She cheered for my straight A’s, helped me move into my dorm, and supported me until I could stand on my own.
She wasn’t just my grandmother. She was my safe place.
When I married Henry, she wasn’t thrilled.
“There’s something about that man I don’t trust,” she said once. I waved her off.
She was protective, maybe a little overcautious.
Henry wasn’t perfect, but he loved me… didn’t he?
The day it all began unraveling, I was sitting in her kitchen, stirring honey into our tea.
She looked at me over her mug and asked, “Are you still with Henry?”
“Of course,” I said, slightly stiff. “We’re married.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And his affairs?”
My stomach clenched. I hated how easily she saw through me. “He promised that was in the past.”
“You believe him?”
“I have to. We’re having a baby,” I said softly. “Besides, I love him.”
She exhaled through her nose. “Love doesn’t feel like hiding. He spends a lot of time with Stacy, doesn’t he?”
I looked away. “They’ve always been close.”
“I saw them, May. At the restaurant last week. Holding hands.”
My throat tightened. “Stop. Please.”
“Maybe she couldn’t handle you finally being happy,” Grandma said gently.
I snapped and told her to stop stirring drama. I told her that Stacy wouldn’t do that, and that Henry had changed.
Then, I grabbed my purse and stormed out.
It was the only time I ever raised my voice to her. And it was the last time we spoke before my world collapsed.
When I pulled into our driveway, I tried to shake it off. Maybe Grandma was wrong.
But something felt… off.
The house was quiet in a way that wasn’t peaceful. Then, I heard movement upstairs.
Soft, rhythmic thuds, and a faint laugh.
My heart dropped.
I climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last.
And there they were.
Henry and Stacy. In my bed.
I didn’t scream at first. I just stood there, frozen. Time stopped. My sister smirked. Henry scrambled for his clothes.
“May!” he barked. “What are you doing here?”
“What… am I doing? In my house?” I managed to say.
“You were supposed to be with your grandmother.”
“And you were supposed to be my husband,” I spat.
Stacy stretched lazily, completely unapologetic. “Let’s not pretend, May. I’ve always been better than you. Henry just figured it out.”
Henry nodded, zipping his jeans. “She keeps herself together. And you… you’ve changed.”
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered, placing a hand on my stomach.
“I don’t know if that’s true,” he said. “Stacy and I talked. I’m not sure the baby is mine.”
I staggered back. “You think I’m the one cheating?!”
“Maybe you cheated too,” Henry said, crossing his arms like he was the victim.
Rage filled me. “You lost your job, and you haven’t paid a bill in six months. I’ve been holding this house up while you slept in, and you think I’m cheating?”
“You can say whatever you want!” he said. “I’m done. I’m filing for divorce.”
“Are you serious?!” I screamed.
“Yes,” he said. “Get your stuff out tonight. The house is mine.”
“Yeah!” Stacy yelled. “Get out!”
I packed everything I could fit into my car. And then I drove to the one place I could go.
Grandma opened the door before I knocked.
She pulled me in without a word. I sobbed into her chest.
“You were right,” I whispered.
Henry took everything in the divorce. The house, furniture, and even my clothes.
All I had left was my car and the baby growing inside me.
But Grandma gave me a bed.
She was my rock, even when she grew weaker.
One evening, she sat beside me, folding towels with trembling hands.
“I didn’t want to tell you,” she said, “but the doctor says… I don’t have much time.”
I stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“I have a few months left, maybe less.”
I crumbled. “No. Please. You have to stay. At least until the baby comes.”
“I wish I could promise that.”
From that day on, I rarely left her side. I worked from home, cooked her favorites, and read to her when she was too tired to watch TV.
We even decorated the nursery together. She chose a soft blue for the walls because she thought it felt peaceful.
She died a month before my son was born.
I held her hand at the end and whispered, “Thank you. For everything.”
At the funeral, my family showed up. Henry and Stacy were also there.
But Stacy looked wrecked. Hollow-eyed and twitchy. Something wasn’t right.
Later, at the reading of the will, I sat in Grandma’s living room, hands resting on my belly.
The lawyer cleared his throat.
“To May and her child,” he read, “I leave everything. For always being there.”
The room exploded.
My parents raged. Henry protested. Stacy screamed.
But I just sat there, silent. Grandma had left me her house and her savings.
The lawyer quietly ushered them out when I began to feel faint.
With that inheritance, I could take time off. I didn’t plan to waste it. I’d give my child what I never had. Stability, peace, and love.
***
A week later, someone knocked on my door.
It was Stacy.
Her makeup was smeared, her clothes wrinkled, and her eyes bloodshot.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
“No.”
“I need help.”
“Say what you need here.”
“Henry… he’s cheating on me,” she choked. “We lost the house. We’re living with our parents.”
I crossed my arms. “And?”
“I thought maybe we could stay here for a while. You have space.”
I blinked. “You slept with my husband. Lied about my baby. And now you want my help?”
“I didn’t know it would end like this!” she cried. “Please. Is it that hard for you?”
“Yes, it is. I have a baby coming. I won’t bring him into your chaos.”
“So, you’re just going to abandon your sister?”
“No. You abandoned me. You convinced Henry that I wasn’t carrying his child.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“All I can do for you is give you the number of a good divorce lawyer,” I said. “That’s it.”
She stared at me. “You’re horrible.”
“No, Stacy,” I said quietly. “I’m done being the doormat.”
She left in a storm of tears and bitterness.
And I closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a deep breath.
For once, I didn’t feel like second place.
I placed a hand on my belly and whispered, “We’re going to be okay.”
And in the stillness of that house, I felt Grandma’s presence. It felt like she was watching and still helping me like she did.
She was always there and always will be there.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not
