Lost Me Gained Regret

Ramona's gaze pierced through me, filled with an unnerving unfamiliarity, despite her calling my name. It was as if she was staring at a complete stranger.

"Grandma?" I tentatively reached out, my voice laced with concern.

Yet, as I attempted to grasp her hand for comfort, she swatted mine away with a force that left a stinging red mark across my skin. I was utterly dumbfounded; this behavior was alien coming from her. She had always treated me with nothing but affection, her touches gentle, never harsh.

"What's going on?" Gregory entered the hospital room, finding me in a state of shock.

I gestured towards Ramona and then to the reddening welt on my hand. His brown eyes darkened with concern upon seeing the mark, disbelief etching his features. "Ramona did this?"

I nodded, trying to explain how she seemed not to recognize me anymore, how she recoiled from my touch.

Gregory's initial coldness melted into sympathy. He quickly summoned the doctor and even reached out to Dr. Andrews for further consultation. Despite the vividness of the mark on my hand, I knew it would fade soon enough, but Gregory insisted on getting an ice pack to soothe the pain.

The doctor's preliminary diagnosis was a cognitive disorder triggered by extreme stress, with further tests needed to confirm any neurological damage or psychological issues. Dr. Andrews, after his examination, concluded the likely cause was an overdose of sedatives, leading to central nervous system damage and triggering Alzheimer's disease.

"Commonly referred to as senile dementia," he explained.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

The news clenched my heart. Victor and Pearl, those two were monsters. They had stooped to unimaginable lows for the sake of inheritance, and now, their actions had cost Ramona her cognitive health, a condition with no cure.

Suppressing the rage boiling within me, I inquired about the necessity of having her son or other close family members around, given her condition. It was a complex disease, and my willingness to care for her might not be enough.

Dr. Andrews explained that patients

often fail to recognize their nearest yet yearn for those long gone or estranged, a fact that weighed

heavily on me. The prospect of

Ramona wanting Victor, and the havoc Pearl could wreak with that leverage, was daunting.

Gregory, sensing my worries, reassured me to focus on getting Ramona the treatment she needed for now.

When the helicopter landed, Dorothy groggily came to, her vision blurring as she recognized a familiar figure. "Dad?" she murmured, nearly prompting Josiah, who was also on board, to respond.

"Sweetheart, you're awake?" Pearl interjected swiftly, masking her true intentions with concern as she approached Dorothy, who complained of dizziness and nausea.

Victor, at Pearl's reprimand, begrudgingly fetched water for Dorothy, despite harboring a growing resentment towards Josiah, sensing an inexplicable hostility from him.

Pearl skillfully played the victim,

shedding tears to manipulate Victor into forgetting his grievances. She painted herself as the devoted wife, acting solely for his benefit, and he, unable to bear her tears, reassured her of his unwavering loyalty.

Josiah watched their exchange with a detached coldness before turning away, his thoughts unreadable.

Victor, after Josiah's departure,

expressed his mistrust, suggesting they avoid seeking his help in the

future. Pearl, her gaze shadowed et

with ulterior motives, agreed

outwardly, all the while scheming for the Myers family fortune, her true endgame.