Dear Ex-wife Marry Me (Maja and Ian) novel Chapter 1084

"Grandpa."

Ian clutched his hand. The words he uttered came out calm, yet his eyes were filled with pain.

Young hands tightly clasped with old, there was a brief moment where clarity returned to Holden's eyes.

"Don't be with Maja. Ian, promise me."

Holden tried to sit up but only managed to lift himself a few inches before collapsing back onto the bed.

He clung to Ian’s hand, his eyes murky, betraying no emotion.

"Promise me."

He struggled to utter these words, his cloudy gaze landing on Ian.

Ian remained silent for a minute before responding, "Why?"

He really didn't understand. What was all this about?

"Promise me, you promise me."

Holden's expression began to contort with pain. Ian quickly gripped his hand tighter, "I promise you, Grandpa. I promise you."

Doctors burst into the room from outside as his words hung in the air.

Holden's gaze stayed locked on Ian, and he muttered.

"I'm sorry."

The hand in Ian's suddenly lost all strength.

Ian held on tighter as the doctors began to work on his grandfather. The world around him seemed surreal, and he couldn't hear what they were saying.

His eyes were fixated on his grandfather's face, watching a single tear slide down his wrinkled cheek.

Only then did Ian realize how much his grandfather had aged during his absence.

He shakily reached out, wanting to wipe away the tear, but he couldn't reach despite his effort.

An hour later, he heard the doctor say, "I'm sorry, Mr. Raymond, we did everything we could."

He didn't cry, and his face showed no grief.

Compared to the others who were sobbing uncontrollably at their grandfather's bedside, he was too quiet, too calm.

Everyone was watching him. Some even whispered amongst themselves.

"Holden raised him, wasn't he? How come he's not shedding a single tear?"

But the whisper was too soft. Ian didn't hear it.

Perhaps even if he had, he wouldn't have said anything.

He simply stood up, glanced at the body covered in white, and after a few seconds of silence, began making call after call to arrange for his grandfather's funeral.

Then he walked past everyone and left the room.

Ryan watched his back, feeling as if something was stuck in his throat, leaving him unable to speak.

He'd known his cousin for many years and knew that the calmer he appeared, the more turbulent his emotions were underneath.