Chapter 253

“How about a classic?” Abigail asked Soren.

“Of course. Just name the song and I’ll move it to the top of the queue for you,” Soren said immediately.

“As You Wish by Elara Wynne,” she said.

“Wow, great choice,” Soren exclaimed. “Jace, request ‘As You Wish’ and bump it to the top.” With that, he went to grab another microphone.

Elara’s vocal prowess commanded admiration from nearly all music lovers. Sebastian leaned in, asking, “Do you like this song?”

Abigail nodded. “I do.”

While the two of them chatted quietly, one of Soren’s singer friends nearby muttered under his breath, “Is she seriously picking that just to impress Seb?”

Elara’s divine voice commanded universal admiration in the music industry; even professional singers wouldn’t dare to take on her songs lightly. To others, it seemed like Abigail had deliberately chosen this song to impress Sebastian.

Soren scowled and snapped, “Seb hasn’t said a word, so who the hell are you barking at? This isn’t a concert, so she can sing whatever she wants. Keep running your mouth and I’ll knock your teeth in.”

Even if they didn’t like Abigail, they’d keep it buried deep down out of respect for Sebastian. Before long, it was Abigail’s turn to sing.

They had assumed it was just for show, but the moment her voice rang out, the room fell into stunned silence. Her voice wasn’t as flawless as Elara’s, but they could tell she’d put her heart into practicing this song for a long time.

Mid-song, Sebastian noticed Abigail’s eyes brimming with tears and, in that moment, came to understand why she had chosen this song. He grasped her hand, squeezing it tighter than usual.

Midway through, as she paused to catch her breath, she turned to Sebastian, her eyes shining with a peaceful, relieved smile, as if a weight had finally been lifted from her heart.

As the song ended, Soren was the first to break into applause. Everyone else quickly followed suit and clapped. Soren said sincerely, “What a performance. No vocal tricks, it’s all just pure, raw emotion.”

“Thank you,” Abigail replied modestly as she set down the microphone. James and Warren came over and squeezed onto the couch, making Soren, who had been sitting on the other sofa, move aside.

“Actually, when I first came to live with the Gibson family, Grandpa was always swamped with work. But on the rare occasions he had time off, he’d take me shopping, buy me snacks, and watch these shows with me..."

“Ms. Sanders from the orphanage also liked to play these shows for us. I secretly loved them, and somehow, he always knew.” Abigail seemed to be explaining why she chose to sing the song.

She still remembers how, when the rest of the Gibson family went traveling, Wyatt would return from business trips to find her feeling left out, and they would curl up together on the living room sofa watching those shows.

Those days were like old photographs. She could still see his smile etched in every faded frame. To her, those days were a treasure so precious that she could spend a lifetime savoring this memory.

She sighed quietly before going on. “Grandpa was the only one who tried to understand my past. He’d take me to the kind of store I could go to when I was in the orphanage."

“He learned about my habits, my world. He never tried to change me into some picture-perfect heiress.”

As she spoke, her nose turned red, and her voice was barely above a whisper. “I practiced that song for so long, hoping one day I could sing it for him. Three years ago, I missed my chance. And now, three years later, I’ve missed it again.”

Sebastian held her hand tightly, the tenderness in his eyes reflecting just how much her words had touched him.

“He can hear you now,” Warren said gently. “They say when someone dies, it’s not really the end of their lives; it’s when we forget them that they truly disappear from this world.”

Abigail blinked rapidly, fighting back her tears. “Thank you. My dream has finally come true.”

Sebastian gently brushed away the tear at the corner of her eye with his fingertip. He said softly, “Your grandpa must be listening quietly.”

Abigail nodded. “This is the last time I’ll mention him. I won’t bring him up in front of you again.”

She knew clinging to grief wasn’t healthy. Constant sorrow could wear on people–it wasn’t fair to those who cared about her.

“It’s only been two months. Missing him is completely normal,” Sebastian murmured, his fingers lingering against the last trace of her tears. That faint wetness felt like it soaked into him, straight through the skin and into his bones.

He knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one.

James teased from the side, “Missing your loved ones is totally normal, so don’t hold it in. If Seb ever thinks you’re too much to handle, just dump him and find someone who really gets you.”

Sebastian kicked him under the table. “Shut up. Other people might not get her, but I’m not that guy!"