FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO-Chapter 377: Shattered Motther
In the quiet corner of the Britteny Care nursing home, Nana Shawls sat like a ghost of herself; small, brittle, and sunken into the soft cushions of a high-backed chair that now cradled her like a coffin.
The television was on and the clipped voice of a news presenter relayed the recent capture and arrest of a notorious criminal alongside other fugitives of the law, following Matt Shawl's public confessions.
'Matt.' Nana Shawl's son's name echoed like the sound of a fading, ringing bell in her heart.
Her gaze remained fixed on the window, though she never seemed to see the garden beyond it. Her mind was far away, trapped in the ruins of a reality too cruel to accept.
It has been over three weeks since her eldest son brought her to this quiet place of comfort after she was discharged from the hospital. He ensured she never lacked anything, hiring only the best nurse to take care of her.
Sadly, no amount of kindness, care or love could erase the nightmare of Matt's confession in her heart. It made her sink into a level of depression that not even the best nurses or doctors could heal.
The last time Gregory visited, she had asked him to bring her the family album, a request he had obliged her against his will.
For days, she had gone through the album, talking to herself, laughing at some point and crying silently at night.
From the album, she took out a picture of Matt when he was just a ten-year-old boy with eyes filled with warmth and mischief. She chuckled, clutching the photograph to her chest.
It was difficult to accept that this adorable boy with the most infectious laughter and a kind soul, was the same man the news had carved into a monster.
Nana Shawls refused to believe it, and yet the truth played on like a loop in her head.
The numerous crimes he had committed, the shame that now clung to the Shawls family name like rot, and the innocent victims whose lives he had taken, including those of her daughter-in-law Fiona, haunted Nana's dreams.
Thinking about Fiona and how she had made her life a living hell in the Shawls' home or how she had been unfair to Amelia, made Nana Shawls break down afresh.
She wept for hours, refusing to eat or drink or even take her medication until she had seen her son and granddaughter.
It was already sundown by the time former senator Gregory arrived at the old people's nursing home. He had just returned from a short trip outside the city when he received news that his mother's health had relapsed again and that she was requesting to see him.
According to the doctors on duty, the old woman was now suffering from depression, cardiac-related issues and unresponsiveness to her heart medication.
"Will she survive this?" Gregory asked, his expression sagging, like someone who had aged in mere seconds as he stared at the heavily wrinkled face of his sleeping mother.
"I'm very sorry Mr Shawls. But we've done our best to help your mother. Sadly, she is no longer responsive to medication. At this rate, I'm afraid she might not make it past a few days or even hours." Themostup-to-dateversionisonM(VLEMPY)R.
"Hmm...." Gregory heaved a sigh of frustration, his face crumpling like fragile paper under the weight of unspeakable pain.
"You have done your best for her. We all have..." The doctor said, patting the broken son on the shoulder. "All she needs right now is words of encouragement and love."
Gregory nodded with a bitter smile. "Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome, sir. I'll leave you alone now to be with her." The doctor shook Gregory's hand briefly and left for the door. He was about to exit the room when he remembered something.
"One more thing, Mr Shawls. Your mother has been asking to see her granddaughter."
"Her granddaughter?" Gregory raised a brow, looking confused.
"Yes. The one called Amelia. The nurses said she has been calling Amelia's name at night for some days now."
"Oh..." Gregory's expression dampened even more. Thank you."
"You're welcome." The doctor left and Gregory took his seat beside his mother's bedside.
An hour and thirty minutes later, he received a call that brightened his face. He quickly received the call and brought the phone to his ear.
"Blaze, how nice to hear from you." He stood up and walked away from his mother's bedside.
"Hello, senator." Blaze's cool baritone voice echoed from the other end.
"Just call me Gregory. I am no longer a serving
senator thanks to my past wrong decisions."
"Like you rightly said, it's all in the past. At least you're still my father-in-law."
Gregory let out a hearty laugh. "Of course I'm. And I am very proud to have you as my son-in-law."
"Thank you, Gregory."
"By the way, congratulations on regaining your freedom and everything that was taken from you."
"I have you to thank for your corporation."
"Is the least I could do seeing that the devil I used to call a brother was the mastermind behind everything."
"I'm sure by now he's regretting his actions."
"Definitely, especially with that brilliant stunt we pulled regarding his family. He really thinks they were slaughtered by his ruthless business partner. If only he knew they are now safely out of the country and far away from his evil clutches." Greg said, beaming with pride.
"Lillian and her children deserve better," Blaze replied casually as if he didn't mastermind the entire operation.
"Certainly, and they will forever have you to be grateful to."
"It's the least I could do to make my wife happy."
"Thank you again. You have been very generous."
"Enough for the thanks Gregory. How are you doing."
Gregory let out a sigh before replying. "I'm fine. I heard you are back in town?"
"Yes. I arrived earlier today. I was going to see you but I had to stop first at the company. There were a lot of things that needed my attention."
"That is perfectly fine. How is my beautiful daughter and my unborn grandson?" Gregory asked, unaware that his mother had opened her eyes and was staring at him while listening to his conversation.
