Chapter 2

"What?" I asked.

Having just woken up, my mind was still a blur.

It wasn't until Delia's voice came again, broken and desperate, that my heart plummeted.

"Amy, Asher… he's dead. What should I do? Amara, what am I supposed to do?"

After pressing her for details, I learned that Asher had indeed turned back halfway and stayed at home for the rest of the day, just like I'd told him to.

But around midnight, their neighbor, Lizzie Turner, suddenly hemorrhaged during a difficult childbirth and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Lizzie's husband wasn't at home, leaving only an elderly mother-in-law who had mobility issues. The mother-in-law had limped all the way next door to wake Asher up.

A life was at stake, so he had no choice but to drive Lizzie to the hospital.

But on his way back, the stone bridge at the town entrance suddenly collapsed, crushing both him and his car underneath.

As it was the middle of the night, no one noticed. By the time Delia and their son, Jasper, found him, he had already stopped breathing.

A crushing helplessness washed over me. That bridge had been perfectly fine in my past life, so why now?

Why? Could it be that Dad's warning was actually real?

I didn't have time to dwell on it further. I hurriedly packed and rushed back to town.

When I arrived, Asher's body had already been prepared for the funeral.

Delia knelt in the funeral hall with Jasper, her face deathly pale. She stared blankly at Asher's portrait, her eyes completely lifeless.

In my past life, Dad had warned me three times. The first was about Asher, the second about Jasper, and the third about Billy.

With this thought running through my head, I grabbed Delia's hand tightly, urgency in my voice.

"Delia, Asher is gone, but you still have Jasper. Listen to me—keep a close eye on him. Nothing can happen to him!"

Hearing my words, her deadened eyes slowly focused on me.

"It's you! You got Asher killed, didn't you?" she suddenly screamed as she glared at me.

"He was supposed to gather herbs yesterday, but he suddenly turned around halfway because you told him not to leave the house for three days! If he'd gone out of town yesterday, nothing would've happened to him last night! It's all your fault! It's you! Why don't you go die instead!"

Screaming, she lunged at me, hands clamping around my neck with all her strength. I struggled to pry her hands away, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't loosen her grip.

Just as I was about to run out of breath, Felix shoved her aside and pulled me behind him.

I gasped for air, my throat burning with pain.

Felix stood in front of me, radiating cold anger. He stared at Delia.

"Asher just died, so I know you're upset. But what does this have to do with Amara? Asher was her brother. Why would she want to kill him? Can you use your brain and really think about it?"

Delia froze. The viciousness in her eyes faded into confusion. "Right… Asher is her brother… Why would Amara want to kill her own brother?"

I clutched my chest. As soon as I caught my breath, and without hesitation, I warned her, "Delia, leave Asher's funeral arrangements to me. You take Jasper to your parents' house immediately. Keep a close eye on him. Don't leave him alone. You have to watch him carefully!"

Delia stared at me helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

"Amy, do you know something? What on earth is going on? Before the accident, Asher said you told him not to leave the house, no matter what. Did you predict that something was going to happen to him, and that was why you called him?"

"Amy… is Jasper…" she started, before looking into my tired eyes and nodding.

"Don't worry, Amy. Jasper is Asher's only child. I'll protect him. I'll take him with me right now. As for the rest… I'll leave it to you and Felix!"

After Delia left, Felix and I, with my nerves stretched tight, handled the rest of Asher's funeral arrangements.

Once everything was done and we returned home, it felt as if all the strength in my body had drained away at once. I couldn't even lift a finger.

Right then, Billy ran to me excitedly, holding up a certificate. "Mommy, the teacher said I've improved! I got a certificate!"

I ruffled his hair, but before I could speak, Dad's voice suddenly rang out again.

"Amara, Blackrock Tunnel… Jasper… Save him…"

I bolted upright. Billy was startled by my sudden movement and shrank back into the corner of the couch, staring at me fearfully. But I had no time to reassure him. I grabbed the phone from the table and dialed Delia's number.

The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered.

"Amy, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Not waiting for her to say more, I blurted out, "Are you nearing the Blackrock Tunnel right now? Quick! Find the nearest rest stop and get out! You're in danger!"

"Danger?"

Once she caught what I said, she hurriedly turned to the driver. "Quick! There's a rest stop about half a mile ahead. We need to go there!"

I had just breathed a sigh of relief when a hoarse male voice suddenly cut in from the other end.

"You only realized it now? Too late."

And suddenly, the line went dead, leaving only a busy signal.