Chapter 39. Hurting You Back

"Why now? Why'd you come back? Where's my granddaughter?"

Her questions struck me, drawing my focus to her, my heart racing. Fear melted away, replaced by a fierce resolve.

"She's not your granddaughter. Don't burden her with the resentment you harbor for me," I asserted firmly, seizing Matthew's attention, his gaze sharp.

"Your tongue's as cutting as ever, Ana. Is it because you've missed the taste of my fist all these years?" His angry tone alarmed me, prompting me to stand.

"I didn't return because of you. I avoided going home straight for that very reason. I want no part of you. So why are you here?" Anger surged within me, boiling over.

Amid the crash from Elena's room where Via and Riley were, Mama rose abruptly, fixing me with a piercing stare, striking at my core.

"Ungrateful selfish brat! Just heard about your dad's legacy and now you're acting high and mighty? What's there to be proud of?"

Her words stunned me, realization d