Chapter 56: She left
But maybe he knew what those people were thinking, Rory’s grandfather didn’t relent.
Rory still remembered the hour she spent in silence with her grandfather. That was the first time she saw him in person, but he was like a tall mountain. Sitting near him, she felt protected. He had the same features as her father and Rory stared at him. He let her stare.
She still remembered what he said that day. "Come with us, child," he held her hand and it was as cold as hers. "We will look after you. We lost our family too."
He was tall, had a deep, majestic voice, and looked stern. But when he said those words caressing the casket, she saw his entire face twitching and his eyes got red. He looked small with his shoulders hunched, supporting his weight on the casket.
She cried with him as she understood how much losing one’s family hurts. She lost her parents and he lost his only son.
Later when her relatives asked about her decision, she told them that she will go with her grandparents. Had she not heard what her relatives were talking about earlier, she would have opted to stay with them. She didn’t want to leave the small town. But she knew what they were thinking. She wanted to know more about her father’s family and have a change of place. So she chose to leave with her grandparents.
Her mother’s relatives caused a lot of trouble to stop her from leaving. They even hired a lawyer to get legal guardianship over her.
Her grandfather pulled a lot of strings and brought her with him. She knew her relatives were very angry at her for choosing to leave with her grandparents. But she didn’t care.
Her grandparents made sure she does not lose the money she gained. When she turned eighteen, they transferred the life insurance payment to her bank account. But for some reason, her grandmother refused to give her the accident compensation money and it is still with her.
Aunt Theresa is the one who did everything to stop her from leaving. But she stayed in contact. Rory has allowed her aunt to lease her parent’s home for rent. Her aunt agreed to it and until this day, she didn’t receive even a single month’s rent payment.