A Replacement Bride

Chapter 303

As soon as Katherine heard those words, she felt a buzzing sound flooding her mind to the point where she couldn't hear anything else.

Her complexion paled rapidly as she stared intently at Jennifer's face. Finally, she pressed her lips tightly together into a thin line.

Beside her, Joaquin looked sullen at the ill news. Then, he suddenly grabbed her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze.

She raised her head and gave him a dazed look. Only then did she recover from her shock.

"Don't panic. Grandma will be fine," he reassured. His low voice was very soothing and comforting.

She only lost her composure for that fleeting moment. After that, it didn't take long for her to calm down again. Still, she only managed a mechanic nod. "Yeah, I know."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she discovered her throat was parched. Her voice was so hoarse that it felt like she had sand in her throat.

She gritted her teeth and remained silent. Instead, she took out her needles and did her best to stay calm. Then, she methodically performed acupuncture on Jennifer.

Katherine had always been poised in the face of crisis. Even when she was forced to face Noah's repeated fainting spells, she could deal with the situation calmly.

However, her hands couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably at this moment. To make matters worse, her palms were also coated in a layer of perspiration.

An ominous premonition flooded her without any explanation, causing her to feel highly uneasy. She desperately tried to suppress the feeling, but that sense of dread continued to twist around her heart like poison ivy.

Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer's heavy eyelids seemed to flutter slightly. It took great effort for her to open her eyes.

Her cloudy eyes were momentarily confused. She stared at the ceiling for some time before her gaze roved around the room and glided over the faces of every single person in the room. Eventually, her gaze landed on Katherine's face.

"Kathy," she called Katherine's name in a raspy voice. Then, she lowered her gaze slightly, only to see needles sticking out of her body. When she saw Katherine still trying, she breathed out lightly. "Don't bother. There's no need for further acupuncture."

Jennifer's words came out of nowhere, causing Katherine to freeze for a moment. Katherine tightly pursed her lips and continued moving her hands without heeding Jennifer's words.

Jennifer sighed with a resigned expression on her face as she watched Katherine performing the acupuncture treatment in stubborn silence. "I know my own body well. Kathy, listen to me."

That statement nearly caused Katherine to break down emotionally.

She gritted her teeth and forced out a hiss, "Grandma, please stop speaking. It's not good for your health if you speak during acupuncture. Once I get your vitality under control, I will prescribe some medicine to you. Your health will improve once more."

Jennifer chuckled softly upon hearing those words. Nevertheless, she no longer had any strength to refute Katherine. Her lips had gone entirely bloodless in seconds.

"What medicine will you prescribe for me? Kathy, I'm sure you've already noticed that I don't have any time left. How could you stabilize my condition?"

Those words caused Katherine's movements to freeze, and a visible tremor ran through her hands.

Indeed, Jennifer was speaking the truth.

Before Katherine started the acupuncture treatment, she had taken Jennifer's pulse and discovered that Jennifer's pulse was fluttering weakly. In fact, it was almost non-existent. Jennifer's vitality was practically undetectable.

That was a symptom of death, but how could she accept the fact that her grandmother was dying right before her very eyes?

The grandmother who loved her the most was practically at death's door, about to part ways with the world of the living. How could she go along with the reality that her grandmother was about to leave her forever?

That was why she had kept her mouth shut. Instead, she simply did her best to utilize everything she learned in her life and attempted to save her grandmother by performing acupuncture.

Unfortunately, precious time slipped away with every passing moment. Jennifer's body only became weaker and weaker with time. Regardless, her pulse had barely fluctuated even when she spoke.

Katherine's fingertips went numb and she felt like she had fallen into a cavern of ice.

Jennifer couldn't help feeling distressed as she observed Katherine's disheartened expression. The corner of her eyes reddened slightly, but she was afraid to make Katherine even more distressed. So, she forced her tears back as she feigned calmness. Then. she looked at Joaquin and smiled with great effort.

"Joaquin, please do something about this silly girl. This girl is getting more and more rebellious. She won't even listen to me anymore."

Joaquin pressed his lips together into a grim line as a complicated expression painted across his face. For a time, he could not bring himself to say anything.

Donald, who was standing by the side, couldn't help calling out to Jennifer. His voice was very choked up, "Jenny…"

Jennifer glanced at Donald and closed her eyes helplessly. Nonetheless, she remained smiling.

"Donald, you've served me for such a long time. You know my preferences and my temperament. I don't like seeing the people around me looking so depressed. It's very upsetting to me."

Needless to say, he knew that she was deliberately making those statements. He immediately took a deep breath, but a haunting look of sorrow clouded his eyes.

Anybody could tell that she did not have much longer to live just by looking at Jennifer's appearance.

The emotions in her heart were reflected on her face like a bright mirror. She turned her gaze toward Katherine again. Then, she took Katherine's hand in hers and stroked her granddaughter's hand gently.

"Kathy, stop the treatment. Don't waste your energy. I don't have long left to live, and I want to spend this time talking to you. When I made this trip to Kyoland, I knew that my life was coming to an end soon. I was struggling to hold on because I was worried that the Moran Family might hurt you. Unfortunately, I can only protect you once. I can't protect you forever. After this…"

She had to stop and pant slightly after every few words to regain her breath. It was clear that talking was a very laborious task.From NôvelDrama.Org.

Katherine felt as though there was an invisible hand squeezing her heart painfully as she listened to what sounded like her grandmother's last words. The pain was unbearable, but she still forced herself to remain optimistic.

She interrupted Jennifer's speech with a tense and stiff expression. Moreover, her tone was blunt and stubborn.

"Grandma, stop talking. Talking is harmful to your health. You're only going to make my acupuncture efforts go to waste by talking," She even retracted her hand as she spoke and spread out the cloth bag containing the silver needles.

Jennifer frowned slightly at the sight. "Silly girl, why are you being so stubborn? Are you planning to snatch my soul from the hands of the grim reaper? Listen to me…"

"I don't want to!" All of a sudden, Katherine raised her voice and threw a tantrum like a child. "I don't want to listen! It's not like I've never saved somebody from the jaws of death before! So what if I do it again? You won't leave me! I won't allow it!" Her eyes reddened while she was speaking. The urge to cry slammed into her, and she nearly burst into tears right there and then.

At this moment, she felt as though the clock had turned backward, and she was once again a naive child. Whenever something did not work out the way she wanted, she would throw a tantrum in front of her grandmother.

Katherine's current behavior reminded Jennifer of the past. Her eyes burned slightly, and tears flooded her eyes.

She stretched out her bony and wrinkled hands to Katherine, her voice choking with sobs. "My dear Kathy… I don't want to leave you either, but people are bound to die eventually. I should have died five years ago. It's only because of you that I've stubbornly held onto this life. Now that you've gotten your revenge and the dilemma hounding you are gone. You have married a reliable man. Joaquin treats you

so well, and Noah's disease has been cured. There's nothing to worry about anymore. I'm so tired… Won't you let me go peacefully…"

Katherine could no longer hold back her tears, and large drops of tears flowed out of her eyes. Even though her gaze was blurry with tears, she continued with her outburst, "I won't! I won't let you leave me! Noah is still so young! How can you leave now? I refuse to accept your decision!"

As soon as she yelled out those words, she raised her hand and messily wiped away her tears. Then, a look of determination flashed through her eyes. Suddenly, she dug out a small blade from the pocket of her cloth bag and swiped the knife against her palm.

Crimson blood instantly gushed out of her palm, shocking everybody in the room.

"Miss Katherine!"

"Kathy! What are you doing?!"