The General's Replacement Doctor Wife

Chapter Twenty-three

“Call the nurse! Grandpa's illness is acting up again!” Sarah screamed, shattering the moment.

Fear and terror briefly flickered across her face before she concealed them behind a flawless façade of a smile.

“This happens a lot,” she explained, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead despite the cold temperature in the room. “Grandpa often mistakes me for someone else.”

Glancing at Leanne for validation, Sarah noticed that she was in a daze, frozen like a statue in her place.

“Mom!”

Leanne flinched, waking from her trance in an instant. She lifted her gaze, breaking free from her thoughts, and turned to the guests to offer an apology.

“My father has been struggling with his illness,” she said evenly. “He forgets things and becomes confused. Please, let’s pretend this never happened and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

With that, she placed a hand on Leandro's back, gently ushering him toward the door.

“It’s late, Dad. We should go to your room. Your personal nurse will get an earful for letting you wander around when you should already be sleeping.”

“I’m not leaving my granddaughter again, Leanne,” Leandro said firmly. His weathered hands tightened around Olivia's wrists, pulling her along with an unyielding grip. “I don't want to lose her again.”

Leanne halted in her tracks and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She mouthed an apology to Olivia before shifting her focus to Leandro. “She’s not your granddaughter, Dad,” she explained, lifting a perfectly manicured fingernail to point toward Sarah, who stood quietly, enveloped in her own little bubble. “There’s my daughter. YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER.”

“Hah! That’s a stranger! Not an ounce of my blood runs through her veins! She’s just an impostor!”

“Dad, that’s enough!”

Olivia remained still, her pulse thudding in her ears. She felt like a bystander in a story that wasn’t hers to interrupt, yet somehow one she was deeply entangled in.

However, she recognized the familiar stubbornness and grumpiness of an old patient and knew exactly how to manage the situation.

She gave Leandro's hand a subtle squeeze. “It's very late, Mr. Leandro. It's time for you to retire for the evening. Please listen to Leanne and get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning.”

The old man's face softened, his tone shifting a notch, becoming suddenly gentle. “I suppose you’re right,” he sighed. “But when will I see you again?”

Olivia froze. It was the question she hadn’t anticipated. “I don’t think—” The words caught in her throat upon meeting a pair of pleading eyes, strumming at her guilt like a guitar.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and summoned a smile, one that barely reached her eyes as she forced out a lie. “Tomorrow or perhaps the day after.”

Leandro’s eyes gleamed with delight. He nodded before obediently letting his personal nurse, who had just arrived, usher him to the hall.

Once he was gone, Leanne spoke with a hint of amusement in her tone. “He was never that obedient to anyone, not even to me, his own daughter. You have a way with him that I’ve never managed to achieve.”

“I suppose it comes naturally,” Olivia shrugged. “I work with patients all the time…that helps me empathize with them.”

Leanne wrapped Olivia in her arms. The motherly gesture sent her heart fluttering like a startled bird. “I'm truly glad to have met you. You're always welcome in my home, and I hope you'll come to visit again.”