The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1713

“Grandma!”

Shirley froze in the doorway, caught off guard to see her grandmother still awake. Her voice dropped as if she’d just been caught sneaking in after curfew. “I… didn’t expect you’d still be up. Did you… see everything just now?”

“Come here, Shirley.” Geneva patted the couch beside her, waiting for Shirley to sit down. “I saw Andrew walking you home. Are you two… together?”

Shirley nodded, biting her lip. Her eyes, wide and watery, flickered nervously to Geneva’s face. “I was planning to tell you as soon as I got home… I just didn’t get the chance.”

She’d rehearsed what she wanted to say so many times, but now those words escaped her, leaving only silence.

After a moment, Shirley took a shaky breath and went on. “I know Andrew and I are really different. I tried, honestly, I did… to keep my distance, but…”

Not everything can be controlled, she thought. Especially not her heart.

Besides, she liked Andrew. She really, truly liked him. When the person you love likes you back, how could you possibly stay away?

Geneva listened and then let out a long, heavy sigh. “You love each other. I’m not here to stop you,” she said, voice steady but serious. “Just remember, this is your path, Shirley. You have to be ready for whatever comes next.”

She was old now. Her health wasn’t what it used to be, and she couldn’t always protect her granddaughter, no matter how much she wanted to. The stories flying all over the internet about this relationship… even she had heard the noise.

Patricia seemed easy to get along with, a gentle person. But Andrew’s mom was another story. Thinking about her brought back the phone call from that afternoon. Geneva couldn’t guess what Dorothy wanted to say.

Lost in her thoughts, Geneva didn’t notice Shirley watching her closely.

“Grandma, what are you thinking?” Shirley frowned, a little anxious. “You don’t… you don’t want us to be together?”

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