Chapter 351

Evelyn sighed deeply. "It's because Grandma kept coming into my room too frequently. It was disrupting my work."

Archibald gave her a knowing look. "That was her way of showing affection, darling. Your constant irritation wounded her deeply."

The realization hit Evelyn like a physical blow. Guilt twisted in her stomach.

"You never even opened the gifts she bought you," Archibald continued gently. "They just gathered dust in your closet."

Evelyn bit her lip. It wasn't that she disliked Margaret's presents. They simply didn't align with her interests.

Her passions lay in quantum physics, molecular biology, astrophysics - the mysteries of the universe. Yet Margaret persisted in giving designer dresses, diamond jewelry, and expensive perfumes.

"After three sentences, you'd start checking your watch when she talked to you," Archibald pointed out. "Yet you could discuss particle physics with me for hours without blinking. She noticed, Evelyn. It broke her heart."

He sighed, thinking of Margaret's sacrifices. "She didn't have your education. Gossip and small talk are her world. It's not that she didn't try to understand you."

Evelyn's shoulders slumped. She'd never considered how her behavior affected her grandmother.

"Despite everything, she adores you," Archibald said softly. "That imposter Victoria is everything you're not. She doesn't bury herself in research papers or speak in equations Margaret can't comprehend."

His voice grew firmer. "She devours the cookies Margaret bakes. She gushes over every gift. She listens raptly to all the neighborhood gossip. She even enjoys those tedious afternoon teas you always avoided."

Evelyn's hands trembled. "She's the granddaughter Margaret always wanted."

"Exactly." Archibald's eyes were sad. "Margaret isn't rejecting you, Evelyn. She just can't accept that the granddaughter who returned still seems to dislike her as much as before."

Tears spilled down Evelyn's cheeks. "I never hated her," she whispered hoarsely. "Even as a child... I was just... preoccupied."

Archibald patted her hand. "I understand. But Margaret needs simpler expressions. More obvious affection."

Through her tears, Evelyn managed a small smile. "So it's not that she prefers Victoria. She just thinks I don't love her."

Archibald nodded grimly. "And now she's convinced she's lost you forever, especially after how cruelly she treated you while defending that imposter."

Evelyn glanced toward Margaret's closed door. "I never blamed her. She's being too hard on herself."

"Frankly, you'd be justified in resenting her," Archibald muttered around a mouthful of food. "The woman couldn't recognize her own flesh and blood."

"Liam didn't recognize me either," Evelyn said bitterly.

"That's different," Archibald countered. "Ten years is a long time, and young people trust science over intuition. But Margaret? You video-called her every year until you disappeared. Three years shouldn't have erased your face from her memory."

Evelyn's thoughts darkened again. She remembered Liam's words at the gala, his promise to wait five more years for even a single message from her.

The memory was both comforting and devastating.