Chapter 748

I braced myself. What could he possibly need to say? Probably his last wishes—stuff to handle once he was gone.

“Uncle Damien, stop. You don’t need to talk about this. You’ll be fine,” I said, trying to shut it down. But he wasn’t hearing it. He went on, carefully spelling out every detail: his assets, properties, even people I should know about.

It felt like he was reading out a will. And yeah, we weren’t super close, but it still hit hard. This wasn’t just paperwork—it was goodbye in disguise.

Noticing my reaction, he softened his voice, trying to console me. “Rea, everyone’s time comes. When it’s mine, don’t be too sad, okay? Your Aunt Abby and I will finally be with Narelle again. Our family will be whole. That’s something to be happy about.”

Hearing that crushed me. I finally understood the loneliness he’d been drowning in since losing Narelle. Every day must’ve felt like an endless void. He never talked about it, but his grief for her was carved deep into his soul.

My chest felt like it was in a vice. I squeezed his hand tight. “You still have me. You’re the only family I have left now.”

Sure, we shared blood, but we met so late in life; our bond had always felt fragile. He didn’t say anything else, but I knew. His will to keep going was dimming. Even though I was here, I wasn’t Narelle. He wanted to leave—to find her.

The only thing keeping Uncle Damien going was Aunt Abby’s fragile life. If I wanted him to hold on, there was only one option—saving her.

“Lena, can you reach out to Nate and ask for another favor?” I said, hoping she could help me. Aunt Abby’s fall was caused by a heart attack, and Nate was the guy for cardiology.

“Sure. He’s supposed to be back in a couple of days,” Lena agreed easily, though there was something in her expression I couldn’t quite read.

“Perfect,” I said, hope flickering to life. Nate had pulled off Yuna’s heart transplant—if anyone could give Aunt Abby a shot, it was him.

Lena gave me a faint smile before steering the conversation in another direction. “That little girl, Nina—she’s pretty pitiful. If you’re not ready to send her back, at least go check on her. When I dropped her off at the new place, she kept asking for you.”

Lena had moved Nina after teaming up with Sasha. She’d sent me the address, but I hadn’t visited yet. I hadn’t explained why I was keeping Nina away, but Lena clearly got it.

“Yeah, I will,” I said softly.

“Oh, and I reached out to those girls you mentioned,” Lena continued, pulling a file from her desk. “Most were unreachable, but three agreed to testify. Out of them, only one kept any solid evidence.”

She slid the file across the table. “Here. This is from her. See if it helps.”

I couldn’t wait to crack it open. Just a quick look, and I knew it was pure gold.

“Thank you so much, Lena.”

“I just want to see justice served—and maybe see you and Hayden finish taking out these scumbags. Then I’ll crash your wedding, eat all the good food, and toast to your happiness,” Lena teased, her smirk giving away how much she meant it.

I knew where she was coming from. She wanted to see me happy, to build the life I’d been dreaming of. But I couldn’t resist teasing her back. “What’s this, Lena? Is your back acting up so much you need a wedding feast for moral support?”

She rolled her eyes, playful as ever. “Exactly. I—”

A knock at the door cut her off. She called out, “Come in.” A delivery guy stepped in, holding a package. “Lena Lane? This is for you.”

Lena blinked. “Me?” She wasn’t an online shopping fan—she liked seeing and touching things before buying them. So, yeah, her confusion was written all over her face.