Staying Behind

A sudden knock on the door interrupted my random thoughts. Then, I heard a gentle female voice.

"Betty, my good girl, it's time to get up." Grandma's voice came from outside the door. "I think you'll like the breakfast today. I'll wait for you at the dining table."

I got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. I thought, 'Some delicious food should make me feel better.'

The morning routine calmed me down a little. Then, I opened the wardrobe and picked out the clothes I wanted to wear today.

I looked at the dressing mirror and compared the two before finally choosing a white pullover with vague flower patterns and a pair of khaki linen shorts.

"Looks pretty good. At least not as bad as last night," Emily suddenly said.

"Oh, damn it, stop teasing me." I rolled my eyes, opened the door, and went downstairs to the kitchen table.

Grandma was already sitting on the chair waiting for me. The dining table was filled with plates of food, which looked particularly sumptuous. Most of them were my favorite food.

I looked at Grandma, wanting to say something but hesitating. I didn't know how to explain what happened last night. Grandma was elegantly enjoying her breakfast. She saw that I did not dig in after sitting down. She looked up at me and smiled. "My dear, fill your stomach first."

I really liked my grandma. She was always so gentle, so understanding, and never made the people around her feel uncomfortable. There was one exception, my mother. For some reason, she had a falling out with Grandma, and she still hated Grandma.

After having a good breakfast with Grandma, she cleaned up the dishes and pulled me to the sofa next to the fireplace. The dim yellow fire made the fireplace look very warm, and of course, it was very warm.

Grandma held my hand and smiled. "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

"You looked very sad last night. Was it because of the boy you once dated?" she asked.

Grandma's words reminded me of last night's incident. I felt sad, and my tears began to flow uncontrollably.

My heart told me, 'It'll be fine. Grandma always supports my every decision. So there's no need to be afraid to say it out loud."

So I told her. I told her everything.

She wasn't like my mother, who always scolded me.

"I don't want to go back," I sobbed. "I don't know how to face them."

"Then, don't." Grandma hugged me. "Stay here with me. No one can force you to go back."

"What about my parents?" I raised my head and asked from her arms.

"Oh, my dear, this is a problem. You are not expecting me to negotiate with your parents, do you?"

I maintained in my grandma's arms and stared at her face. Of course, time had made her face more wrinkled, but it didn't matter. I liked how she looked now.

"Okay, okay, my dear, just don't do it again." Seeing this, Grandma could only compromise. She stroked my back and smiled helplessly.

Just like that, after that incident, I lived with Grandma for nearly a year.

Initially, I took the initiative to contact my mother once a week. After a month, I no longer took the initiative to call. However, my mother still contacted me thrice a month to update me about my family's current situation. Occasionally, she would talk about Simon and his new partner. Now I know her name, Alexia.

Even my brother, Andy, rarely contacted me because my father retired, and he took over. He was busy with Beta-related work.

However, I still kept in touch with my father because he was the only other person in the family who understood me and didn't force me.

It was a wonderful feeling to live with Grandma. I even spent my eighteenth coming-of-age ceremony in her house.

I couldn't deny that the view of her courtyard was breathtaking.

As far as the eye could see, everything was green. The apple trees were green, the mosses on the tree trunks were green, the leaves on the branches were green, and the ferns on the ground were also green. Even the air that filtered through the leaves was scented green. And beyond this green was a large field of flowers that stretched endlessly. These colors naturally blended into one, making it feel relaxing and joyful.

Every afternoon, Grandma would bake me an apple pie with the apples she planted herself, and we would enjoy it together in the courtyard. Vincent also liked Grandma's apple pie very much.

Speaking of Vincent, he was another one of my cohabitors at Grandma's house. Coincidentally, he was a werewolf, like Grandma and me.

I didn't know his background. I only heard from Grandma.

It was a rainy night a long time ago. Grandma, who was resting in the house, suddenly heard the sound of a heavy object falling on the ground in the courtyard. She went out with the night lamp to check and found him covered in blood next to an apple tree.

Back then, he had been seriously injured, and Grandma had taken care of him for a long time before he woke up. However, he had already forgotten his previous life and only remembered that his name was Vincent. Grandma saw that he was very good at handwork, so she made him a helper. Since then, he had been staying at Grandma's.