Seeing the bright smile on her face, Meredith could not help but pull into a smile too. Holding her small hand in hers, she said, "You'd need to be a good girl and eat more so that you have the strength to perform on stage, okay?""I will make sure to eat well, Mommy. Don't worry.""That's my girl.""Mommy, will there be a lot of people who will be watching me? Will there be other children? Will there be a lot of pretty lights on the stage? Oh, what about flowers?""Hmm…" Meredith paused before going on, "we will be performing in a mall and there will be a lot of kids shopping there, and I think there will be a big crowd. And of course, there will be pretty lights and flowers on stage. So, what do you think? Are you feeling nervous?""Nope." Nia shook her head."That's good then," said Meredith, "let's get some rest. We can practice later using the piano app on my phone, okay?""Okay." Nia nodded softly and shut her eyes.…At the news that his grandmother had arrived in town
"You're going to spend the whole day with me? Alright then, don't go back on your words.""I won't." Josiah knew he had dug his own grave but he could only swallow down the bitterness."That's my boy," Putting her arms in Josiah's, she said, "come on now. Let's go have some dessert, then go shopping, and then we'll go to the movies at night. Oh, did you know about the new romantic movie that is showing? I heard the reviews are really good. The female lead was diagnosed with cancer and the male lead cried so hard…"Inwardly, Josiah was rolling his eyes, thinking to himself, 'A good movie indeed!'After Nia got her injection, Meredith took her to the performing venue.Meredith and Nia changed into a white-laced dress that was sponsored by the parent and child shop. Taking a close look at Nia, the owner lady praised, "Such a pretty little girl. You look exactly like Snow White."Every girl had a dream of becoming a princess, Nia was no exception.Nia was overjoyed by the owner's co
He only confirmed that the lady was indeed Meredith the moment he noticed the hands that were dancing around the piano keys were covered in scars.Squinting his eyes to take a careful look at the child next to her, Josiah realized that she was Nia.The mother and daughter's hands were moving across the black and white keys in harmony. They would even exchange glances with each other. It was a scene that warmed the hearts of many in the crowd.Hitting his arms excitedly, Josiah's grandmother exclaimed, "Did you hear that? That song sounds absolutely lovely. The little angel sure is gifted."Josiah replied, "Yeah.""Sigh, if only I had a great-granddaughter as talented as her." She then started shaking Josiah's arms. "Josiah, hurry up and give me a great-grandchild, hmm? Please, I'm begging you."His grandmother's words only made him feel even more suffocated.It was obvious that the child had inherited Meredith's gift in music. It was a pity that the child…was not his.He was su
"Yes, Sir.""Josiah Shelby, why are you forcing me to go home?""Grandma, you must've been tired from all the walking. Get some rest at home. We'll watch a movie together once I get back.""You…" Josiah's grandmother was furious. Pointing at him, she seethed, "Just you wait, Josiah Shelby!"At the sight of the car leaving, Josiah tried to ease the tight knot between his brows before reaching for his phone to make a call.As soon as the call was answered, Josiah said bluntly, "Grandpa, I have to ask for a favor. Please send someone over and bring Grandma back to Delmas Town…"Right when he walked backstage on the performing stage, Josiah saw Meredith taking a small bundle of cash from the owner.Patting Nia's head, the owner lady praised, "You were absolutely amazing out there, Nia. You can keep this princess dress as a gift from me.""Can I really?" Nia pulled into a wide grin."Of course, honey. The dress looked really good on you too.""Thank you, ma'am. I really like this
"But you won't get better from just taking your medication.""I can keep taking injections and medication. I'm not afraid."Listening to Nia's wishful thinking, Meredith was devastated.Even Nia was braver than her when she was already thinking of giving up.She was nothing compared to Nia.She did not deserve to be Nia's mother."Nia, you're right. We shouldn't be giving up without even trying until the last moment." Meredith was choking up.Nia must have fallen asleep as Meredith did not hear her replies.With Nia's steady breaths by her ear, Meredith lifted her head up to stop herself from crying, but more tears rolled down her cheeks.Meredith desperately wanted things to stay as it was - walking down the path with Nia until the world's end. But she had to face reality. Walking to the roadside, Meredith held Nia on her back with one hand and tried to hail a cab with another hand.She had to send Nia back to the hospital as soon as possible.Cars were driving past them
If he did not know about the results of the paternity test, he would have gotten down from the car and followed them, to complete the scenic picture.But…Scratching the tip of his nose awkwardly, Walter asked, "Sir, should we keep following?""Forget it." Josiah finally broke off his gaze that was fixed on Meredith.Meredith settled down Nia back into her bed at the hospital. Just when she was about to take off her princess dress, Nia murmured softly, "Mommy…I still want to be a princess."Stroking the top of Nia's head adoringly, Meredith tried to persuade her, "Darling, we have to go to bed now. I'll hang up the dress for you, okay?""No, I want to keep it on." Nia then turned around and continued sleeping.Wren, who was watching from the side, smiled and said, "Miss Meredith, let her keep it on. I don't think the dress will be too uncomfortable for her."Hesitating, Meredith finally let her be.After placing Nia under Wren's watch, Meredith came to Doctor Sean's office aga
At the sight of Josiah, Ysabelle got up onto her feet from the chair immediately. "You're awake, Josiah? I heard that your granny is in town so I came to pay her a visit."Looking at his grandmother who was caught up in her own world, Josiah nodded and took a seat at the dining table.Ysabelle hurriedly poured him a glass of milk.His grandmother was still wailing while holding her heart. "I want my own great-grandchildren. I think I'm going to die of devastation if I have to wait any longer. Honey, how could you stop me from staying here in Jehovah City when I want to make sure that Josiah gets married so that I can have my cute great-grandchildren? You're so cruel."On the other end of the phone, Josiah's grandfather tried to comfort her, "There, there. It's because I miss you so much that I've lost all my appetite. I think I might die of hunger if you don't come home soon."The corners of Josiah's lips curled up a little. He did not expect that his intimidating grandfather woul
Josiah's tone turned serious too. "Grandma, it was you who rushed me into getting married to Meredith, and look where that got us.""Don't you bring Meredith into this," Josiah's grandmother shot a glance at him and went on, "I never believed that Meredith would do those sorts of things."Josiah scoffed coldly, "Well, neither did I before I saw that video clip."Ysabelle, who desperately wanted Josiah's grandmother's attention, cleared her throat and put a piece of meatball on Josiah's grandmother's plate. "Grandma, have some of this.""Ah, thank you." Josiah's grandmother had finally paid her some attention. Smiling while studying Ysabelle, she said, "You're Ysabelle, right? You look pretty, dear. But what a pity that you're Meredith's sister, if not, you'd be quite a perfect fit with our Josiah.""..."Josiah's grandmother sounded as if she was praising Ysabelle but she was actually implying that Ysabelle could forget about marrying into the Shelby family.Inwardly, Ysabelle s