Chapter 89
“No! Let go of Grandma! Nicole!” I shouted frantically. The cold wind howled through the window, extinguishing the candles on the altar. Nicole’s shoe pressed down hard on Grandma’s hand, grinding it into the floor.
With a smug smile, she picked up her phone. “What? Thinking of calling for help? You really think, after I’ve spilled the truth, I’d let you spread it around?”
Grandma’s eyes were bloodshot from the strain as she struggled to rise. Her frail body, pinned under Nicole’s shoe, made her efforts futile.
“Nicole, why? Why are you so cruel? What did Amanda ever do to you?” Grandma’s voice cracked, hoarse with despair.
“Ask her that when you join her in the afterlife,” Nicole sneered, pressing harder on Grandma’s fingers as she squatted. Even Nicole’s slight weight was unbearable for Grandma; a pained expression contorted her face. Nicole remained indifferent, her face cold and unfeeling. “Care to guess where her ashes are?”
Grandma’s face paled. “What… what have you done?” Her lips trembled. Nicole chuckled softly. “I made sure her ashes were close to her family. Like that bracelet Chase wears. He’s constantly talking about finding Amanda when I’ve already brought her back to him. Oh, and my parents, too…”
Nicole’s gaze fell on a porcelain bowl of offerings on the table. She carelessly tossed the offerings aside, her fingers brushing the bowl. “Do you like this bowl? It contains your precious granddaughter’s ashes.”
“What… what did you say?” Grandma gasped, the revelation striking her like a thunderbolt. She retched, the horrifying thought of using those dishes for meals overwhelming her. Perhaps because she hadn’t eaten that day, she didn’t vomit. She shakily stood, but Nicole, standing directly in front of her, smashed the bowl to the ground.
“Crash!”
The bowl shattered. Grandma, instead of seeking revenge, instinctively reached for the fragments, whispering, “Amanda, my dear granddaughter…”
If I could have cried, my tears would have already fallen. I couldn't understand why Nicole was so determined to inflict such pain. The more miserable Grandma became, the more Nicole seemed to revel in it. “Old hag, Amanda’s fate isn’t her own fault. She tried to steal my man. She just happened to be your granddaughter. She had it coming!”
A fierce determination sparked in Grandma’s eyes; she lunged at Nicole’s neck, seizing a moment she'd been waiting for. But Grandma’s age and slow movements gave Nicole the advantage; she easily evaded the attack. With a swift kick, Nicole sent Grandma sprawling. “You old witch. Are you trying to kill me? You’re dreaming.”
Grandma hit the floor hard, and this time, she didn't get up. Panic seized me as I knelt beside her, pleading, “Grandma, don’t do this. You’ve got to be okay! Please get up.”
As Nicole moved to continue her attack, a piercing scream echoed. “Ah!” I turned to see my mother standing in the doorway, her face frozen in shock. “My God, what happened?”