Chapter 871
Lillian noticed Peggy sitting on the couch next to her, scrolling through her phone. It wasn't Peggy in the bathroom.
Lillian shifted, ready to get up.
"Is someone in the bathroom?"
Lyra smiled and held her back, saying, "It's Yasmin. Remember, she got her clothes dirty earlier? She's helping clean up."
Yasmin had worked for a long time in the Frane family.
Lillian smiled. "Then I'll go say hi to Yasmin. It's been a while since I last saw her."
But before she could stand up, Lyra pulled her back again, saying, "No need, Yasmin is busy. She might feel uncomfortable if you go over. Lillian, why don't you stay and look at something with Grandma?"
"What is it?"
Lillian didn't think much of it and sat back down.
Lyra took out her phone, opened the photo album, and said, "Grandma picked out several beautiful outfits that would look great on you. Take a look and see which one you like. Grandma will buy it for you."
Lillian laughed, "Grandma, I don't need new clothes. I already have..."
"Grandma says you don't have these. Just look!"
Lyra opened the album, and Lillian glanced at it.
She really didn't have these.
They were all wedding dress photos. Lillian smiled helplessly.
"Grandma, isn't it too early to buy a wedding dress now?"
Lyra shook her head, "Not early at all. Wedding dresses need to be custom-made, tailored to your measurements. It takes three to four months. If the size isn't right, it needs to be adjusted, which takes another month. It's not early at all to start choosing now."
Customizing a wedding dress didn't take that long.
But seeing Lyra's excited expression, Lillian couldn't bear to refuse.
She smiled and said, "Alright, let's take a look then?"
"Yes, let's look! See this one? The waistline is adorned with hand-embedded diamonds. It will sparkle like a galaxy when you move. Isn't it beautiful? And this one, Grandma loves the design of the lines. Look how smooth they are. This veil is also quite unique..."
Lyra swiped through the pictures, discussing them with Lillian, while glancing at Peggy on the couch and then towards the bathroom.
Peggy understood, stood up, and left. Soon, a doctor and a nurse came in.
Peggy interrupted Lyra and Lillian's conversation, saying, "Mrs. Frane, we need to do a small check-up."
Lyra stopped, and Lillian quickly stood up. Lyra said to her, "Lillian, don't wait around. Go rest for a bit and come back later to have dinner with Grandma. I'll send you all the wedding dress pictures so you can look at them again."
"Okay."
Lillian nodded, gave a slight nod to the doctor, and walked out.
She paused by the bathroom door, listening for any sounds, but it was completely silent inside.
Lillian didn't investigate further and left the room.
As soon as she left, the bathroom door opened, and a tall, thin figure emerged, head down.
The doctor and nurse who were supposed to check on Lyra stepped aside. Lyra looked towards the door and shook her head helplessly.
Five minutes later, the tall figure left the room, hesitated, and moved towards Lillian's room.
He cautiously peeked through the observation window, clearly wanting to see Lillian.
However, the bed facing the door was empty.
Lillian wasn't on the bed. His eyes showed a hint of disappointment as he scanned the room.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared from beside the door, and their eyes met through the window.
One second, two seconds.
The figure outside froze for a moment, then quickly reacted and started to run.
Lillian, also momentarily stunned, suddenly opened the door and shouted angrily, "Hey! Stop! Someone stop him!"
The figure instinctively ran faster, and Lillian glared at the black-suited bodyguards in the hallway.
The bodyguards were arranged by Jackson, and it was clear Jackson had instructed them to follow Lillian's orders.
Two bodyguards exchanged a glance and stepped forward, blocking the figure.
The person struggled anxiously, shouting, "Let go! Let go of me!"
Lillian quickly walked over and lightly smacked him on the head.
"Jeffrey! What are you doing? Why are you running away when you see me?"
Jeffrey, who had been snarling at the bodyguards like a little wolf cub, immediately quieted down, hanging his head like a guilty puppy.
Lillian signaled the bodyguards to release him. They let go of Jeffrey and returned to their positions.
Lillian looked at Jeffrey, her expression a mix of surprise and joy.
She hadn't seen Jeffrey for over six months, and the joy was genuine.
The boy had grown quickly. Last time she saw Jeffrey, he was tall and thin but only reached her chin.
Now, he was as tall as Lillian. She slightly lowered her head and could see his slightly reddened eyes.
"Why are you crying? It's only been six months, and you don't recognize me anymore?"
Lillian raised her hand and patted Jeffrey's shoulder.
Realizing he couldn't escape, Jeffrey finally looked up at Lillian, his mouth moved, and he called out, "Lillian."
As soon as he spoke, his eyes turned red, filled with guilt, panic, and a bit of grievance, almost as if he had "issues" written all over his face.
Lillian ruffled his hair and said, "Come with me."
She turned and walked towards the room.
Jeffrey followed, head down, biting his lip.
Lillian sat on the bed and looked at Jeffrey standing in front of her, asking, "Your brother said you were recovering abroad. When did you come back? Are you fully recovered?"
Jeffrey looked at Lillian, then quickly looked away, saying, "I'm fine now. I just got back a couple of days ago. Lillian, I have plans with friends. I need to go."
He turned to leave, but Lillian didn't stop him.
Only when his hand was on the door handle did she slowly say, "Jeffrey, are you planning to avoid me forever? If that's the case, I'll pretend I don't have a brother anymore. You don't need to acknowledge me as your sister."
Jeffrey's thin back stiffened, tears immediately welling up in his eyes.
Lillian saw his shoulders trembling and couldn't help but feel both helpless and amused.
She walked over, turned him around by his shoulders.
Seeing Jeffrey actually crying, Lillian poked his face, "No guts. Weren't you saying you'd grow up quickly to protect me? And now, after a while, you haven't grown up but turned into a crybaby!"
