Chapter 6%
Could it be true….?
Franco didn’t dare follow the thought any further.
Just then, a call came in–from Leanna.>>
Irritated, he answered.&
“Franco… why did you leave? Every time I close my eyes, I see little Lolly’s face…. I’m so scared…“}
Normally, whenever Leanna used that soft, helpless tone, no matter where he was or what he was doing, Franco would drop everything and rush to her side.
But today, her voice grated on his nerves. Without a word of comfort, he found an excuse and hung up.
He tried calling Mara–again and again–but every time, the response was the same: The number you have dialed is unavailable.
A painful weight settled deep in his chest. He needed confirmation. He couldn’t believe it was all real.
He drove to Alec’s school.
The teacher looked at him with sympathy and quietly said, “My condolences.“}]
Alec had already been withdrawn from school. Mara had come herself, with a death certificate.
Franco stared at the copy, eyes wide and unblinking–until his composure shattered.}
“I heard the poor child ran into the road chasing a car,” the teacher said softly. “He was in the truck’s blind spot… it was all so sudden. Such a tragedy.”
Instantly, his mind buzzed with noise.
The memory of that day flashed through his head: Alec sobbing, begging him to go save Mara.}
But the dog had gone into shock. Leanna had collapsed in a panic. So he shoved Alec aside in his rush to help her.
He hadn’t even looked back.
He hadn’t noticed Alec running after the car.
He hadn’t seen his son vanish behind the wheels of a truck.
Franco slumped to the ground, trembling.
He had killed all three of his children.
-0
Meanwhile, I had returned to the old house in North Carolina.
Ever since my mother passed, the little courtyard had been abandoned.}
I carefully placed the white porcelain urn down, then began to clean the overgrown yard.
Weeds had taken over the place. I went to the neighbor next door–Mrs. Walter–to borrow a sickle.
She recognized me immediately, her smile warm and genuine.}
“You’re the Thatcher family’s daughter, right? My goodness, it’s been over ten years. You look just like your mother did when she was young!”
I smiled sheepishly.
She went on, “I heard your father came back once after his second marriage. He said you married some fancy overseas–returned doctor and had a son. You’re very happy, so we thought you’d never come back again.”
The smile froze on my lips. I lowered my voice and said, “We divorced. And… the child is gone.“}
Mrs. Walter swallowed her remaining words and silently fetched the sickle from the shed.
As I pulled weeds, her words kept echoing in my mind.
Have I been happy these years?}
Maybe in the first few years of our marriage, I was.}
That was, until I found out Franco had never truly cut ties with Leanna.
Before that, I had never doubted his love for me.”
He once loved me so gently, so thoroughly–his love had been woven into the tiniest details of our lives.
Because of my job, I had to wear high heels every day. From the very first day we were together, he had stashed a pair of soft flats in the trunk of his car, just for me.”
He always remembered my period, kept sanitary pads and brown sugar water ready before I even needed to ask.
He knew I was afraid of the cold. Even when work was busy, he’d calculate exactly when I’d be home and use his phone to remotely turn on the heater in advance.
It was precisely because I knew so well what it looked like when he truly loved me that I noticed the shift the moment it began.”
He hadn’t resumed contact with Leanna out of nowhere. Part of it was that he truly did love me and had rejected her many times. The other part was that Leanna hadn’t been confident enough back then, so she didn’t dare act recklessly.
When I gave birth to Alec, it was Franco who performed the surgery.}
Even as I was wheeled into the operating room, I could sense something was off–he seemed distracted.”
2/2
600%
After the birth, the room was filled with friends and relatives. Everyone was there.
Except him.
It wasn’t until I checked my phone that I found out–Leanna had slit her wrists.
12:06 AM
