"Grandpa didn't hate him back then. In fact… he was also proud of him."
She paused.
"But there was one thing he never accepted."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the hairpin.
"That my dad chose to marry the one he loved… my mom."
"Not the woman Grandpa had arranged for him."
A faint, bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"For that reason, Grandpa always disliked my mom and was dissatisfied with Dad."
"Even if he didn't show it openly… it was always there."
She took a slow breath.
"Grandma was different. She loved my mom and treated her like her own daughter."
Her thumb gently traced the surface of the hairpin.
"This… was given to my mom by grandma."
Her lips trembled slightly.
"I still remember how jealous my aunt was that day."
For a brief moment, a faint warmth flickered in her eyes, which soon disappeared.
"I thought… we were a happy family."
Her voice softened.
"I thought it would stay that way forever."
