Fiona sighed deeply; her voice was tinged with a mncholic nostalgia as she sped Lizetta''s hand.


    "Ah, it''s all ancient history now. You see, back in the day, Hanna was expecting twins, a boy and a girl,


    and everything seemed perfect. But then, around the sixth month, the unthinkable happened: the


    pregnancy stopped. That girl would have been Remington''s twin sister. The doctors said the twins were


    sharing one centa and the blood supply was uneven. One twin was too strong, and the other, well,


    Hanna couldn''te to terms with it and med Remington."


    Lizetta, with her eyes widened, protested, "But how could she me her own son? Losing one baby


    should have made the other more precious, right? Besides, the loss could have been due to many


    reasons. Maybe Hanna didn''t rest enough, or perhaps the girl had some gic issues. It''s unfair to


    me the other twin."


    "Exactly, we all tried to tell her that, but sometimes grief makes people think irrationally. The procedure


    was done without pain, but Hanna was awake for the whole thing. Seeing the baby must have


    traumatized her, leading her to develop these extreme thoughts."


    Lizetta''s hand instinctively went to her belly, and her heart was squeezing in empathy.


    She could somewhat understand Hanna''s pain; the thought of a fully-formed baby being taken out of


    the body is just too cruel.


    "What a tragedy. On top of that, Hanna had a rough postpartum period. Your father-inw was caught


    cheating, which plunged her into postpartum depression. When Remington was two months old, he


    had a fever in the middle of the night. If it weren''t for the nanny noticing in time, Hanna might have


    identally smothered him. That''s when your grandfather and I decided to take Remington under our


    wing." Lizetta had always wondered why Hanna, who didn''t work, wasn''t raising Remington herself.


    Fiona didn''t seem the type to snatch her grandson away.


    It all made sense now.


    Fiona sighed again, "Her condition was severe. We consulted numerous psychologists, but nothing


    helped. It was actually Ste West who began to turn things around for her." "Ste?" Lizetta was


    surprised again.


    "Yes, Ste. She and Remington were born on the same day. Hanna, in her state of transference,


    started treating Ste like a daughter, which is why the two kids celebrated their birthdays together


    every year." So, Remington''s affection for Ste was sibling-like?


    Remington had mentioned that Ste looked after him like a big sister.


    So that was all there was to it.


    "Grandma, with Ste not being able toe back, did Hanna me Remington again? Is that why


    their rtionship has been so strained over the years?"


    Fiona nodded, her eyes reflecting a world of sorrow.


    "It''s moreplicated than that. During the time Remington was missing, Hanna got pregnant again.


    When Remington finally came back, he was a wreck, both physically and mentally, refusing to eat or


    drink, but she was too focused on her pregnancy.


    It''s ironic really. One night, she went to get some water and saw Remington on the balcony. He was so


    emaciated that she didn''t recognize him, and she even fell down the stairs out of scare, which led to a


    miscarriage. Their rtionship only grew more strained after that.


    Eventually, she gave birth to Joseph, whom she treated like the apple of her eye. Now with Joseph''s


    illness, she''s be even more irrational."


    Nathan''s affair had made the olddy feel like she had failed in raising her son. Hanna''s series of


    irrational decisions had left the olddy feeling helpless yet tolerant.


    "Lizetta, dear, try not to take it to heart."


    Clearly troubled by Hanna''sck of insight, Fiona patted Lizetta''s hand in a gesture offort.


    Lizetta nodded, feeling a mix of emotions.


    Fiona continued, "Lizetta, dear, through all these years, Remington has had it toughest.


    He never did anything wrong, yet he''s had to shoulder so much. He had both parents, yet he never felt


    his mother''s love. The situation with Ste wasn''t his fault, yet he''s been unfairly med.


    He might look like he has it all - young, sessful, a golden boy - but guilt and responsibility are the


    heaviest burdens. If they had a taste, it would be bitter.


    He deserves to feel wronged, but he thinks he''s the least entitled to such feelings. He keeps everything


    bottled up inside, only causing himself more pain."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g