She pulled Jeffrey to the couch, made him sit down, and handed him two tissues.
Jeffrey didn't take them, and Lillian sighed.
"Do I have to wipe your tears for you? Are you being stubborn now?"
Lillian was about to lift Jeffrey's face when he suddenly looked up and said, "Lillian, don't be so nice to me, I..."
Lillian raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Explain yourself. Why do you never properly reply to my Facebook messages? You never video call me, and now you run away when you see me. What's going on?"
Over the past six months, Lillian had tried to contact Jeffrey many times.
On Facebook, he would either take forever to reply, saying he just saw the message or that he was busy with schoolwork and had his phone taken away, or he would disappear after a few days of chatting, making excuses. He never accepted a video call.
It was clear he was deliberately avoiding her. Jackson and Lyra had said Jeffrey went abroad with Daisy to recuperate.
At first, Lillian didn't suspect anything, but over time, it seemed more and more off.
Given the Frane family's resources, Jeffrey could have received the best treatment and care domestically.
Jeffrey had surgery and needed care and love. Why send him abroad instead of keeping him with family?
And the last time Lillian visited the Frane Mansion, she felt like someone was secretly watching her, the same feeling she had just now when Jeffrey was secretly watching her in the hospital room.
It was obvious Jeffrey hadn't gone abroad; he was just avoiding her.
Moreover, Jeffrey used to be quite assertive and fearless. Now, he was a timid crybaby.
His face was full of guilt and unease. It was hard for Lillian not to notice something was wrong.
Jeffrey's behavior changed after her difficult childbirth. With Jeffrey's health improving and Jackson and Lyra's deliberate concealment, Lillian had her suspicions and had pieced things together.
Jeffrey bit his lip, staying silent.
Lillian nodded, "Fine, if you won't talk, I'll ask Grandma."
She was about to get up when Jeffrey grabbed her hand, tears streaming down his face.
"Lillian, it's all my fault."
Seeing him cry with such shame and sadness, Lillian sighed internally, feeling a mix of emotions.
At that moment, the door opened.
Peggy was helping Lyra walk in. Clearly, Lyra had heard the commotion in the hallway and knew Jeffrey had been caught by Lillian.
Seeing Jeffrey in tears, Lyra was also helpless.
She motioned for Peggy to close the door and walked over, saying to Jeffrey, "Alright, go wash your face in the bathroom. Don't make Lillian feel worse. Grandma will talk to her."
Lyra pulled Jeffrey up and patted him.
Jeffrey, head down, rubbed his eyes and went to the bathroom.
Lyra sat down with a pained expression, pulling Lillian to sit with her. She sighed, "Lillian, you're so smart. You must have guessed what happened."
Lillian's throat tightened, and she didn't speak.
She had found Daisy's sudden disappearance suspicious and had people investigate.
She also hadn't given up on finding the truth about what happened that night with Taylor.
But the Kelly family, who were helping her investigate, never mentioned Daisy's involvement.
They told her Daisy was indeed abroad with Jeffrey.
Lillian looked at Lyra, "Grandma, did Jackson decide to keep this from me? Did Grandpa and Ambrose know too? Did you all agree to hide this from me?"
Lyra couldn't tell if Lillian was angry or not.
Lyra's expression turned anxious, and she quickly said, "Lillian, no, we didn't deliberately conspire to hide it from you. When we found out Daisy had bribed the doctors, you were already suffering from postpartum depression. Grandma was worried that knowing this would make you feel worse, so I decided not to let Jackson tell you. If you're angry, blame me."
Lyra's hands were cold and trembling as she held Lillian's. "Lillian, it's the Frane family that wronged you. We brought this upon ourselves. If we had known Daisy was so obsessive and would do something so foolish, Grandma would have preferred you never got pregnant with Taylor."
It would have been better than losing the baby at the hands of his grandmother.
"Lillian, blame Grandma. It's my fault for not raising your father-in-law properly, leading him to commit such sins and pushing Daisy to become more obsessive. It's also my fault for not restraining your mother-in-law, letting her do such heartless things. Later, it was also my decision not to let Jackson tell you. I was too ashamed to face you."
Listening to Lyra's confession, Lillian looked up at her.
Her eyes were also red and hot. Even though time had passed, there was still a bleeding wound in her heart.
A slight touch would bring excruciating pain.
But time had passed, and she wouldn't blame everyone or hate everyone anymore.
Lillian held Lyra's trembling hands, nodding, "Grandma, don't say that. Your health seems to be a concern. You deserve to enjoy your golden years and family happiness. It's our fault for not handling our issues and making you worry. Besides, the blame lies with the guilty. This isn't something you should feel guilty about."
Taylor's incident had also deeply affected Lyra. Over the past six months, Lillian could see that Lyra had aged significantly.
Even though Lillian still had a lot of unresolved anger and pain, she wouldn't blame Lyra.
Lyra, hearing Lillian's words, felt even more guilty and moved, almost shedding tears.
"No, Lillian, it's the Frane family that wronged you and owes you so much. You giving Jackson another chance shows your big heart, but the Frane family can't take it for granted. And no matter what, Jeffrey owes his life to you. Jeffrey, come here and thank Lillian properly."
Lyra turned and called out. Jeffrey had just washed his face and came out of the bathroom.
Hearing this, Jeffrey immediately ran over. He stood in front of the sofa, his face filled with regret.
Lillian quickly tried to stop him, "Jeffrey, don't do that!"
She was about to stop him, but Lyra held her back, saying, "Let him. Accept his apology. It will ease his burden. Besides, even though he didn't do anything, it all started because of him, and he was the one who benefited in the end. It's only right for him to thank you."
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