As Willow lay on the bed, Dorothy sat beside her.

Willow's big eyes sparkled as she asked, "Grandpa, Grandma, are you still sad?"

Afraid that her question wasn't clear enough, she quickly added, "It's been so many years since Mommy passed away..."

"Well, of course, there will still be some sadness." Dorothy continued with a sigh, "But since it's been a long time now, we're not as sad anymore compared to how we were in the beginning."

Willow also looked a little down. "Me, too. Mommy was very kind and gentle to me. I really liked her, so I never understood why she left me."

Her father was the same. The mere thought of losing both her beloved family members so suddenly filled her with unbearable pain and tears.

Milton didn't want Willow to cry, so he said, "It's okay, Willow. You have a new mommy now."

The sad Willow felt a little better when she heard what he said. "That's true. This mommy is also very good to me."

When Willow woke up in the morning, she unexpectedly found that her grandparents were gone.Property © of .

In a panic, she didn't even get ready before rushing out the door. When she saw me, her eyes were full of tears. "Mommy, where are Grandpa and Grandma?" "They slept downstairs last night," I explained.

It was rather taxing on them to stay upstairs. As such, Zane arranged for their rooms to be on the first floor.

Willow was puzzled. "They didn't go home?"

With a smile, I nodded. "As long as you are okay with it, they can stay here forever."

"Really?" Willow asked in disbelief.

Right then, Zane came out of the bedroom and calmly replied, "Of course."

After trotting downstairs, Willow found her grandparents already dressed and in the living room. She scratched her head shyly. "You guys are up so early." Milton and Dorothy were both stunned.

Just yesterday, Willow could only speak to them with the help of her dolls. Yet today, she could already talk directly to them?

It was Dorothy who reacted first. "That's right."

Willow announced, "I'll go wash up first!"

Watching Willow dash back to the second floor made me laugh.

Willow went upstairs to brush her teeth, wash her face, and exercise. By the time she came back down, she was in her sportswear.

She then pulled her grandparents along. "You're getting older, so you need to exercise, too."

Milton and Dorothy indulged her unconditionally. "Okay."

In the end, the morning exercise group grew to five people.

Willow made sure to watch Milton and Dorothy that day. Once she confirmed they could keep up, she felt relieved.

I glanced at Willow from time to time. Seeing her put on an adult-like expression made me want to smile.

After the run, Zane brought the box that contained the custom-made doll of Penelope to Willow.

The puzzled Willow asked, "What's this?"

Zane answered honestly, "This is your friend."

Willow took the box, opened it, and looked inside. Her jaw dropped in surprise. "It really looks like her."

She turned to look at Zane. "Can this doll talk, Daddy?"

"Not yet," Zane answered truthfully. "You can start by practicing talking with this doll."

Willow then said mysteriously, "I have an even better idea."

But she didn't plan to tell her parents just yet-she wanted to try it out at school first. If it worked, it would mean her efforts had paid off! It wouldn't be too late to tell her parents about it by then.

I asked, "What is it?"