Chapter 500

Gordon’s test results came back. The CT scan showed a shadow on his lung. The bad news: it’s lung cancer. The good news is that it hasn’t spread yet. Irene almost broke down; Jonathan steadied her, his hand on her shoulder as she covered her mouth and sobbed. Even though Gordon no longer recognized her or Heidi after developing dementia, he was still their dad. Irene told Heidi about it. Heidi, though saddened, took it in stride, thinking that now that they’d found their mother, Gordon could leave without regrets.

Only Gordon himself still didn’t know about his lung cancer. He was pretty old, and the tumor was too large for surgery to be worthwhile—the chances of success were too low. The doctor advised that they let him enjoy his remaining days and fulfill any wishes or unfinished business he might have.

Jonathan cleared his schedule and went with Gordon to find Genevieve. Irene tried to talk him out of it, saying she and Heidi could take care of Gordon, but Jonathan wouldn’t hear of it. He had always believed that no matter how successful he was, family came first. And after losing Teresa, he cherished his family even more.

He took Gordon to get a haircut, hoping he’d look sharp for the visit. The sunlight made Gordon look a bit more spirited, but it couldn’t hide how frail he was—skin and bones, sallow and gaunt, his face dark and sunken. Still, Gordon was all smiles, tears in his eyes—he was finally going to see Fiona.

The trip was long, but Gordon was so excited he didn’t sleep at all, just kept looking out the window the whole way. When they arrived, Jonathan helped Gordon out of the car. Gordon was trembling, glancing around and softly calling Fiona’s name. He turned to Jonathan, his voice trembling with excitement. “Is Fiona really here?”

Jonathan nodded. Some kids ran out, shaking their heads. “Ms. Nelson isn’t here,” they said. Jonathan asked, “Do you know where she is?” “We don’t know.” The kids shook their heads again. Jonathan frowned, then said, “Can we wait for her here?” One of the kids blurted out, “Mister, Ms. Nelson wants you to leave.”

At that moment, Jonathan understood—Genevieve was here; she just didn’t want to see him or Gordon. He helped Gordon sit down to rest. “Could you tell Ms. Nelson I’d like to talk to her alone? I just want to say a few words.” The kids looked at each other. “We can’t really decide that…” Jonathan touched their heads. “Could you go ask her for me, please?” The kids glanced at Jonathan, then at Gordon sitting on the little stool. Finally, they nodded and ran off.

Genevieve had been sitting in a shabby old classroom, practicing calligraphy. She was just finishing the last stroke of the word “hate” when, all of a sudden, her pen snapped. And then, she heard footsteps coming closer and closer. She glanced sideways and saw Jonathan. Then she looked away, her voice calm and cool. “Didn’t I tell you not to come to me? I already gave you the real Fiona’s address and phone number. Go find her.”

Chapter 500

“What?” Genevieve was genuinely shocked; she had no idea. Jonathan explained, “She was in a car accident. And I already did a DNA test. She and my mother aren’t actually related.”

Genevieve didn’t say anything. Her eyes flickered for a moment, but she just picked up another pen and started writing again. Jonathan took a step forward, watching her profile. “You’re my grandma, aren’t you? You’re Fiona.”

“I’m not Fiona. My name is Genevieve,” she replied, her tone steady and distant.

“My grandpa is outside. He’s been waiting for you—for so many years,” Jonathan said quietly.

“I don’t know your grandpa,” Genevieve replied, still perfectly composed as she kept writing.

“You hate him,” Jonathan said, glancing at the character she’d written. “And that’s why you won’t go back, right? Even when I found you, you admit who you are. Because you don’t want to face him.”

Genevieve stayed silent, focused on her calligraphy, as if Jonathan wasn’t even there. Jonathan paused and said quietly, “Even if you don’t love him anymore, you’d better get things straight face to face. I can’t ask you to forgive him—I wasn’t part of what happened between you two. If you really don’t want to see him, I’ll respect that. I’ll take him home.”

Still, Genevieve didn’t respond, but her writing slowed down noticeably. Jonathan gave her a small bow. “Grandma, I’ll go now,” he said, turning to leave.

A soft sigh broke the silence. Genevieve read aloud the poem she had just written, holding it out to Jonathan. “‘I can’t love you anymore because it hurts me too much.’ Take a look, Jonathan, how’s my handwriting?”

Jonathan smiled and nodded in praise. Genevieve looked up at Jonathan’s handsome face, reached out, and gently touched his cheek. “I’m sorry for sending you away last time.” Jonathan saw the tears in her eyes and shook his head gently, letting her know he didn’t mind.

Genevieve wiped away her tears, let go, and choked out, “You’re right. I need to settle this with him myself. I’ve been running away all this time, but the pain just sits there, deep inside. It never goes away, no matter how long I wait.”

Gordon sat quietly outside, waiting for Jonathan. Every so often, he let out a weak cough, his voice barely more than a whisper, and his eyes kept darting around nervously, afraid he might miss Fiona.

“Grandpa,” Jonathan said.

Gordon turned around and saw Jonathan slowly helping Genevieve walk over. In that instant, Gordon’s eyes sparkled as if he’d broken through the barriers of time. He saw that young girl with braided pigtails and rosy cheeks, shyly making her way toward him. But when he blinked back to reality, she was an old woman with gray hair.

Gordon struggled to his feet, hands trembling, tossing aside his cane in his eagerness. Ignoring the ache in his legs, he hurried over to the old lady, grabbed Genevieve’s hand, and stared at her in disbelief, afraid this was all just a dream. “Fiona?”

“Fiona…” Gordon squeezed her hand tightly, and the next second, he broke down, sobbing like a child. “Fiona, I finally found you! They all said you were gone, but I never believed them. I knew they were lying. I just knew you weren’t dead!”

08:15 Wed, 11 Jun

Genevieve studied Gordon’s face, which was streaked with tears, and she couldn’t hold back her own tears either. Still crying, Gordon pulled his beloved into his arms. “Fiona, my Fiona! You have no idea how hard it was to find you.”

Genevieve pounded his back with all her strength, but all she felt was bone. Gritting her teeth, she snapped through her tears, “You rascal, what are you doing here? Didn’t you wish I were dead? Wouldn’t you be happier in that case?”

“Don’t say that, Fiona. You have to live a long, long life. I love you more than anything.”

“Wow!” The kids nearby covered their mouths in excitement, totally amazed that an old man could say “I love you” out loud like that. Jonathan watched the scene, a bittersweet ache in his chest, and quietly stepped back to give the two their moment.