?Chapter 1254:


    Ophelia Vaughn saw her grandmother Florrie Jones crying. She got so worried and upset that she started pacing nervously, then gently reached up to wipe away Florrie’s tears.


    “Grandma, why are you crying? Are your eyes hurting again?” Ophelia asked, her voice full of concern.


    Florrie hadn’t been feeling welltely. She kept having one health problem after another.


    She’d been to the hospital before for her vision problems, but the doctors hadn’t found anything serious.


    Maybe it was all because of a deep regret that had been weighing on her heart for years.


    Years ago, Florrie had identally lost one of her granddaughters. Ever since then, she’d been crushed by guilt and sadness, crying so much that her eyes had nearly gone blind.


    Even though the lost child’s parents, Hurley and Beth Jones, had never med Florrie, she still felt terrible about it. The guilt ate away at her. It became a regret that never left her heart. All of Hurley’s businesses were based in Lionesspaw, while Florrie and the others had been living abroad for years.


    Every year when they came back to visit, they kept searching for the missing one. But up until now, they hadn’t found even the smallest clue.


    Maybe that girl was already…


    A fleeting sadness crossed Ophelia’s eyes, the weight of helplessness settling deep in her chest.


    Watching Florrie like this tore at Ophelia’s heart, Florrie’s frailty only adding to the burden she carried.


    Ophelia could only hold on to one desperate hope: that her missing cousin was still alive, somewhere out there.


    If she was, then there might still be a chance to find her. But that hope felt like a distant dream, something Ophelia couldn’t quite reach. Since Florrie was aging, Ophelia couldn’t help but think—what if time ran out before they found her?


    Her mind flickered to a terrifying thought—if they didn’t find her cousin soon, Florrie might leave this world with that regret hanging over her.


    “I’m fine. Just got an eysh in my eye,” Florrie murmured, forcing a smile to cover the crack in her voice.


    Her eyes swept over the room, a flicker of desperation in her gaze, as if searching for a glimpse of her lost granddaughter in the crowded hospital lobby.


    If only Florrie hadn’t lost her granddaughter all those years ago, maybe her daughter-inw wouldn’t have suffered in silence, bearing the pain alone to lessen Florrie’s guilt.


    If it weren’t for her unshakable will to find that little girl one more time, Florrie might have given up her life long ago. If she found that the girl had been gone, Florrie would surely go to heaven for the reunion.


    Ophelia knew Florrie’s words were just a shield for the sorrow, but she didn’t call her out on it. Instead, she spoke gently, “Grandma, we have the medicine. Let’s head home.”


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