Chapter 4

Winnie Lane's POV

After the call ended, my mind was still completely blank. I called a cab and rushed to the hospital as fast as I could.

When I entered Grandma's room, Mom was kneeling beside the bed, clutching Grandma's frail hand and sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe.

My feet felt like they were made of lead.

I forced myself forward, one heavy step at a time, until I finally reached Grandma's bedside.

She slowly lifted one hand and weakly beckoned me closer. I took her hand and pressed it against my cheek as my tears slipped into her palm.

Grandma looked at me, and there was still a faint spark in her eyes. It was something almost hopeful. "Winnie, did you bring the pendant? And where's Zane? Didn't he come with you?"

I looked at her and opened my mouth, but no words came out. Somehow, I managed to force a smile. It probably looked worse than a frown.

"I forgot the pendant, Grandma. I left in such a hurry. Zane had something important come up today, so he couldn't get away. But I'm here. I'll stay with you."

Grandma gave my hand a faint squeeze. She looked at me for a moment, then sighed. "Winnie, call him. I just want to say a few words to him."

I looked at Mom, and she gave me a slight nod. So I stepped out of the room and called Zane. "You're still at the hospital, aren't you? Grandma wants to see you. She just wants to talk to you for a minute. Please."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. For a moment, I thought he would refuse.

Then, finally, he answered, "Okay. I'm on my way."

He must have come straight from the ER, because he arrived within minutes.

Zane walked over to Grandma's bedside, though there was a strange distance in the way he held himself. "Hi. I'm Zane."

Grandma looked at him, then at me. Something shifted behind her tired, clouded eyes, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

She motioned for Zane to come closer and gently patted his hand. "Zane, there's only one thing I want to ask you today. When are you going to marry Winnie?"

Zane said nothing. He couldn't even bring himself to meet Grandma's eyes.

When she realized that he wasn't going to answer, Grandma asked Mom to take a calendar from beneath her pillow.

One date had been carefully circled in pen. It was the sixth of October.

"I picked this date myself. The wedding can wait. I know these things take time. But on October sixth, I want you to take Winnie to City Hall and make it official. Can you promise me that?"

Zane still didn't answer. The longer he hesitated, the faster Grandma's heart rate climbed.

The monitor beside her began beeping faster, each warning sharper than the last.

Still, Zane remained silent.

Grandma grew visibly agitated, struggling to catch her breath. "Zane, what is this supposed to mean? Don't you want to marry Winnie?"

I stood beside them, panic rising in my chest as tears blurred my vision. The monitor kept sounding its warning, filling the room with an increasingly urgent alarm.

I leaned close to Zane, my voice trembling as I begged him under my breath. "Zane, just say yes. I don't care if you have to lie to her. Please, just tell her yes."

But Zane still wouldn't answer. Instead, he slowly pulled his hand out of Grandma's grasp.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, his phone rang. The moment he answered, Mia's tearful voice carried through the room. "Zane, they said I need stitches. It hurts so much. Where are you?"

Alarm immediately flashed across his face. He turned and headed for the door. Grandma reached out to stop him, but her frail hand couldn't hold on.

Zane glanced back at her trembling in the hospital bed. "Winnie and I will talk about getting married. I'll come back and see you later."

Then he walked out without looking back.

Grandma's heart rate kept climbing. With what little strength she had left, she clung to my hand. "Winnie… He's not the man for you. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy."

Grandma forced those last words out with everything she had left. They carried both hope and regret.

A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. Then, the hand holding mine went limp.

The monitor beside her dissolved into one long, unbroken tone.

Grandma was gone.

Mom and I collapsed beside her bed, sobbing until we could barely breathe. Eventually, the doctors had to pull us away.

I stood there and watched as they wheeled Grandma out of the room.

Then my phone lit up with a flight notification.

Mom saw the look on my face and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Go. I'll stay here. I'll take care of everything for your grandma."

She paused, her voice catching. "And Winnie… If things ever get too hard out there, come home."

I couldn't speak. I could only nod.

I looked at Grandma one last time, at the white sheet now covering her, then turned and left.

I went straight home, picked up the suitcase I'd already packed, and headed for the airport without stopping.

Hours later, the plane was carrying me across the ocean toward Grelton.

I closed my eyes.

Grandma was gone, and Zane and I were over.

The home I'd fought so hard to hold on to was no longer mine.

There was nothing left for me to wait for.

It was over.