CHAPTER 85

ARIA’S POV

Grandpa isn't easily fooled. As days go by with Adam still lying in the hospital, my routine visits do little to mask the truth.

Grandpa starts noticing the subtleties. He observes how I don’t linger after visiting hours, how I keep a careful distance, never reaching out to touch Adam. It’s these small, telling signs that finally clue him in to the reality we’ve been trying to hide.

He realizes that Adam and I are no longer living together. His piercing gaze, filled with a mix of disappointment and understanding, tells me he’s figured it out. There’s no hiding the truth from him anymore.

Then, he finally asks Adam.

“What’s going on between both of you?”

Before I can open up to him, Adam intervenes.

“Actually, Grandpa… Um, it’s my fault. I made her mad and she left home.”

Adam continues, explaining that we didn’t want Grandpa to be upset, which is why we had concealed the truth.

"We thought it would be best to keep it from you until we could sort things out ourselves."

He ad