Chasing The Vengeful Villainous Heiress-Chapter 160: She didn’t want to hurt us with the truth

Valerie decided to hear Chris out but before that, she wanted to know why Tiana was in her former ward in the first place and even had a drop attached.

She couldn’t drop it as common exhaustion, so she asked the doctor who had admitted her.

They found out the cause of Tiana’s death was poison. Eliana, going back to bed known as Lucy, had injected poison into her drip.

It was a poison capable of making the victim die peacefully in their sleep but the substance collided with the special compounds of the drip Tiana was taking, thereby causing her to convulse.

What could’ve been a painless and peaceful death ended up being an excruciating one.

It was tragic that she had to go through that pain in her last moments but there was nothing anyone could do at that point anymore.

"The patient has always done regular check-ups and I remember you came along with her a couple of times. Did you not know what she was getting a checkup for?" The doctor asked but Valerie shook her head.

"She always said it was just a regular body checkup to keep up with her body condition since she spent a lot of time in a psychiatric hospital." Valerie explained and brushed her fallen strands of hair behind her ear. "That was all and I didn’t ask further because she seemed fine."

She glanced at Grampa Leo sitting next to her with his head down. He was still devastated but like her, he wanted to know.

"Miss Tiana was, in fact, not okay." The doctor said and handed them the file of her medical condition.

"What’s this?" Valerie asked, accepting it.

"That is her medical records and over there, you will discover that Miss Tiana has been fighting with Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Also known as HLH." He said and their eyes widened.

"What?!"

Grampa Leo almost collapsed from his chair but he gritted his teeth, holding his cane steady with shaking hands.

Valerie pursed her lips. This was serious. Tiana had been suffering such a terminal disease? How did they not know? They could’ve seen the signs. They... She threw her face aside.

She had followed her to the hospital a good number of times yet she was never able to get why.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, HLH, was a life threatening ailment. It was like cancer but it was much worse in the body of an adult.

Abnormal blood cells build up in your spleen and liver, causing blockages and a ripping cough that carries blood, bleeding at each time her lungs squeeze in.

Valerie’s eyes widened.

Ah, how did she not notice that something was wrong? Tiana kept coughing, but since she brushed it off, they never actually looked into it.

’It was because I was too busy focusing on my own problems.’ she clenched her fists and shut her eyes. ’That was why I could not see you were suffering all this while. Tiana, mother, I’m sorry.’

"The patient had about a month to live and had chances of prolonging her time by a week or two with the special drip she was on before... The accident." He bowed his head. "My condolences."

"So, you’re telling me my daughter had a month or two to live even before this accident?" Grampa Leo asked and the doctor nodded. "Oh, oh, my dear daughter. Why did you keep it from me?" He began to sob again, and Oscar, who had been standing behind them, brought a handkerchief to help him clean his eyes. "Why could you not confide in me more, my daughter? Was I so much of a failure that you could not tell me?"

"Grampa," Valerie called, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I don’t believe mother held any resentment against you. She... Probably loved and cared for you too much to let you know the truth." She bit her lip, feeling tears whelm up in her eyes. "She didn’t want to hurt us with the truth."

"So, was taking us by surprise with her death a more considerate thing to do?" Grampa Leo asked but Valerie had no answer to that.

She gently shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I don’t know, Grampa. I don’t know what Mother was thinking. I..."

"Child, please do not weep." Grampa Leo said even when he was weeping. "This was terrible, and we are facing hell right now, but I believe it will all come to pass, and we can be happy again."

Valerie nodded, but just those words could not comfort her, and she cried. Hiding her face with her palms, she cried bitterly until Chris walked into the doctor’s office and dropped his hand on her head.

"There, there, niece." He said but Valerie refused to show her face. "Just cry it all out now so you won’t cry later."

"Can you...ngh... just shut up?" Valerie asked as she cried but he took it as her way of venting and nodded.

"For now, I guess."

Grampa Leo looked up at Chris and asked,

"What do we owe this visit? I don’t believe you came all this way to share your condolences." He said, and Chris turned to look at him.

He stared at Grampa Leo for a while, causing the air to stiffen around them, also making thr doctor uncomfortable. And then, he finally spoke.

"Hm, I feel so family with you, Mr Stewart." He said but Grampa. Leo did not respond and instead, glared at him.

"If you came to make trouble with my grandkids," he got up and stomped his cane on the floor. "...I will not sit back and let you, even though I am in mourning."

"Grampa," Valerie called softly. "...I want to hear him out."

"What? Do you want to consider his condition to leave Stewart? Leave my grandson?" Grampa Leo asked in shock but Valerie shook her head and got up as well.

"I’m not leaving Max, no matter what." She said. "He’s my precious family. My light." She looked up at Chris. "But Chris here, says there is a way to keep me safe that doesn’t involve leaving Max. So, I want to hear him out."

They all went silent. Grampa Leo was trying to tell if this was a trap set by Chris and Chris was waiting to get a response from Grampa Leo.

Valerie stood between them, hoping things would work out in the end.

’Are they really doing this in my office?’ The Doctor thought, watching the drama unfold before him with little to no interest.

And just then, the door swung open, and Mariam, with eyes filled with disbelief and fear, stood before them, panting.

"Si-sister Valerie," she called and walked in slowly, one step at a time. "P-please, tell me. Please tell me it’s not true." Her eyes gave way to tears and she fell on her. "Tell me it’s not true." it looked like Mariam had heard of what happened.

Valerie opened her arms wide and Mariam embraced her, crying out in pain.

"No, no. How could this happen?" She cried. "Why did she leave me again? Why?"

Valerie bit her lip, looking away as she patted her back. The guilt ripped her as she knew it was because of her that Tiana met such a tragic end.

Even if Tiana had ended up dying at some point, at least it wouldn’t have been like this. So painful and horrible.

"I’m sorry, Mariam. I really am."

"Wahh!" Mariam cried even more louder.

The mother, whom she never spent enough time with when she was young, came back to her, only to be taken away once more, and it was for good this time. How horrible could that be? How horrible she felt.

"Sorry, Mariam. I’m so sorry." Valerie kept apologizing, her eyes giving way to silent tears and she cried.