Chapter 4

The rumors spread across the internet far faster than I'd imagined. The online harassment spread into the real world without warning like a creeping epidemic.

In the afternoon, I went to the billing counter on the first floor to pay Grandma's medical bill. When I returned to her hospital room with the printed receipt, I found a large crowd gathered in the hallway.

There was shouting, along with the sound of things being knocked over. I recognized the woman leading the mob. She was Lorelei's personal assistant.

She pointed her camera into the hospital room. Then, she glanced back and gave the people behind her a signal.

She said, "Make sure you get a clear shot. This is the deadbeat grandmother of the stuttering girl. Let's show everyone online the kind of person who raised a shameless young woman like that."

Several people laughed as they shoved the door open. They pointed their cameras at the elderly woman lying helplessly in the hospital bed mockingly.

My mind went blank with a loud buzz. I dropped the payment receipt and charged forward, desperately shoving my way through the crowd.

The room was a complete mess. The fruit basket had been knocked over, spilling fruit across the floor.

Grandma clutched her chest while gasping for air, her face turning purple. The heart monitor let out a shrill, frantic alarm.

I frantically pressed the call button beside her bed. "Help…"

I gripped Grandma's hand and opened my mouth as wide as I could, desperately trying to call for help. However, only broken syllables came out.

By the time the medical staff rushed in, the people who had caused the scene had already left with their footage.

The doctors fought to save Grandma for three full hours.

I crouched outside the emergency room, dialing Hugo's number over and over. Every call rang until it went to voicemail.

I opened our chat and frantically typed. "Hugo, Grandma is in a critical condition. Please come. Please, you have to come. Some people came and caused a scene in her room. Grandma isn't going to make it. Please answer."

I sent message after message but received no reply at all.

Ten minutes later, a reply finally appeared on my screen. "Stop texting me. I'm busy."

At 6:00 pm, the doors to the emergency room finally opened.

The doctor removed his mask and shook his head wearily. "Her heart was already extremely fragile. The severe emotional shock triggered acute heart failure. I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

A white sheet covered Grandma's peaceful face. She hadn't even had the chance to say one last thing to me.

The only person in this world who had truly loved me was gone.

A nurse handed me the death certificate and asked me to sign it. I took the pen and shakily scrawled my signature on the form as tears streamed down my face.

I called Hugo one last time.

The phone rang until it was almost about to disconnect before he finally answered. The clinking of glasses and lively conversation filled the background.

"Hello? Andrea? I can't hear you. We'll talk later."

I said nothing and simply ended the call. Then, I blocked the number I'd known by heart for years and deactivated all my social media accounts.

I watched as Grandma's small, frail body was pushed into the cremation chamber and reduced to a tiny urn. It was so small that I could hold it entirely in both hands.

When I got home, I pulled out a suitcase. I folded the clothes Hugo had given me and put them back in the closet. Our photographs from all our years together, the souvenirs, the little notes he'd written me all went into a garbage bag.

I didn't throw away the old tablet that held all our memories. Instead, I restored it to its factory settings and placed it squarely in the center of his pillow.

At 11:00 pm, I held Grandma's urn in my arms and boarded the last overnight train heading south.

At the same time, Hugo walked out of the hotel while scrolling through his phone after his business dinner ended.

A notification for a trending news appeared on his screen.

The headline was so glaring that it was impossible to miss. It read, "Deadbeat Lady's Granddaughter Exposed—Stuttering Girl Caused the Death of Her Only Relative".