Chapter 71: Grief-Stricken
Just as Irene finished discussing matters with Elio, udia entered the ward with some homemade
soup.
She had returned home earlier to cook when Irene woke up.
"Irene, I''ve made some hot soup for you. You must be feeling hungry and weak after giving birth, so
this will warm you up," udia said concernedly.
She felt quite distressed when she saw how weak Irene was.
"That''s right. Irene, you should eat the soup that udia has kindly prepared for you. After your
recovery, you''ll be fully prepared to handle matters and take care of your child," Elio said sincerely.
He hoped that Irene could move on from all this hurt and return to her confident self.
"Okay, I''ll eat and get better soon! Don''t worry too much about me," Irene said with a chuckle.
Truth be told, she didn''t have the appetite to eat. She forced a few sips of soup down so as not to worry
both of them.
Irene had been awake for a few hours now, but Edward was still nowhere to be seen. The despair in
her heart grew.
"Does he not want to see me? Or is he at Celine''s ce again?" Irene thought.
Right now, Irene had no energy or desire to ask Edward about Celine or his refusal to lend money to
the Jones family.
All she wanted was to bring her daughter with her and start a new life in another city.
"Irene, Edward is on his way here. I asked him to personally deal with the scandal, and he''ll be back as
soon as he''s done. I just hope both of you can live happily in the future, without anyone destroying your
marriage."
udia had experienced the deep pain of having a third person between her own marriage. Naturally,
she didn''t want to see that happen to her son''s marriage.
"I don''t want Irene to go through the pain I suffered," udia thought.
"Thanks, mum. Sorry to make you worry about us," Irene said, not wanting udia to worry about them
at such an old age.
Of course, Irene knew that udia meant well.
When udia was young, her husband had an affair with his mistress and even had an illegitimate
child with her. It hurt her so deeply that she decided to leave her child behind and travel abroad by
herself.
Just imagine how much suffering she had to have gone through to make her abandon her own child.
After all, no mother would leave their child willingly.
"Irene, you don''t have to be so formal with me—we''re family now. As a mother, I also wish for my
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child''s happiness."
As udia talked about such matters, she recalled that Edward was still a young child when she went
abroad. She felt quite guilty and wanted to repay him twice as much.
"Enough, I know that both of you want my precious grandson to be happy. Just treat him well."
Madeline happened to hear the conversation between Irene and udia as a servant pushed her
wheelchair into the ward.
She was really pleased.
It seemed that she had selected ady that loved her grandson. Most importantly, their child had just
been born.
Madeline was happy to know she still had a chance to meet and hold her great-grandchild despite her
old age. She had once thought she might not have the opportunity to.
"I can finally pass away peacefully with no regrets," Madeline thought.
"Mum, you''re here..."
"Grandma."
Both udia and Irene greeted her at the same time and smiled at each other.
"Yes, my dears. I came to see my granddaughter-inw and my little great-grandchild. How are all of
you doing? Anything I need to worry about in my old age?"
Madeline felt quite bored and lonely in her own ward, so she wanted to see Irene and her child. After
all, she hadn''t seen her in a while and missed her dearly.
Edward had finally fallen in love with Irene, and it seemed like she could finally get all that she wished
for. Madeline was happy for them.
There was actually an underlying meaning behind Madeline''s question. She was also very concerned
about Irene and wanted to know how she was coping.
"Don''t worry, Grandma. My child and I are healthy and recovering well. Moreover, things are fine
between Edward and myself, so you can rx," Irene said, aware that Madeline was really fond of her.
In that case, she wouldn''t let Madeline worry about her anymore. After all, she had done her many
favours, like the time she helped her marry Edward.
She had also stood on Irene''s side and supported her whenever she had gotten hurt by Edward.
Moreover, Madeline never hated her.
Ever since she had saved her life that day, Madeline had helped her continuously whenever she
needed it. Irene felt very touched.
Although they weren''t blood-rted, Madeline had treated her like family. Still, Irene was determined to
leave even if it meant disappointing her grandmother. She didn''t know if their paths would cross once
more in the future.
"That''s great, Irene. My days are numbered, and I should spend them in peace and happiness. I can''t
always be here to take care of you," Madeline said with a weary sigh.
As they said, people would be more sentimental with age. "Time really flies, and my life is almost
over. Ah, I just want some peace. Now, only fate knows the future of the young ones," Madeline
thought.
"Don''t say that, Grandma," Irene said with a sniffle. She didn''t know if what would happen to her after
she left Edward. Would she be able to bear it? Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought about
it.
"That''s right. Mum, you still have many years ahead of you. Don''t dwell on it too much—I''m sure you''ll
live to be a hundred years old," udia said,forting Madeline. Ever since she married into the
Wilson family, she had always treated her kindly.
As expected, an aged person wasn''t afraid of death.
"That''s right, Madeline. Don''t worry about such matters. You''re such a kind-hearted person, so you''ll
definitely be able to live for a hundred years," Elio said in an attempt to lift the mood, unable to hold his
feelings back when he heard all this talk about death.
As it turned out, women were more sentimental than men.
"Oh, c''mon now, I''m just telling the truth. You three young''uns are the ones who shouldn''t worry. It''s
normal for an olddy like me to think of these matters," Madeline said with a calm smile.
In fact, she knew that her body''s condition kept deteriorating. It was normal for death to be on her mind,
for she knew she really didn''t have much time left.
"Madeline, let''s not talk about such sad topics anymore. Look, Irene is about to burst into tears."
Elio was very well aware of the reason why Irene was so emotional. She must have been worrying
about being unable to visit Madeline after leaving the Wilson family.
"Okay, fine. Seems like I have such an emotional granddaughter-inw, so I won''t continue on this
topic," Madeline said with a smile. She knew that Irene was verypassionate and empathetic.
"Grandma, you will live a long life," Irene said with confidence, trying to deceive herself more than
anyone. That way, she wouldn''t leave with regrets.
"Yes, yes, you''re right. Now don''t cry anymore, or you''ll have puffy eyes. I will remain as healthy as
ever!" Madelineforted Irene with a joke.
Madeline didn''t expect that Irene would be so sad, acting as though she would never see her again.
But she paid no heed to this matter.
In fact, Madeline wasn''t overthinking, and she had actually hit the bullseye. However, she didn''t believe
it at that time, believing it to be an illusion. It wasn''t untilter that she came to realize her worries had
"Grandma, you will be fine. Let''s not talk about such unlucky matters," Irene said as she wiped away
her tears. They continued to flow freely when she thought about leaving Madeline soon.
Both udia and Madeline assumed that Irene was just being emotional, but they weren''t aware of the
real reason why.
At this moment, Elio was the only one who knew.