Chapter 1433
Chapter 1433
Chapter 1433 You’re Like Your Grandmother
In Sonia's memories, she had never once seen her grandmother at the Reed Residence. She never heard Henry talk about her grandmother either.
When she was a child, she was curious about what her grandparents were like, but Henry never gave her an answer. He would merely stroke her head while his eyes flashed with emotions she did not understand back then.
Later on, when she was older, she realized the emotions in his eyes were despair and sorrow.
She wondered why Henry would look so sad when his parents were mentioned, so she secretly investigated them. She found out that the first time the Reeds went bankrupt, her grandparents were murdered by some loan sharks.
It was no wonder he was never willing to talk about them, and the sorrow he felt whenever they were brought up.
She had never once enjoyed the love of a grandparent. It was only when she married into the Fullers that she felt the love of a grandmother; how kind and warm it was.
Titus' sudden mention of her grandmother made her curious once more; what was her grandmother like? Would she have been a kind old lady like Rose?
As if he could read her thoughts, Titus gently said, "Your grandmother was actually a very strict woman."
She was startled.
Strict? That meant her grandmother was not a kind and lovable woman like Rose.
Toby ran his fingers through her hair. "Mr. Gray is correct on that point; Old Mrs. Gray was a very stern old woman. While my grandmother is a kind woman most of the time, she is an uncompromising and harsh woman when it comes to major issues. You know that, right?"
Sonia nodded. "I do."
She had seen how serious Rose was when she handled important issues.
"Old Mrs. Gray was a more severe woman than Grandma. I have met her a few times. Every time I saw her, she would never crack a single smile. She was a terrifying old woman."
"Mr. Fuller is right, yet not." Titus shook his head. "Sonny, your grandmother might appear that way, but she was very kind and loving deep down. She was a daughter of a rich and powerful family as a young woman. Her stern and unsmiling demeanor was due to the pain and suffering she went through during that era. In reality, there was still a soft side to her. She was also amazing at embroidery. Many of her works are kept in the national museum's collection with some even sent overseas as diplomatic gifts. There was a rule she always abided by though; she would never embroider for family. However, your birth made her break her own rule."
Sonia was immediately reminded of something as she gasped, "The swaddle blanket..."
"That's right." Titus' smile turned gentler when he heard her say that. "Your grandmother broke her own rule for you. She embroidered a swaddle blanket to welcome you to this world. When you were taken, the swaddle blanket you were wrapped in was the blanket she had spent ten months painstakingly embroidering. She was so overjoyed by your imminent birth that she picked up the needle and thread once more. Despite her blurry vision, she used ten months to finish that blanket. In reality, ten months would not be enough to finish a swaddle blanket if it were anyone else."
There was nothing in that statement Sonia could disagree with.
She might not know how to embroider, but she knew how difficult it was.
A tiny bag the size of her palm would require a few months of work if it were embroidered by the best embroiderer around. The swaddle blanket was quite big.
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Titus sighed as if he knew what she was going to ask. "In order to make sure you can use the blanket as soon as you are born, she would embroider through the night. Finally, she finished the blanket just after you were born. Unfortunately, she fell ill soon after because of the stress. Her health had deteriorated, and she nearly went blind."
Sonia's pupils shrank. "N-No..."
An unspeakable sorrow overwhelmed her just then.
She had never met Pauline before, and she might not have any memories of Pauline. The only thing she knew about Pauline was Toby's description of her as a strict and unsmiling woman.
She thought Pauline would be cold and callous. Was Titus this mean because he grew up with her as his grandmother?
However, now that Sonia knew what Pauline had done for her, she no longer thought so.
Just the fact that the elderly woman would risk her vision and health just to stay up late to finish a swaddle blanket for her new granddaughter was enough to tell Sonia that Pauline was not what she seemed.
On the contrary, she was as Titus described—a woman who seemed cold on the surface but was actually soft-hearted on the inside.
The blanket was the best present and the greatest blessing an elderly woman could afford to give a new granddaughter.
Sonia looked down and clenched her hands as her face twisted in sorrow. "What about later? D-Did she recover?"
Titus shook his head. "No. Her health kept deteriorating. She would frequently be stuck on bed rest. However, that was normal. She had been through too much when she was younger. Her body was not doing well in the first place. It was quite a miracle that she could hold on until past 70 years old. She knew that she was dying. That was why she pushed so hard to get the blanket finished. She did not want to pass away without ever once giving you a present."
She bit her lip. "I-I was not worth it, was I?"
"Don't say that." Toby patted her on the shoulder. "To her, you are her granddaughter, the continuation of her bloodline. You are the child she looked forward to the most. In her eyes, everything about you was worth it. She would not have worked so hard otherwise. You are the best thing ever, to her."
"He's right." Titus nodded as well. "She very much looked forward to your birth. Ever since you were conceived, I would often see a smile on her face. After all, it had been over a decade since she last smiled. She also knew she was falling ill with a chance of passing away at any moment. That's why she did it. You don't have to feel bad or feel guilty."
Sonia closed her eyes as a drop of tear rolled down her cheek; it was meant for the old woman she had never met who loved her too much.
"Say... Is it true that I look like her?" she asked, turning to Titus with red-rimmed eyes.
He hummed in the affirmative. "It's true. I do not need to lie to you. Your side profile looks exactly like hers. I even have a photo of her."
Then, he pulled out a photo from his phone. "Here are a few photos of her during her time on earth. Have a look."
Her mouth gaped open as she did not know if she should look at the photos.
She had never once seen Pauline before. The abrupt offer to see a photo of Pauline made all courage suddenly flee away from her.
"Have a look," Toby said to her. "She's not like the others. She truly loved you. She never did anything to hurt you. Go take a look."
His words gave Sonia a push, making her walk over to Titus.
Perhaps she truly wanted to look at those photos, but there were so many grudges associated that she was at a loss.
Hence, when someone stepped up to support her, she naturally knew what her choice should be.