Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Bitter Words And Broken Heart

Jay turned to her, his face hard. "Though I hated your mother, I tried to be good to you because you’re my daughter. I was wrong. You’re just like her. You don’t deserve to be loved. You don’t deserve to be part of this family. Leave while I’m still being nice."

Natalie swallowed the pain that his words inflicted. "I will leave once I know what happened to Grandpa."

"He’s dying because of you. I already told you. Now leave," Sephina repeated angrily. "Jay, I don’t want to see her."

"I’ll leave once I see Grandpa," Natalie insisted, her voice firm despite the turmoil inside her.

Jay, his anger boiling over, stormed toward her.

Slap!

"Didn’t you hear what your grandma said?" Jay shouted at her. "Or would you rather see her lying in a hospital bed too?"

Natalie felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces. It was the first time her father had raised his hand at her.

Though he didn’t show her any fatherly love, he didn’t treat her badly either. But he did watch silently when others in the family hurt her. The tears she was holding back since Sephina slapped her, threatened to roll down her eyes, but she held back. She looked at her father with teary eyes, but her gaze showed stubbornness and defiance.

"Are you done?" she asked, her voice trembling but resolute. "Now tell me where Grandpa is."

Jay clenched his fists, infuriated by her stubbornness.

Just then, a nurse entered the room, ignoring the tense atmosphere. "Mr. Ford is out of danger now," she informed them. "He’ll be brought back to the room shortly. There’s no need for all of you to stay here, as it could disturb the patient. Only one person is allowed to stay."

"I’ll stay with my father," Jay responded quickly. "Can the others at least see him before leaving?"

"Yes, but please don’t stay too long," the nurse replied before exiting the room.

As soon as the nurse left, Natalie hurried after her, knowing she wouldn’t get any answers from her family. "Nurse, what exactly happened to my grandpa?"

"He seemed to be shocked by something, which isn’t good for his current heart condition. Your sister was there before his situation worsened. You might want to ask her what happened. Thankfully, we were able to stabilize him without needing another heart surgery," the nurse explained before moving on with her duties.

Natalie’s mind raced. ’Grandpa was in the hospital, and he wouldn’t have known anything unless someone told him.’ His weak condition didn’t allow him to leave the hospital and attend her wedding. Briena must have been the one who caused his distress by telling him everything. Her fists clenched tightly in anger towards her sister.

Just then, Albert Ford was wheeled toward his room on a stretcher bed. Natalie rushed to his side. "Grandpa," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Just as they reached the door, her step mother Clara stopped Natalie, "Didn’t you hear mother tell you to leave."