Chapter 280

I froze, completely stunned. I knew Aunt Abby’s condition had been critical; if she’d passed, I could’ve braced myself for it. But Uncle Damien? He’d been fine. How could he be gone, just like that?

“H–how did my uncle… what happened?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“It’s better if you come here. We’ll explain everything,” the nurse said before hanging up abruptly.

I stared at the phone for a long moment, struggling to process the call. The initial shock gave way to a growing wave of unease, one that dragged me back to the day I lost my parents.

I remember it like it was yesterday. The day had been so sunny, so perfect, it felt almost cruel. My teacher was mid-lesson when the homeroom teacher came in, whispered something, and pulled me out of class.

Standing outside was Matthew. The moment he saw me, he wrapped me in a hug and said softly, “Keira, you still have us from now on.”

Even as a kid, I knew something was wrong. “Mr. Johnston, what happened?”

His eyes filled with tears as he looked at me. “Your parents… they’re gone.”

I didn’t understand. Or maybe I refused to. “Gone? What do you mean, gone?” I asked, trying to make sense of it.

Matthew gently stroked my head. “Gone means they’re no longer here. It means… you’ll never see them again.”

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. “Not even one of them?” I asked, my voice trembling, barely a whisper.

Instead of answering, he just hugged me tighter.

Losing both parents at once—there aren’t words for a pain like that. I never imagined I’d feel it twice in one lifetime. Fate sure has its way of showing me its “favor,” doesn’t it?

Even though Uncle Damien and Aunt Abby weren’t close to me—honestly, we’d never even had a proper meal together—they were still family. And losing them so suddenly still hit hard.

When I arrived at the hospital, the sight of their bodies covered in white sheets knocked the air out of me.

“Ms. Kay, please confirm their identities, and then we’ll explain what happened,” the doctor and nurse said gently.

I didn’t have the courage to step forward, but I knew I had to. This wasn’t something I could avoid—it was life and death.

When my parents passed, I never got to see them one last time, and that regret lingered for years. I used to wonder, What if? Since I hadn’t seen their bodies, could it be possible they weren’t really gone? Maybe they’d disappeared, hiding somewhere, like those miraculous stories you read in books.

Now, standing in front of Uncle Damien and Aunt Abby, I couldn’t avoid it. I had to see for myself. Slowly, I raised my hand.

As I reached for the sheet, fear washed over me, stronger than anything I’d ever felt. It wasn’t fear of the dead. It was fear of the finality of loss.

My hands trembled as I lifted the edge of the sheet. There they were—Uncle Damien and Aunt Abby. Their faces were serene, as if they were simply asleep.

This was the first time in my life I had seen someone who’d passed away. It wasn’t scary. Not at all.

But that calmness on their faces only made the grief in my chest heavier, more unbearable. I couldn’t look any longer. Gently covering them again, I turned and hurried out of the room.

The nurse followed. “Their hands were clasped together the whole time. Someone saw them before they passed—they were smiling.”

Her words calmed me, little by little. She guided me to the doctor’s office.

“I deeply apologize, Ms. Kay. This was our oversight. We didn’t realize it would lead to such actions,” the doctor said.

Chapter 781