chapter150

"Get lost, he said, his voice cold and sharp.

Milana flinched at how icy and intimidating Connor looked, but she tried to keep her chin up. "Hey, don't be like that. We're just looking out for you, so you don't get fooled. Why are you so defensive?"

"If I ever catch you spreading rumors again, you'll have to deal with the consequences."

"You... you totally deserve to-"

"Enough, Mom. Let's go." Sandy tugged at her mother's arm, glancing at Connor.

He wasn't just annoyed. He was actually angry. Well, they'd already said what they needed to say. Even if he didn't believe them completely, he'd probably start doubting now. That was all Sandy wanted.

About ten minutes later, Lydia finished extracting the essence from the golden antlers. She mixed it with other herbs and shaped the mixture into small, deep brown pills, then sealed them in a pretty porcelain bottle.

"Grandma, take one of these every day."

She held out another package. And I made a salve from the leftover herbs. Put it on your knees. In a couple of weeks, you should be able to stand up again."

Mrs. Smith looked at Lydia, her eyes full of love and a little guilt. "Lyds, this golden antler must have cost a fortune, didn't it?" She'd once seen a single antler at auction go for twenty million. A pair like this could be forty or even fifty million.

Lydia had actually planned to spend about forty million, but someone else jumped in at the last minute and drove the price to sixty million. Still, nothing mattered more than her grandmother's health. If she'd hesitated because of the cost, her grandma would have had to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. She couldn't let that happen.

"As long as you can walk again, it's worth every penny."

"You're always this thoughtful."

.n t

"Grandma Lydia knelt beside her, resting her head on her

grandmother's lap like a sleepy kitten. This was the only place sh? let herself be this soft.

"Are your birth parents good to you?" Mrs. Smith asked, gently running her fingers through Lydia's hair.

Lydia nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "They're really good to me."

She'd only been back with the Norwood family for a few days, but Cameron and Kylie had already shown her what it felt like to be truly

loved by parents. She fina// truly

understood what it meant to be taken care of.

"Then I can stop worrying," her grandma said softly.

Lydia hesitated, then looked up. Grandma, Luke's not doing well."

This morning, Dr. Hady had called to say Mr. Norwood's condition was stable, but he'd also asked for her opinion on Luke and gently wondered if she'd be willing to do the surgery herself. Luke was a patient at Capital Hospital, and they wanted to try everything possible. Tonight, Milana and Jenson had come by, pressuring her grandma all over again to find some miracle solution. It was always like this. Whenever they messed up or couldn't handle something, they'd run back and guilt-trip her grandmother. But when she really needed them, they were never around.

Mrs. Smith let out a long sigh. Lyds, I would never force you to do anything you

don't want to. But Luke..."