Just as these thoughts churned in my mind, my phone lit up with a call from an unfamiliar number.
"Meredith."
It was Tristan's voice—cold, firm, leaving no room to refuse. "Tomorrow is Grandma's eightieth birthday. Be there."
He hung up before I could say a word. He assumed I would come—and he was right. Grandma was the only person in the Palmer family who had ever truly cared for me.
The next day, I walked into the Palmer household in a black dress. From the gate, I saw Hillary linked arm in arm with Tristan, both poised and practiced like a perfect couple welcoming guests. The moment she saw me, she hustled over and clasped my hand with exaggerated warmth.
"Sister, you finally made it! I was worried you'd refuse... After all, today we're announcing some good news."
I froze for a heartbeat, then glanced at Tristan. He avoided my gaze, muttering in a low voice,
"Grandma has always wanted a great-grandchild... Hillary and I just want to make her happy."
I slipped my arm free of Hillary's grasp and said flatly,
"Whatever you're planning has nothing to do with me. I'll see Grandma, then leave."
Without waiting for their reaction, I walked into the banquet hall.
Grandma sat supported by Samantha, Tristan's mother, smiling warmly as she accepted the guests' blessings. I knelt beside her, lowering my voice. "I wish Grandma longevity as boundless as the East Sea, and health as everlasting as the Southern Mountain."
Just as I was about to present my gift, Samantha snatched the box from my hands. She opened it, and with a shrill laugh, she jeered, "Mountain ginseng? We have warehouses full of them. Did you bring this to poison the old lady?"
"What nonsense!"
Grandma frowned and gently reclaimed the gift box, patting my hand with her thin fingers.
Everything Meredith picks comes from the heart. She's just being thoughtful."
Her eyes softened with love and guilt.
"Tristan has been confused lately and wronged you. Grandma will make him answer for it."
I wanted to protest, but her happiness made me hold my tongue. I whispered instead, "Thank you, Grandma."
She seemed ready to say more, but Hillary suddenly cut in. She pushed my hand away and pressed Grandma's palm onto her own lower belly, her smile radiant.
"Grandma, guess what surprise Tristan and I prepared for you?"
eyes widened, then lit up with joy. "Hillary, are you... pregnant?"