Chapter 105: Her Sky Collapsed
Leah Sinclair received the call just as she and Leo Lawson were returning to the office from a site visit. The moment she heard that Grandma Sinclair was critically ill, she felt the world spin.
Leo Lawson didn’t know what had happened. He only saw her legs give out as she sank to her knees, and he rushed to catch her. "Leah, what’s wrong?"
The others heard the commotion and hurried over. Leah’s face was deathly pale, her lips trembling. "My... my grandma is critically ill. I have to go back to Stonecreek."
Zion Sawyer immediately called Mr. Langdon. Mr. Langdon, who had just finished reporting to Asher Keating, relayed the news to him the moment he got the call. Without a moment’s hesitation, Asher followed him to Project Department One.
Asher Keating’s brows furrowed slightly when he saw Leah Sinclair looking completely distraught. Leah, in turn, was too stunned to speak when she saw him.
To avoid office gossip, she deliberately kept her distance from Asher at work. His schedule was unpredictable, and besides, she felt it was more appropriate to commute on her own. In fact, the only other time Asher had ever come to Project Department One was when Morgan Sterling’s assistant visited.
"Don’t worry. I’m here."
Ignoring the others’ stares, Asher went straight to Leah and pulled her into his embrace. He then asked quickly, "I’m taking her back to her hometown. Her work..."
"No problem. I’ll handle it," Zion Sawyer said at once.
"Thank you."
Asher Keating nodded. The project had just begun, and Leah and Zion were responsible for the same tasks. With her away, Zion could certainly cover for a few days.
Without another word, Asher led Leah to his car. He called Sean Yates, telling him that he would be out of Riverfall for a few days and to pack some clothes for both him and Leah and bring them to Stonecreek.
"Asher, I can go back on my own," Leah said, her face still pale as she finally processed what was happening.
"I’m going with you."
Asher gave her hand a squeeze. Without another word, he started the car. Leah was silent for the whole journey, and Asher held her hand the entire time.
As the warmth from the car’s heater slowly seeped back into her body, Leah’s eyes began to redden. She stared out the window at the blurring scenery, her mind flooded with memories of Grandma Sinclair.
Leah had no parents growing up. Her uncle had refused to help Grandma Sinclair raise her, washing his hands of the matter long ago. Seeing other children with their parents, Leah couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. But Grandma Sinclair was so good to her. Though they were poor, her grandmother always saved the best food for her.
When Leah graduated from middle school, she tested into the best high school in the region. Her aunt, however, told her to quit her studies and get a factory job. She argued that it would ease Grandma Sinclair’s burden, framing it as a way for Leah to repay her grandmother for more than a decade of care. Grandma Sinclair was already getting old by then.
After crying in private, Leah had resolved to give up. But it was Grandma Sinclair who constantly encouraged her not to, to use her studies to get out of their small town. She believed Leah had a long path ahead of her and shouldn’t be stuck in a place like Stonecreek, wasting her entire life.
That belief had sustained her ever since. When she started college, she applied for student loans and worked multiple part-time jobs, determined not to be a financial burden on her grandmother any longer.
She vividly remembered when her university acceptance letter arrived. Grandma Sinclair had insisted on throwing a celebration, taking out her meager savings to treat all their neighbors to a meal.
That day, her grandmother, who never drank, even had a glass of wine. She’d beamed, stroking Leah’s head. "My Leah," she’d said, "is the most promising girl. You’ve made your grandma so proud."
Tears began to fall from Leah’s eyes, some splashing onto Asher’s hand. He turned to look at her. She kept her head down, biting her lip as silent tears streamed down her face. His heart clenched, and he pressed down on the accelerator.
When they arrived at the hospital, Leah froze at the door to the room, not daring to enter. Asher squeezed her hand tightly. Leah looked up at him, and he said softly, "I’m here."
There was no one else in the room. Her uncle and his family were nowhere to be seen. Grandma Sinclair was holding on by a thread, waiting for Leah.
As if sensing her arrival, the moment Leah walked in, her grandmother slowly opened her eyes. All Leah could see was the frail little woman lying in the bed, her head wrapped in thick gauze. It was only a few steps from the door to the bedside, but to Leah, it felt like she had crossed a thousand miles.
Grandma Sinclair reached out a hand, and Leah rushed to take it. "Grandma, I’m back."
Grandma Sinclair’s eyes were unfocused, but she tried to squeeze Leah’s hand, speaking slowly, "Grandma... Grandma has to go now, Leah."
"No, Grandma, don’t go! Don’t leave me behind! What will I do without you?" Leah’s voice trembled as huge tears rolled down her cheeks. The crushing grief of this final farewell weighed heavily on her heart.
"Don’t listen to what anyone else says... My Leah... you’re the best, the very best girl."
A tear trickled from the corner of her grandmother’s cloudy eye. She struggled to focus, to clearly see Leah’s face one last time, to memorize it.
Leah collapsed onto the bed, sobbing. "I don’t want this! Grandma, please don’t leave me! I’m begging you, don’t go! I haven’t even bought you that big house yet! Grandma, don’t leave me!"
"In... in my room, the little box... inside... there’s a golden locket. It’s... it’s yours. Go back... find it. I’ve never told anyone... It was there... when I found you... it was left with you."
With her last ounce of strength, Grandma Sinclair squeezed Leah’s hand. "Leah, don’t be afraid... Grandma... will always be watching over you."
"Grandma, don’t go! Please, I’m begging you."
Grandma Sinclair’s gaze drifted past Leah. Asher, sensing she was looking at him, stepped forward. He placed his hand over Leah’s as it held her grandmother’s. "Grandma," he said, his voice steady. "You can rest easy. I’ll take good care of Leah."
"Good... good..."
As she spoke, her hand went limp, slowly falling to her side, and her eyes drifted shut.
"Grandma! Grandma, don’t go! Look at me, please look at me! Grandma, I’m begging you, please, open your eyes!"
Leah completely broke down. She had never cried like this before. She hadn’t had time to take her grandmother traveling, hadn’t had time to move her into the house she was going to build.
Just a short while ago, she had quietly told her grandmother that she had a boyfriend, promising to bring him home for the New Year if she had the chance. Why? Why did her grandmother have to leave just like that?
Asher held her tightly. "Leah. Leah! Grandma’s gone."
A fine, persistent ache spread through his heart. This was the first time he had met Grandma Sinclair, and it would also be the last. He knew how important she was to Leah; after all, their own complicated relationship had begun when Leah needed money for her grandmother’s surgery.
The one time he’d seen her drunk, she had mumbled over and over that her grandmother was the only person in the world who truly loved her. Now that Grandma Sinclair was gone, Leah’s entire world had collapsed.
Leah struggled in his arms, trying to break free. She wanted to reach for her grandmother, as if she could keep her from leaving just by holding on.