Chapter 503

“You can’t change the past; just hold onto the people you’ve got now,” he said.

I knew what he meant, and it struck a chord. If this report on my parents’ accident pointed to someone still around… he was essentially telling me not to let it damage my relationships with the people who had been good to me.

“Yeah, I get it,” I nodded. “I’ve thought about it a lot, especially over the past few months.”

It wasn’t just talk. I’d spent countless hours with that contract I found in my dad’s notebook, examining every theory, every suspicion, struggling to make sense of it all. And somehow, I’d finally begun to accept some of it.

“Looks like making you wait wasn’t for nothing,” Cedric said, as if he’d anticipated this. Now I understood why he’d been so cryptic, dropping hints but never giving me the whole story.

He reached into his pocket, producing an envelope, but he didn’t hand it over immediately. “You know Hayden Hart, right?”

My heart skipped a beat. Hayden and I had investigated his dad’s death, too, searching for answers. “Did he come to you, too?”

“Yeah. He wanted this report as much as you do.”

My breath hitched. “So… does he already know?”

Cedric shook his head, his hand still clutching the envelope. “Are you hoping I’ll tell you both at the same time?”

Before I could respond, footsteps sounded on the steps behind us. I turned to see Hayden ascending the stairs, holding an umbrella. In that moment, it felt like a wave crashed over me, making it hard to breathe.

It wasn’t just because of us, and the complicated history between us, but also because of what we were about to uncover regarding our parents’ deaths. Maybe it was all just an accident. Or maybe… it wasn’t.

Hayden paused a couple of steps below me, his eyes briefly meeting mine before he turned to Cedric. “Hi, Officer Sawyer.”

Cedric nodded, and Hayden stepped closer, gazing at my parents’ gravestone. The three of us stood in silence, the rain falling softly on the headstones, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

Finally, Cedric spoke, his voice low as he addressed my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Kay, I’m sorry. It’s been ten years, but I’m finally here to bring you the justice you deserve.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest. This wasn’t just an accident. There was more. For a split second, I almost wanted to stop him from saying anything else.

A gust of wind shook my umbrella, bumping it against Hayden’s. I glanced up, and he was looking back at me, his eyes shadowed, heavier than the rain around us.

“Mr. Hart. Miss Kay,” Cedric called.

We adjusted our umbrellas, turning to face him. He held out a worn envelope. “The answers you’re looking for are right here.”

Hayden and I both stared at it, neither of us reaching for it. Cedric held it steady, unflinching. “You’ve got one minute to decide. If you don’t want the truth, I’ll burn it right here in front of you.”

A sharp, aching tightness gripped my chest, as if my heart might actually burst. I needed to know the truth; I could let go of the anger, but not without knowing. And yet… I was terrified. If I turned away now, my parents’ deaths would remain a mystery forever.

I couldn’t move, my whole body trembling with indecision. Hayden stood beside me, silent, also remaining motionless. Cedric had given us one minute. For the first time, a single minute felt like a lifetime.

Just as I thought I’d crack under the pressure, a long arm reached out beside me.