Fiona sighed deeply; her voice was tinged with a melancholic nostalgia as she clasped Lizetta's hand.
"Ah, it's all ancient history now. You see, back in the day, Hanna was expecting twins, a boy and a girl, and everything seemed perfect. But then, around the sixth month, the unthinkable happened: the pregnancy stopped. That girl would have been Remington's twin sister. The doctors said the twins were sharing one placenta and the blood supply was uneven. One twin was too strong, and the other, well, Hanna couldn't come to terms with it and blamed Remington."
Lizetta, with her eyes widened, protested, "But how could she blame her own son? Losing one baby should have made the other more precious, right? Besides, the loss could have been due to many reasons. Maybe Hanna didn't rest enough, or perhaps the girl had some genetic issues. It's unfair to blame the other twin."
"Exactly, we all tried to tell her that, but sometimes grief makes people think irrationally. The procedure was done without pain, but Hanna was awake for the whole thing. Seeing the baby must have traumatized her, leading her to develop these extreme thoughts."
Lizetta's hand instinctively went to her belly, and her heart was squeezing in empathy.
She could somewhat understand Hanna's pain; the thought of a fully-formed baby being taken out of the body is just too cruel.
"What a tragedy. On top of that, Hanna had a rough postpartum period. Your father-in-law was caught cheating, which plunged her into postpartum depression. When Remington was two months old, he had a fever in the middle of the night. If it weren't for the nanny noticing in time, Hanna might have accidentally smothered him. That's when your grandfather and I decided to take Remington under our wing." Lizetta had always wondered why Hanna, who didn't work, wasn't raising Remington herself. Fiona didn't seem the type to snatch her grandson away.
It all made sense now.
Fiona sighed again, "Her condition was severe. We consulted numerous psychologists, but nothing helped. It was actually Stella West who began to turn things around for her." "Stella?" Lizetta was surprised again.
"Yes, Stella. She and Remington were born on the same day. Hanna, in her state of transference, started treating Stella like a daughter, which is why the two kids celebrated their birthdays together every year." So, Remington's affection for Stella was sibling-like?
Remington had mentioned that Stella looked after him like a big sister.
So that was all there was to it.
"Grandma, with Stella not being able to come back, did Hanna blame Remington again? Is that why their relationship has been so strained over the years?"
Fiona nodded, her eyes reflecting a world of sorrow.
"It's more complicated than that. During the time Remington was missing, Hanna got pregnant again. When Remington finally came back, he was a wreck, both physically and mentally, refusing to eat or drink, but she was too focused on her pregnancy.
It's ironic really. One night, she went to get some water and saw Remington on the balcony. He was so emaciated that she didn't recognize him, and she even fell down the stairs out of scare, which led to a miscarriage. Their relationship only grew more strained after that.
Eventually, she gave birth to Joseph, whom she treated like the apple of her eye. Now with Joseph's illness, she's become even more irrational."
Nathan's affair had made the old lady feel like she had failed in raising her son. Hanna's series of irrational decisions had left the old lady feeling helpless yet tolerant.
"Lizetta, dear, try not to take it to heart."
Clearly troubled by Hanna's lack of insight, Fiona patted Lizetta's hand in a gesture of comfort.
Lizetta nodded, feeling a mix of emotions.
Fiona continued, "Lizetta, dear, through all these years, Remington has had it toughest.
He never did anything wrong, yet he's had to shoulder so much. He had both parents, yet he never felt his mother's love. The situation with Stella wasn't his fault, yet he's been unfairly blamed.
He might look like he has it all - young, successful, a golden boy - but guilt and responsibility are the heaviest burdens. If they had a taste, it would be bitter.
He deserves to feel wronged, but he thinks he's the least entitled to such feelings. He keeps everything bottled up inside, only causing himself more pain."
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