Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Complete Breakdown! Victoria Monroe Has Gone Mad!
Victoria Monroe knelt on the ground, her pupils dilating intensely, her voice nearly shattered, "No!"
She watched helplessly as the dagger with a chilling gleam pierced her grandmother’s heart, vivid red blood slowly oozing from her body, soaking her grandmother’s new clothes.
Victoria Monroe crawled up from the ground, stumbling toward her grandmother.
She raised her hand, attempting to cover her grandmother’s bleeding wound, but the dagger was still lodged there, and she dared not move.
Her tear-stained face was filled with panic, and she frantically looked at Julian Fordham, "Doctor, hurry!"
Julian Fordham was flustered too; he hadn’t expected the grandmother to recover her memory or foresee her sacrificing so much to protect Victoria Monroe.
The grandmother held Victoria Monroe’s hand, "Girl, Grandma can only accompany you this far."
Victoria Monroe knelt at her feet, shaking her head madly, "No, it can’t be, Grandma, the doctor will be here soon, don’t leave, I beg you."
In the past, when she was beside her grandmother, she could only hide to cry secretly, fearing her grandmother would worry.
But now she was crying like a child, tears falling like strings of little pearls down her cheeks.
She bawled desperately, "Grandma, what will I do if you leave? You’re the only family I have left in this world!"
The grandmother’s weak hand caressed her cheek, "Girl, all parts must end, no one can accompany you to the end, I, I’m just... stepping off early."
The grandmother’s consciousness grew weaker, she looked at Julian Fordham, "Julian, I beg you to let Victoria go after I die, okay?"
She forced the issue with her life, carving a path of survival for Victoria Monroe.
Julian Fordham knelt before her, his eyes slightly reddened, "Grandma, I’m sorry, I never intended to take your life, I just love Victoria too much, I can’t be without her."
"Julian, this isn’t love, it’s possessiveness at play!"
The grandmother wanted to say more, but in her excitement, the bleeding increased.
"Grandma, don’t speak, the doctor is here; he will save you, don’t leave me, I can do anything as long as you live."
Victoria Monroe had none of her former calm left, looking up pitifully at her grandmother, hoping heaven wouldn’t be so cruel as to take away her last relative.
The grandmother gently squeezed her little cheek, "Whether Grandma is alive or dead, I will always protect you, girl, live bravely, bury me in Kenton after I die, returning to the roots, see, your grandfather is bringing fireflies to take me..."
The grandmother’s expression grew increasingly weak, her eyes losing focus, her hand slid down powerlessly, leaving a streak of blood on Victoria Monroe’s face.
Victoria Monroe tightly held her grandmother’s hand, tears pounding down on the back of her hand, "Grandma, don’t leave me..."
Her mother never cared for her since she was young; it was her grandmother who raised her single-handedly, and in her heart, the grandmother’s existence surpassed everything.
She can do without a mother, but she can’t live without her grandmother.
Once her grandmother left, it was as if the last straw in the world disappeared.
The doctor arrived swiftly, but the grandmother was elderly, had heart surgery before, and wished for death with no room for reconsideration.
"I’m sorry, President Fordham, Mrs. Fordham, the old lady has passed away, please accept our condolences."
Victoria Monroe was struck dumb, her pupils dilated, her whole body completely devoid of life.
Like a soulless doll, she knelt there dazed, unable to accept this reality momentarily.
How was it possible that the old lady who had just taken pictures with her was suddenly gone?
Julian Fordham hadn’t anticipated this outcome; he reached out to touch Victoria Monroe’s shoulder, "Victoria, Grandma has passed away."
That touch seemed to hit Victoria Monroe’s switch, she violently shook off Julian Fordham’s hand, "Don’t touch me, Grandma isn’t dead! She’s just asleep!"
Victoria Monroe threw herself at the wheelchair, hugging her grandmother’s body, allowing her wedding dress to be stained with blood.
"Grandma, I won’t let them touch you, I’ll stay with you, we won’t go anywhere."
"Madam, the old lady has passed away, you must..."
Before the words were finished, Julian Fordham halted his speech.
Victoria Monroe’s condition seemed quite off; she looked pale, her gaze lost its focus.
She was currently in a mental fog, likely devastated by the loss of a loved one and must not be further agitated.
It’s like waking someone from a dream; forcing them awake can lead to irritability and cause aggressive behavior or severe consciousness confusion and excitement.
Victoria Monroe slowly stood, pushing the wheelchair away.
"Grandma, you wanted to see fireflies, right? I’ll take you to find fireflies."
She walked a few steps in high heels until she found it hard to walk on the cobblestone path, kicking her custom diamond heels to the side.
She walked barefoot on the uneven road, dragging her long white train.
The blood from the grandmother’s body puddled beneath the wheelchair, some staining her dress.
Under the cherry blossom trees, petals flew, covering both their bodies.
Her train bore both blood and a layer of petals.
A beauty laced with bloodiness.
Julian Fordham felt unbearably heartbroken; how could he not feel sorrow over the grandmother’s passing? He had never intended to harm the grandmother.
That had been the most important elder in his heart; he only wanted to scare Victoria Monroe, not expecting both her grandmother and Victoria herself would show such stubbornness, preferring death to submission.
Looking at Victoria Monroe’s back, he didn’t know what he should do?
Let her go?
She would surely run into Rhys Hawthorne’s arms.
Keep her?
With the child and grandmother incident after incident of blows, she was already in enough pain.
Despite his efforts, why did it come to this today?
Victoria Monroe pushed her grandmother along the island for a long time, from noon until sunset; her grandmother’s face was now pallid, beginning to show death spots, her facial muscles slack and losing elasticity.
Victoria Monroe’s feet had long been worn out, with blood covering the soles.
Yet she seemed to have lost her soul, neither feeling pain nor hunger.
Stopping by the sea, "Grandma, look at the beautiful sunset by the sea; we’ll see fireflies tonight."
Victoria Monroe crouched beside her grandmother, seemingly unaware of her passing.
Perhaps she knew, but didn’t want to confront it.
A cherry blossom drifted onto her hand, she crouched down and tucked it into her grandmother’s hair.
The glow from the setting sun fell on her face, her voice tender, "My Grandma is beautiful, she must have been the village belle in her youth."
Others felt only horror and eeriness watching this scene.
Could Mrs. Fordham have gone mad?
As night fell, the starlight set up on the island by Julian Fordham illuminated the flower clusters, as if flickering fireflies.
"Grandma, is that a firefly?"
Victoria Monroe ran toward the light source, discovering it was merely solar lighting.
She wandered aimlessly like a headless fly across the island, until deep nightfall, when she settled on the steps accompanying her grandmother.
The grandmother’s head tilted on the wheelchair, under the quiet light, her face appeared eerily sinister.
Seeing her pause, Julian Fordham stepped forward slowly, kneeling before her, calling softly, "Victoria..."
Victoria Monroe looked up at him, her eyes devoid of hatred, or love.
Like a stranger, she calmly asked, "Excuse me, did you see any fireflies?"
Julian Fordham’s heart ached; his Victoria didn’t recognize him anymore.