Brittany shot Grace an invite.
Grace was hankering to try Brittany's grub, so she agreed.
Brittany was stoked that she cooked extra rice.
She served up three bowls at the table, and just as Grace was getting ready to dig in, she noticed Brittany's hand was swollen and red.
"Brittany, what happened to your hand?"
Brittany's burn was hard to miss, with clusters of shiny blisters surrounded by redness. It looked gnarly.
"No biggie, just a burn," Brittany said, dodging Grace's outstretched hand. "Let's eat first."
Grace felt a bit bummed and mostly guilty.
Daniel came back late and had a snack, so he wasn't that hungry. After a few bites, he claimed he was full and insisted on going back to his room.
Emily escorted him back to his room, leaving Brittany and Grace alone in the dining room.
After a long silence, unable to bear the tension, Grace broke it, "Are you still mad at me?"
Grace blamed herself for moving into Radiant Residences with Joie five years before and even getting mad at Brittany because of Joie.
"You're overthinking it; that was five years ago," Brittany replied, her face aloof. "I won't be staying in Radiant Residences for long. Once I've sorted things out, I'll leave with Daniel."
"If you have even a shred of feeling for me, I hope you can persuade Isaac to give me custody of Daniel."
"Still can't forgive Isaac, huh?"
Brittany lost her appetite, knowing that no matter how much Grace liked her, she would always side with Isaac. That's her grandson, after all.
Grace realized she'd spoken too hastily, "Brittany, Isaac did make mistakes five years ago, but he's been waiting for you all these years."
"I didn't force him to do those things, to pretend to be someone else and marry me. He deceived me for a long time, which caused me to be separated from my son for five years, even get kidnapped by Leda, and fall into the sea. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone through all that."
Grace immediately fell silent; after a while, she stammered, "Can't you give him another chance?"
"Grace, let's eat first."
Brittany composed herself, trying to stay cool as a cucumber.
Grace didn't bring up the topic again; she started inquiring about Brittany's life lately. She genuinely cared about Brittany, and Brittany answered all her questions.
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