"Victoria!"
Grandpa stood up, staring at me so seriously through his glasses.
"You don't need to chase after her!" he whispered firmly.
I took a deep, suffocating breath. "But I have to!"
"You'll just get more upset. You know it's a trick to scare you away from marrying Brandon!"
"But ..."
"Understand ... Now it's time to let her think more broadly, to think about your happiness, not always you thinking about her happiness," he whispered again, then pulled me to sit down. "Understand ... Not every request will get approval ... Everything takes a process. She needs time to accept the reality that you can't be prevented anymore ... If she loves you, she will understand your desires."
I fell silent, bowing my head, imagining how disappointed and angry Mother looked.