marred with
abrasions. Still, the innate sharpness he possessed could not be concealed. His chiseled features
and strong lines, every bit, seemed to have been meticulously sculpted by God himself. Ian was
beautiful to the extreme.
An image of the DNA report shed through Brodie''s mind, darkening the emotions in his eyes. He
desperately wanted to tell ra that he was the friend who used to buy her candy when they were
kids, but as the words reached his lips, they choked in his throat.
The unresolved animosity between him and Ian was still a tangled mess, and if ra truly ended up
with Ian, putting her in the middle would inevitably cause her pain.
Brodie''s lips curved into a half-smile as he handed her something. "My mom made this herself. Give
it a try."
ra had lost most of her appetite, but when she lifted the lid, the aroma hit her, and her eyes
widened in recognition. The scent was all too familiar, like a cherished memory preserved over the
years.
Eagerly, she had a small bite of thesagna, and the rich vor tantalized her taste buds. A vivid
memory shed through her mind. In it, a young boy sat across from her as a scarred woman
served them two steaming tes ofsagna. Impatient, she grabbed the fork and put it more in her
mouth, only to burn her tongue and cry.
The boy blew on the steamingsagna to cool it down before sliding the te toward her. His hand
gently ruffled her hair as he teased, "Little glutton, go on and eat."
As these thoughts surfaced, ra stared at Brodie in astonishment. "Mr. Brodie, why does this taste
so familiar? It''s exactly like the kind I had as a child. A close friend''s mother used to make this.
Have we met before?"
Brodie felt a tug at his heart. His little ''tail'' hadn''t forgotten himpletely. He smiled gently, "Have
you ever thought about that friend?"
Just as ra was about to reply, a deep, hoarse voice came from behind. "ra."