A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 552

Opal woke up with a start, instantly infuriated upon realizing she had only Rachel for company beside her hospital bed. Rachel, fearing her grandmother's wrath might worsen her condition, wheeled closer in an attempt to calm her. "Grandma, please don't be upset..."

"Where's Yvan?" Opal's gaze bore into Rachel. "Where is he? His grandma's been hospitalized, and he can't even show his face?"

Rachel, feigning delicacy but aiming to fan the flames of the elderly lady's anger, sighed theatrically, "Yvan... he went to see that woman. He hasn't come to see you, Grandma. Please, don't be heartbroken. Yvan must've been blinded by her... charm."

Her words trailed off into a semblance of sorrow, as if mourning the injustice on her grandmother's behalf. "But it's alright, I'm here for you, Grandma. I'll stay by your side."

Opal hardly registered the latter part of Rachel's speech, fixated on the betrayal. Her darling grandson had chosen the company of that wretched woman over her, even as she lay hospitalized!

Fueled by rage, Opal struggled to articulate her thoughts. "That damn woman!"

Rachel, seeing her manipulation take effect, concealed her inner triumph with a facade of sadness. "Grandma, Yvan will come around. He'll realize soon enough that family matters most."

Opal's expression softened slightly at this, patting Rachel's hand. "You always know just what to say."

Rachel shook her head, feigning innocence. "No, Grandma, I'm just speaking from the heart. Yvan's just lost his way for a moment. Don't hold it against him. After all, he is your grandson."

Her words seemed to bridge a gap, portraying her as the peacemaker, eager to maintain familial harmony. Opal took a deep breath, letting her anger subside as she agreed. "Yes, you're right. It's just a phase. He's still my dear boy."

Yvan couldn't possibly be ensnared by Matilda's tricks for long!

As Rachel kept Opal company, chattering away, she occasionally had the staff bring in a bowl of chicken soup for her grandmother, whose spirits visibly lifted, showing no signs of her earlier distress. Meanwhile, Matilda in the next room looked pale and increasingly frail, eliciting Yvan's concern.

"Can you try to eat something?" Yvan held a thermos. "Mom made some pork trotters; it's full of collagen. She said it would help you put on some weight. You're getting too thin, Matilda. I'm worried about you."

Matilda only laughed, a bitter sound. Her gaunt face was lit up only by the sharp gleam in her eyes. "Yvan, save your breath. I'm not falling for it."

Yvan fell silent, placing the thermos aside, his wrist wrapped in a bandage. Matilda's gaze flitted to it, pained at the reminder.

Memories of the chaos, Yvan pressing a knife to his wrist in a desperate threat, flooded back.

Pain surged through Matilda, yet she merely smiled at the man before her. "Yvan, don't bother. I don't want anything from your family."

Yvan, resigned to play along with Matilda's stubbornness, tried a different tack. "Pretend it's not from us, then. How about thinking of it as a gift from Keaton, would that be okay?"

Matilda glanced at Lynn, who had been quietly cornered since the ordeal began. Rachel seemed to have forgotten her presence entirely, preoccupied with ingratiating herself to Opal, leaving Lynn sidelined in Matilda's hospital room.