But since he had come looking for her himself, she might as well ask him something else. “You didn’t tell your family why your leg pot broke, did you? Otherwise, the Potters wouldn’t have stayed this silent… At the very least, Linda, who dotes on Maurice as though he were her life, would have stormed over to demand justice from Sebastian.”

Maurane shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

Leaning an eyebrow, Lean asked, “Why not? I thought you’d be dying to see Sel…”

“I’ll settle my score with him eventually. I don’t need my parents getting involved.” Beane gave him a look. “Hala. At least you’ve got a little backbone! Anything else?”

“Grandma keeps asking me to see her. If you’re free, let’s go today.”

“Ol…” Eleanor’s voice trailed off, as if she had realized something. “So, that’s why you suddenly decided to act like a man. Henrietta will unfreeze your funkyarda, don’t you?”

“Yeah, right.”

Still, Henrietta had always treated Eleanor well, especially after she lost her parents. Henrietta would often take her in and look after her. Ever since she came back to Lule, she had to catch up with everything else before visiting Henrietta.

“I haven’t seen Henrietta in a while. Fine, go with you,” Eleanor said. “I’m free today, and let me make this clear: I’m not going to put in a good word for you.”

There was no way she was letting him dictate her actions.

Henrietta was eighty years old, but she had sharp eyesight and a clear mind. She moved around with ease and didn’t even have high blood pressure, diabetes, or cholesterol issues. She found the Porter residence too noisy, so she chose to live alone in a small house on the outskirts of the city, with a front yard and a backyard. The front yard was fenced in and filled with various herbs and vegetables. The backyard was enclosed, where she kept chickens and ducks. Every time Eleanor came here, she felt as if she was taking a brief escape from the city.

“Hensēta?” Eleanor called out as soon as she got out of the car.

Henrietta was in a rocking chair on the porch, her eyes half-closed. The moment she heard Eleanor’s voice, she immediately opened them.

“Le, you’re here!” Henrietta exclaimed.

Eleanor ran over and plopped right onto Henrietta’s lap. Of course, she kept her feet on the ground, supporting most of her weight herself.

Clapping her arms around Henrietta’s neck, Eleanor asked, “Why are you sitting out here? Sunbathing?”

Henrietta was a natural at acting sweet. Her charm was effortless and durable.

When Maurice walked over and saw her like this, his heart stirred.

Henrietta let out a hearty laugh. “Of course! My heart feels cold; I have to warm my body up in the sun.”

Eleanor tilted her head. “Why does your heart feel cold?”

“Because you couldn’t be my granddaughter-in-law, of course! You two were childhood sweethearts. You grew up together and practically made it to the wedding. But then an accident happened. It’s been keeping me up at night!”

Eleanor chuckled. “Why don’t I count as your granddaughter-in-law when Sebastian is also your grandson?”

Maurice called out, “Him? As…”

Henrietta shot him a sharp glance. She wasn’t particularly close to Sebastian. To be precise, Sebastian wasn’t close to anyone in the Porter family. But she still acknowledged him as her grandson. Besides, he was Eleanor’s husband now. Even if it was just for Eleanor’s sake, she would still favor him.

Henrietta patted Eleanor’s hand. “Sebastian is a good kid, too. He just doesn’t visit often. Bring him along next time.”

“Alright!” Eleanor agreed.

Maurice carried out two wooden chairs from the house, even placing a cushion on Eleanor’s seat.

Henrietta beamed. “I’ll go make some whisperleaf tea. Both of you loved it when you were kids. With a bit of salt, it’s both delicious and great for cooling down and detoxifying.”

Whisperleaf was a medicinal herb. Henrietta had a whole patch of it growing in a corner of her yard. She picked some and washed it under the faucet.

Seeing her so full of energy, Eleanor felt relieved.

In her past life, when she had married Maurice, Henrietta had been overjoyed at first. But she was sharp—she had quickly realized that their marriage was just for show and began sighing over it constantly. She blamed herself for finding them together and turning them into a miserable couple.

Then, one stormy night, when she had gone out to cover her vegetable garden with plastic sheets to protect it from the rain, she had slipped and fallen. The next morning, Eleanor tried calling her, but no one answered. Panicked, she had run to the little garden, only to find that Henrietta was already gone.

When she thought back to it, her nose stung, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly sniffed and wiped her nose, afraid Henrietta would notice. But just then, someone handed a handkerchief to her.