Chapter 856 No Matter the Reason, They Depend on Each Other for Survival!
In the end, Nancy gave Octavia a thousand dollars as a thank you for taking care of Benjamin the previous night.
Octavia accepted the money.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "You know, Mrs. McCall, you're actually pretty nice, but..." She trailed off, packed her things, and left.
After she left, Benjamin took a big bite of meat and said, feeling aggrieved, "What are you and the baby gonna do now?"
Nancy placed another piece of meat on his plate.
"Just focus on your studies. I'll figure out the servant situation," she said.
Benjamin thought for a moment and then said, "I can take the school bus by myself. I asked my classmates, and there's a stop nearby. I can go on my own."
Although it's not a bad thing for boys to be independent, Nancy still felt he was too young.
Besides, Benjamin had a gentle nature, and she was a bit reluctant.
She thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to the bus stop for the next few days. As for finding help, I still need to find someone reliable."
Benjamin nodded firmly. "Okay."
He ate more than usual, not because he was particularly hungry, but because he wanted to grow up quickly so he could take care of Nancy and the baby.
Nancy guessed his thoughts and patted his head. "Eating too much won't make you grow up faster, it'll just make you gain weight!"
Benjamin's face turned red with embarrassment.
He looked so cute that Nancy couldn't help but pat his head again.
After dinner, Nancy took a bath while Benjamin volunteered to take out the trash.
Nancy was worried since he had just recovered from an illness, but he insisted he was full of energy.
Reluctantly, Nancy let him go but told him to come back quickly and not play downstairs.
Benjamin was gone for about five minutes before he returned, looking downcast.
Nancy washed the dishes, applied hand cream, and cut a plate of fruit for Benjamin. She sat across from him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Benjamin's face was red with embarrassment and anger.
After a while, he finally told the truth.
He had seen Octavia. She was living across the hall.
Even though he didn't understand much, he knew that their family had been looked down upon. Octavia didn't want to work for them but was willing to work for the neighbors.
Nancy was also surprised.
She felt a bit uncomfortable too. After all, she had once been a proud and wealthy young lady, and now she was being looked down upon.
She finally understood what Octavia's words meant—it was just that she had married poorly.
In the end, she gently stroked Benjamin's forehead and said softly, "Everyone has the right to make their own choices. We may not agree, but we must respect them, okay?"
Benjamin nodded.
After eating the fruit, Nancy had him take a nap while she went to the property management office to find a suitable nanny.
She offered a salary of around $5,000, but they said there was a labor shortage and it might take half a month.
Nancy, being six months pregnant, thought she could wait.
On her way back, she ran into Octavia.
A few nannies were sunbathing and chatting in the neighborhood.
Octavia was eating and talking animatedly about Nancy's family. "Let me tell you, my last employer was really something! That woman acted like a delicate lady, never lifting a finger."
"But she married a man who wasn't great, and he even brought his illegitimate child home for her to raise!"
"The man was handsome, but who knew he could do such a terrible thing? And she accepted it, willingly raising his child..."
"Last night, the child was sick, and the man didn't come back. She had to handle everything herself... She could handle it, but I couldn't!"
Octavia continued with a flourish, "Good thing I left when I did! If I was willing to put up with that, I'd never run out of trouble!"
The other nannies were about to agree when they saw Nancy.
Octavia turned around.
Her face stiffened, and she forced a smile. "Mrs. McCall! What a coincidence!"
Nancy smiled lightly. "Quite the coincidence! Just as you were talking about me. But you got one thing wrong—Benjamin is my brother, my father's child, not Grant's."
Octavia looked shocked.
The others quickly gathered their things and found excuses to leave.
Nancy wasn't one to cause trouble or hold grudges. She was about to leave when Octavia called her back and admitted, "Mrs. McCall, don't blame me for being practical. We nannies fear households with many children and pregnant women... It's not that I look down on the poor."
She said a lot, and Nancy smiled lightly. "I understand! Thank you for last night."
She was sincere, but Octavia held a grudge.
She felt that Nancy would look down on her for what she had overheard and would resent her.
From that day on, even though they lived across the hall from each other and often ran into each other, Octavia pretended not to know her.
This made Nancy feel a bit cold inside and more aware of the fickleness of human relationships.
Fortunately, she had Benjamin by her side.
Benjamin was diligent and well-behaved, doing his homework on his own and doing it well.
As the weather grew colder, sometimes Nancy would wake up at night to find Benjamin sneaking into her bed, his small body warm and comforting. It made her eyes sting with emotion.
Whether it was sunny or rainy, having someone by her side was always nice.
On weekends, she took Benjamin to visit his mother's grave and her parents' graves.
She had taken care of the child, and the grudges of the previous generation were over. What was the point of holding onto them?
In early winter, at the cemetery, Benjamin held Nancy's hand as he looked at his mother Thea's photo.
The memories seemed distant.
The person beside him had become his warmest memory.
They leaned on each other.
Nancy placed a bouquet of wild chrysanthemums on Verity's grave and gently wiped the dust off her photo.
She silently thanked Verity for leaving Benjamin behind, for not losing her mind and taking the innocent child with her. She was grateful that Verity had left Benjamin for her.
No matter the reason, whether it was loneliness or something else.
They depended on each other!
On the way back, they took the bus.
Benjamin, with his sweet demeanor and good looks, asked someone to give up their seat for Nancy, saying she was seven months pregnant.
People praised him for being considerate and well-mannered, saying Nancy had a good son.
Nancy didn't deny it.
At her age, she did look more like Benjamin's mother than his sister.
Benjamin blushed again, shyly holding her hand and leaning against her leg.
When they got home, they were surprised to see Grant's car downstairs.
Nancy blinked lightly, thinking, 'He's back?'
Benjamin looked up at her, his eyes also filled with joy.
Nancy smiled at him. "Shall we go home and see?"
When they got home, the door opened.
Sure enough, there was a suitcase in the middle of the living room—it was Grant's.
He was in the kitchen, skillfully chopping meat and vegetables. His back looked a bit thinner.
Nancy blinked away the moisture in her eyes and said softly, "Grant, you're back?"
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