Chapter 33  As everyone was still caught up in the fact that I hadn’t returned to the Kennedy family, Nicole, standing quietly on the side, suddenly  burst into tears  “Grandma, ever since I came back, you haven’t really liked me. You think I’ve taken the spotlight away from Amanda, and no matter what I do, you see it as scheming I’ve let Armanda and the Kennedy family down. I shouldn’t have come back. I’m such an unworthy granddaughter…”  And suddenly, she darted towards the wall.  “Amanda”  My eldest brother, who had just walked in, moved swiftly, and Nicole ended up crashing into his stomach instead.  The whole family rushed over, their faces full of worry as they looked at Nicole. “Nicole, are you alright? Why would you do something ho reckless?”  “Dad, I just didn’t want Grandma to be upset because of me, and I didn’t want Amanda to come back and argue with Chase over me. If I had known the Kennedy family would end up like this because of me, I would have preferred never to come back.”  With her naturally delicate features, Nicole looked even more pitiful. Tears streamed down her face, stirring everyone’s sympathy Just moments ago, everyone was upset about my absence from the Kennedy family, but now their focus had shifted entirely to Grandma. Even Dad, who usually kept to himself, spoke up. “Mom, Nicole and Amanda are both your granddaughters. How can you be so biased? Amanda has been acting out and keeping the family on edge, but you scold Nicole. That’s just not fair!” Grandma, already fuming, trembled with anger as her son scolded her. She pointed a shaky finger at Dad. “Are you blind? She… Nicole clung to Dad’s arm and continued, “Dad, don’t argue with Grandma. It’s my fault. If you and Grandma fall out because of me, then I’ll look truly ungrateful. Grandma, blame me if you must, not Dad,”  My grandma was livid at Nicole’s smooth–talking. She was finally getting a taste of what I’d gone through before.  Nicole had done nothing, but with just a few words, she could easily turn the family’s anger towards me.  Soft words cut deeper, and in just a couple of years, she’d left me scarred all over.  “Enough!”  “Grandma, it’s your birthday today. Don’t let anger ruin your health.”  “Mom, why argue with a young girl at your age?”  “Manan, take good care of Mom and bring her to the dinner later.”  all of your  The crowd ushered Nicole away, leaving Grandma so angry she was about to grab her cane and throw it at them. “Get out, all “Madam, please calm down.” Marian, who had been with Grandma for decades, was deeply concerned. She helped her to bed and brought her a cup of ginseng tea to help her relax.  I watched Grandma with a heavy heart. Her hair was silver, her face marked with wrinkles and tears glistening in her eyes. She held Marian’s hand and said, “Go see if my dear girl has come back yet.”  set to see you like this.”  “Yes, I’ll check now. You rest, madam. Amanda would be so upset to  “Alright, I won’t cry. She’s battling depression. I can’t let her see me like this.”  I watched Grandma frantically wipe away her tears. Even if I couldn’t do anything, I longed to be there with her.  But Chase’s restrictions meant I couldn’t stray too far from him, leaving me to watch Grandma wiping her tears alone on the bed from a  distance.  I thought I’d lost all hope in my family and love, that no one was left in this world I cared for Now, I realized the one person I couldn’t let go of was still my grandma.  I murmured beside Chase, “Grandma, I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”  I couldn’t even begin to imagine how devastated she’d be if she found out about my death. Could her frail body handle such a shock?