She felt grateful for her brothers' love and support, and knew she could face any challenge with them by her side.
Ivanna left for the restroom to catch a breath, needing a moment to collect herself. She returned to find the food served. Nicholas asked,
"Are you okay now?"
Ivanna nodded, still a bit embarrassed. She was embarrassed not just because she had broken down in front of her brothers, but also because she had never shown anyone this emotional side of her. She had always been strong and composed, but her brothers had seen her vulnerability, and it made her feel a little exposed.
As she glanced at the dishes, her eyes widened at the spicy crawfish.
Neal pretended to be stern ,
"Ahem ,It's fine to have one spicy dish with the others."
Ivanna smiled, her eyes sparkling with emotions.
Ivanna's brothers surrounded her with love and support, making her feel safe and cherished.
' So this is how families work '
As she composed herself, Ivanna wondered about how much her brothers loved her.
She used to feel abandoned and unfortunate, she never thought she could live happily like others but God had proven her wrong.
Her old, hopeless life now had everything except the one person who had brought all this joy and happiness– her husband. Ivanna's eyes welled up with tears again as she thought about him, but she knew she had to stay strong.
Getting over it,
Ivanna picked up a piece of spicy crawfish with her chopsticks, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she glanced at Neal.
"This is really good,"
she said, taking a bite.
The flavors exploded in her mouth, and she couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.
Neal chuckled, pleased that she was enjoying the dish.
"Hmm,just take care of your body and you can eat it often''
he said, grinning at her.
Ivanna nodded cutely stuffing food in her mouth.
Nicholas and Nick laughed, and the four of them continued eating, the sound of chopsticks clicking and happy chatter filling the room.
As they ate, Ivanna's brothers made sure she had everything she needed, refilling her glass of water and offering her different dishes to try.
Nicholas passed her a plate of steamed vegetables, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "Eat your veggies, little sister," he teased, and Ivanna playfully rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the tender broccoli.
Just as she was about to finish her food, her phone rang. Since her hands were dirty from removing crawfish, Nicholas took it out of her purse. As he read the caller ID, he frowned.
"Trash mother," he muttered.
Ivanna stopped and frowned as well, her brothers also stopping eating and looking at her.
Neal asked,
"Is this your adopted mother?"
Ivanna nodded.
Nick looked a little worried.
"Why is she calling?"
he asked.
"It's the first time she's calling in six years."
Ivanna said ,
The call kept ringing and ended, only to start ringing again.
Nicholas said,
"Pick up, we're with you."
Ivanna looked at her assuring brothers and picked up the phone, putting it on speaker.
Just as she answered, and before she could even say hello, a shrill voice rang in the room.
"What took you so long? Forget it, what I was hoping from a mute."
Ivanna's eyes were as calm as ever she expecting such behaviour.
"Come to City Trust Hospital tomorrow, your grandfather is in critical condition."
Before she could even utter a word, the call ended. Ivanna frowned even harder.
"How rude,"
Nick said, his face darkening with anger.
"After torturing our sister for all these years, look at her attitude."
"Give me a chance, I'll make her kneel down."
Nicholas ignored him and looked at Ivanna.
"Are you going?"
Ivanna nodded.
"Grandpa was the only person who was a little kind to me."