The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 21

At seventy-two years old, Grandma Helga was still going strong. Light on her feet and sharp as a tack, she always had a comeback ready before you'd even finished talking.

So...before Winona could stop her, she'd already dialed the number.

But the call didn't go through.

"Number does not exist," her screen displayed. But that couldn't be right.

The truth was, Julian had blocked Grandma Helga five years earlier.

Back when Winona and Julian were first married, Grandma Helga phoned him every few days.

He answered out of politeness, but always reluctantly.

And every time, Grandma Helga's voice would tremble with grievance. "Julian," she'd always say, "you have to stand up for me. You'll crush my enemies for me, won't you? I want them all to see that I still have someone in my corner now."

Eventually, Julian grew tired of the routine and blocked her number.

Ever since, Winona had lied for him. She told Grandma Helga there was no cell service in the mountains; that Julian was out of town, out of reach, anything she could think of.

Grandma Helga believed her.

To this day, Helga still tried to call Julian, the one she believed she could always count on.

"I still can't reach him," Grandma sighed with a hurt voice. "Nona, I really miss Tia. She may be her great-grandmother's precious child, but she's also my darling."

Mia, ever the troublemaker, chimed in, "Gran, while Tia is biologically her great-granddaughter, she's not yours. You and Nona aren't even related by blood!"

Grandma Helga went silent.

"Mia! That's enough!" Winona cut her off. She felt like strangling the thoughtless girl.

Winona met Grandma Helga's gaze, her eyes watery and clouded.

A profound sense of helplessness washed over her; there was no shielding the old woman from the pain and disappointment etched into the very lines of her face.

When Winona was sixteen, her parents and grandparents threw her out. Still, she lingered outside, hoping they'd change their minds.

They never did.

Then one day, an old woman appeared, carrying a worn duffel bag and looking for all the world like a beggar.

"Come with me," she said, grabbing Winona's wrist. "If you keep hanging around their doorstep, they'll set the dogs on you."

She took Winona home, fed her a tough, flavorless chicken she'd raised herself.

It was the best meal Winona had ever had.

They were two broken souls, clinging together and tending their wounds.

Winona accepted her as family.

As Mia liked to put it: "Even though there's no blood relation, you're still family."

Winona had been calling Helga "Grandma" for ten years now. Mia called her Grandma too.

Blunt Mia and brash Grandma Helga were a volatile mix, like firecrackers in a powder keg.

Despite the constant bickering, Grandma Helga inevitably broke out her hidden snacks for Mia. Likewise, Mia would carefully wash and style the old woman's hair, finishing with a new, pretty hairpin.

At first, Winona found their relationship strange. Later, she realized they shared a common enemy.

And both of them pinned their hopes on Winona and Julian, dreaming of the day they could finally hold their heads high.

But those hopes were dashed.

Winona's marriage was over.

If Grandma Helga and Mia were ever to get their moment of triumph, it certainly wouldn't be thanks to Julian.