Chapter 5

"Yvie, there's nothing in this world I worry about more than Nathan," Mom wrote. "He grew up without a father, and although he may seem carefree on the outside, he's actually afraid of being alone more than anyone knows.

"You've always been the levelheaded one, so when he gets stubborn, be patient with him. Don't hold his temper against him. From now on, please take good care of him for me."

There was another line beneath it, the ink even fainter than before.

"Colin, I have one more thing to ask of you. Nathan may seem stubborn, but he's softhearted underneath it all.

"The two of you are like brothers, so when I'm gone, I want you both to look after each other and live well. Then I'll be able to rest easy, wherever I am."

Tears streamed down my face, soaking the paper. I couldn't bring myself to read any further.

Even at the very end, Mom had been saying good things about Yvonne. She was still worrying about me and Colin, asking us to look after each other.

She had no idea how badly she'd misjudged the people she'd trusted.

Before I could even collect myself, I saw Yvonne and Colin hurrying down the hallway.

Yvonne looked furious. The moment she saw me, she strode over.

"Nathan, what the hell did you do?" she demanded. "Even Ms. Brooks isn't answering her phone. What did you say to her?"

Colin followed close behind, looking visibly disappointed. "Nathan, I know you're angry with us, but your mom is sick. You can't make her worry about you too. Besides, we've already found another venue. This time, everything will go smoothly. We really do want to make Ms. Brooks' wish come true."

Yvonne grew even more irritated when I didn't respond.

"Stop acting like this," she snapped. "I gave you a chance to calm down yesterday, but you were the one who insisted on making a scene. And now you're hiding at the hospital, expecting Ms. Brooks to take your side. Nathan, when are you going to grow up?"

I looked at her, suddenly feeling so exhausted that even trying to explain myself felt pointless.

"Yvonne, my mom's dead," I said quietly, almost with a bitter smile.

The hallway fell silent.

Yvonne's face went pale, then she raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

My head snapped to the side, and my ears rang.

Yvonne froze too. She stared at her hand, a flicker of regret crossing her face, but she still refused to back down.

"I didn't mean to hit you, but you went too far," she said. "How can you say something like that just to force me to apologize? Ms. Brooks is still in the hospital. How could you curse her like that?"

For the first time, Colin looked genuinely shaken.

"Nathan, I'm so disappointed in you," he said, his eyes turning red. "Ms. Brooks has always said you were the most considerate and kind-hearted person she could ask for. How could you joke about her life like that?"

My voice came out colder than I'd expected.

"Then why did you joke about my wedding yesterday?" I shot back.

Colin's expression stiffened. He lowered his head and began to cry.

"I know I was wrong," he said, voice trembling. "But I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was just nervous. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull off the whole thing, so Yvie came out with me to help me relax. We never thought we'd end up being gone for so long—"

Yvonne stepped in front of him before he could finish.

"Enough!" she said, then turned toward me. "Colin already feels terrible about it. Will you only be satisfied after driving everyone to an emotional breakdown?"

I chuckled, only to realize that tears were already rolling down my cheeks.

"He feels terrible?" I echoed. "And yet he took couple photos with you while wearing my groomsman's suit."

Yvonne's eyes flickered.

"Are you done? We've spent the past two days running around trying to fix everything," she said, her voice suddenly less certain. "We've already arranged another wedding venue. This time, we'll make sure Ms. Brooks is happy."

My vision blurred, and I was about to say something when the doctor stepped out of the office. "Mr. Kiehl, there's just one more signature needed on Sharon Brooks' death certificate."

A thick, suffocating silence filled the hallway as the color slowly drained from Yvonne and Colin's faces.