CHAPTER 120

"You..." Like a thunderbolt hitting an empty room, Grandpa’s voice boomed through the air, making people who were in the same room as him pay attention.

He clutched his own shirt and seemed to be painfully holding onto it with both hands, causing his body to get twisted in a way that showed he was suffering.

His fingers dug into its flimsy fabric as if he were tearing apart what belonged to him internally.

"Grandpa!" I called out, panic shooting through me like an electric shock. "Are you okay?"

Eric and I rushed to his side, my heart pounding in my ears. We reached for him, but he batted our hands away with surprising force for a man his age.

"Don't touch me, you useless grandson!" he shouted, raising his walking stick and swatting at me like a fly.

The sting of his words cut deeper than the blow of the cane. Normally, I'd have walked away. I'd have calmly excused myself, and let Grandpa's temper pass, but not this time.

Not today. I needed him. I needed him to tell me something that