Chapter 38 When Grayson climbed up to the attic , he was surprised to find transformed into an art studio .
Paintings were everywhere -on the walls , the floor , even stuffed into cabinets .
The sheer beauty of the artwork left him stunned and rooted to the spot as he took it all in .
What are you doing here ? Serenas voice snapped him out of his daze .
I le turned to see the tiny figure with crossed arms looking suspiciously at him from behind .
Who painted these ? Grayson asked , gesturing at the paintings .
Serena gave him a look , her tone sharp .
My mom did .
Why ? Grayson froze for a second , his expression shifting to one of disbelief .
Then he frowned and scoffed , She ? Seriously ? He couldnt wrap his head around it .
No way thats true , he thought .
Ive never seen her pick up a paintbrush .
Of course she does , Serena shot back , her chin tilting up in defiance , She pointed around the room with a small sweep of her arm and explained , All of them are my moms work .
Shes amazing .
Loads of people want to buy her pieces .
But Paisley never sold her paintings .
She only gave them away .
Graysons mind was spinning with thoughts .
Could all this really be that womans work ? Shes just a housewife , someone who cooked and nagged me .
Even Grandma and Auntie Kayla paint her as some clueless small town nobody .
How could she be capable of this ? Though Grayson was overwhelmed by the scene in front of him , he still refused to admit what he saw .
I dont buy it , he said , his tone defiant .
He had never seen Paisley paint , and he only believed what he had seen .
Serenas face flushed with anger .
She was desperate to prove him wrong .
Why dont you believe me ? Im telling the truth .
All of these are Moms work ! She pointed toward a corner of the room and added , Look , those are all portraits of me .
Grayson followed her gesture and saw a section full of paintings of a little girl at different ages : a newborn with closed eyes , a candles .
baby learning to crawl , a toddler with a toothy grin , and a child laughing , crying , and blowing out birthday Each painting captured Serena at a different moment , preserving her life in vivid , loving detail .
See ? These are all me , Serena said , her voice rising as she tried to make him understand .
If my mom didnt paint them , how else would there be so many of my portraits ? Grayson stared at the paintings , stunned into silence .

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Without thinking , he blurted out , What about mine ? Serena shook her head and replied , You have nothing left .
Stella tore them up ! The thought of her moms hard work being destroyed made Serenas chest tighten with sadness .
Just one ? Grayson asked , his voice quieter now .
Yeah , just the one , Serena replied with a nod Paisley had placed Graysons portrait in the best spot , where it could be seen upon entering the room .
That was why Serena recognized Grayson the second she saw him .
But sadly , it was gone now ….
21:57 Mon , Jan 27 Chapter 38 Grayson searched the room to look through the paintings , but there wasnt a single trace of him anywhere .
Suddenly , his emotions boiled over , and he yelled , Who cares about some stupid painting ? I dont even want it ! Theyre ugly ! All of them are ugly ! Then he bolted down the stairs with red eyes .
Serena ran after him and cut him off in the living room .
Take that back ! My moms paintings are not ugly ! Her face was flushed with anger now , and her hands balled into ts .
She thought , Grayson is the worst ! How could he keep trash talling my mom like this ? Mom even said he was my big brother .
I dont want a brother like him They are ugly ! They just are ! Shes ugly , and her paintings are even uglier ! Grayson yelled , his voice rising to drown out the storm of feelings he couldnt control .
Tears prickled his eyes as he stood there , and his fists clenched tightly .
Thats not true ! My moms the most beautiful woman in the world ! Serena screamed back .
She didnt care if she was yelling -she needed him to hear it .
From the kitchen , Paisley appeared with a plate of food in hand , and she frowned as their shouting hit its peak .
Enough she barked , her voice firm and final .
If she still didnt stop them , she was afraid the neighbors might have opinions .
Paisley placed the dish on the dining table and turned to Serena What did I tell you about yelling ? Serena scuffed her shoe against the floor and pouted , her voice small now .
Not to do it … Were you wrong ? Though feeling wronged , Serena nodded with tears in her eyes .
I was wrong , Mom .
Good .
Then go wash your hands and get ready for dinner , Paisley said , gently tapping Serenas head .
Serena bit her lip , still furning but knowing better than to argue With an angry pout , she stomped off toward the bathroom to wash her hands .
Paisley set the dishes on the table and turned to Grayson , who was still stubbornly standing there like a statue .
She let out a soft sigh and said , Go wash your hands .
Dinners ready .
Grayson stared at Paisley , his hands twisting nervously together .
ts were racing .
Did she hear me earlier ? She mustve heard me call her ugly , right ? But why isnt she mad ? His thoughts Why doesnt she scold me ? I was yelling too , and she shouldve asked me if I was wrong , like she used to .
She didnt hold back on Serena , so why not me ? 21:57 Mon , Jan 27