Chapter 113

Abigail waited in the car for a while before James came down.

He spotted Ralph lingering near the car and walked over to shove him aside. “What are you doing here, Mr. Fletcher? Trying to badmouth us in front of Abby?”

Ralph glanced at Abigail in the car and then turned to walk away.

Once James got in, he said, “Mrs. Gibson had wired the money straight into their account. As for the rest of the treatment, the Gibson family has to cover that too.”

“So, this whole mess is finally wrapped up. Stephen should be out in a couple of days.”

“Thank you for standing up for me today,” Abigail said sincerely. “I honestly don’t even know how to thank you enough.” She truly meant it. After what happened today, Bianca wouldn’t be able to guilt-trip her with crocodile tears so easily anymore.

James grinned. “Ren and I think of you like a little sister. You really think we’d just stand by while someone treats you like that?”

Abigail smiled, but she couldn’t help thinking that didn’t include Sebastian. Clearly, James still had a problem with how the Gibson family kept dragging him into things.

Remembering what James had said earlier, she spoke up. “I want to visit my grandfather’s hospital. I need to talk to him.”

James nodded. “There’s something I should tell you first.”

He started the engine, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then began, “I might’ve grown up spoiled, but when I was a kid, my cousins always picked on me because I was the favorite.

“I used to put up with it, just like you. Then I met Seb. The way he hit back? I’ve never forgotten it.”

Abigail listened quietly without interrupting.

James continued, “Part of why Seb and I stepped in today is to teach you how to handle people who always try to guilt you into things. You’re holding serious dirt on the Gibson family. You could crush them with it.

“There’s no reason to keep backing down. When they try to push you around, you’ve got to fight back.”

After finishing his piece, James gave Abigail a quick glance.

“So you think there’s no point in me going to my grandfather to talk about the Gibson family?” Abigail asked.

James shook his head immediately, replying, “Not at all. I don’t know how you really feel about him.

“What Seb meant was that if your feelings become a weakness that people can use against you, then you need to think about how to turn that weakness into a weapon. Something that protects you instead of leaving you exposed.”

Abigail sat quietly for a moment and said softly, “Thanks. I get it now. Honestly, it’s not that I’ve been avoiding them. I just thought talking back, confronting them, all of it… felt like a waste of time.

Ever since getting out of prison, she had wanted nothing more than to cut ties with the Gibson family and pretend they didn’t exist.

But James' words made Abigail realize that just because she didn’t go after them didn’t mean they’d leave her alone.

James said, “I know you think you’re not like them and you don’t want to get involved. But Daniella? She’s clearly playing innocent. Every word out of her mouth steers them toward you.”

He couldn’t stand Daniella. She had taken over Abigail’s parents, basked in the affection of her brothers, yet still twisted every sentence to turn them against Abigail. A foster kid acting like she owned the place.

Abigail replied, “I didn’t realize it before. But after getting out of prison, I started to notice it too. She’s got it out for me, always stabbing at me in subtle ways. Too bad the Gibson family are blind to it.”

Then, she asked calmly, “By the way, did Seb used to get booed?”

James was driving, dragging out his words. “Seb, huh…”

Abigail looked at him curiously.

James gave a sly smile. “That’s not really my place to say. If you want to know, you’d better ask him yourself.”

Abigail went quiet. There was no way she would dare to ask Sebastian about his private life, especially now, when he seemed capable of just about anything.

James dropped her off at the private hospital and said, “You go on ahead. I won’t intrude while you’re with your grandpa.”

Abigail nodded. “Okay.” The thought of finally seeing her grandfather again made her feel lighter, as if something had eased inside her.

When she reached the floor where Wyatt was staying, she saw doctors moving about and nurses chatting while pushing elderly patients in wheelchairs. Her eagerness to see him grew even stronger.

When Abigail reached Wyatt’s ward, she saw the door was slightly open and peeked inside. The room was bright and spotless. An elderly man sat across from Wyatt, the two of them focused on a game of chess.

She knocked gently. Wyatt looked up and, seeing her step inside, waved excitedly. “Abby! Come here and help me out. I’m about to lose to this old rascal.”

The other man glanced at Abigail and pushed his reading glasses up his nose. “This is your granddaughter?”

There was something about him that looked familiar to Abigail.