With so many people present and the importance of the occasion, being scolded publicly made Mom and Dad’s faces darken with embarrassment.
Julianne immediately stepped forward and said softly, “Grandma, please don’t be upset! You’ve misunderstood Irvin. He was only helping me because I hurt my leg.”
Irvin added with a sullen look, “Yes, Grandma. I didn’t come here with Lianne. I ran into her at the entrance and saw that she was struggling because of her injured leg, so I helped her in.
“As for her injury, it happened because she heard that the rosaries from Sacred Church are particularly effective, especially when prayed for on one’s birthday. She went to the church to get you a rosary. She climbed the mountain and sincerely prayed for your health and safety.
“It was an exhausting journey. On her way down, she slipped and fell, hence hurting her leg. But she didn’t stop to rest because she wanted to make it to your birthday celebration on time. Grandma, Lianne genuinely loves you. Please don’t misunderstand her.”
As Irvin spoke, he shot me a glance, signaling for me to step in and smooth things over. It seemed I was supposed to assure Grandma it was all a misunderstanding and heap praises on Julianne for her “devotion”
I couldn’t help but sneer.
How pathetic had I been in the past to let him think he had the right to expect this from me? When I ignored Irvin, his brow furrowed, and displeasure flashed in his eyes. To him, he was doing me a favor by handling this situation, and I was the one making things difficult.
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad were beside themselves with worry when they heard their darling Julianne had fallen on the mountain.
Dad, in particular, was ready to rush her to the hospital if Julianne hadn’t reassured him repeatedly that she’d already seen a doctor and was fine.
Once they confirmed her injury wasn’t serious, they turned to Grandma and remarked- reproachfully.
“Mom, look how thoughtful Lianne is!”
“Our precious little Julianne has been frail since she was a child. Yet, she went out of her way to pray for your well–being. But you wrongly accused her and humiliated her in front of everyone!”
Although Mom and Dad had always wanted Julianne and Irvin to be together, they knew perfectly well that as long as Irvin and I were still married, Julianne could never be with him openly.
Thus, to protect Julianne’s reputation, they always claimed to outsiders that nothing was going on between her and Irvin and that they were just close childhood friends.
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