Chapter 3

At the mention of Grandpa, tears instantly spilled from my eyes.

I was devastated by my brother's suicide too, but it did not hit me nearly as hard as Grandpa's death had.

After all, Grandpa had jumped right in front of me.

I cried so hard I could barely speak.

Seeing my condition, the police had no choice but to end the questioning. In the end, my brother's case was officially closed as a suicide caused by academic pressure.

However, not long after the officers left our house, they came rushing back.

Captain Kent Wright from the criminal investigation unit looked at me, clearly struggling to find the right words.

He stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice rough and hoarse.

"Y-you shouldn't grieve too hard.

"We just received news about your father, David Callahan. He... jumped into the river."

The color drained from my face instantly.

My body began trembling uncontrollably.

The police brought me to the riverside, where white police tape had already been set up around the area.

As the crowd saw me being escorted past the barricade by officers, whispers immediately spread through the onlookers.

"That's the son of the man who killed himself earlier, right? They look exactly alike."

"Sigh... what could drive someone that far? Leaving his own child behind like that."

"I heard his son committed suicide first. He couldn't take the shock and jumped into the river too."

"But didn't he have another son? How could he bear to abandon the other child too?"

Hearing those comments, my heart sank deeper and deeper.

I could not believe it.

Dad had always been terrified of water.

How could someone like him choose to jump into a river?

An officer patted my shoulder and handed me a phone. It was footage taken by a bystander at the scene.

In the video, Dad drove his car to the riverside.

He opened the door, got out, ran straight toward the bridge railing, and jumped.

Without hesitation.

Not even for a second.

The river surged violently beneath him, swallowing him whole almost instantly.

Watching the final moments of my father's life, I covered my mouth and broke down crying.

I knew better than anyone that Dad could not swim.

He was terrified of water.

Once he jumped into that raging river, there was no chance he could survive.

None at all.

I cried until my entire body shook.

In just a few days, I had lost my brother, my grandfather, and now my father too.

I collapsed onto the ground in despair, unable to understand why any of this was happening.

Kent looked at me seriously.

"Sam, I know you're in terrible pain right now, but you need to stay strong.

"Based on everything we've uncovered so far, the final message your brother left behind is the key.

"You need to tell us: what exactly did he say before he died?"

I was already on the verge of breaking down completely. Clutching my head, I screamed, "I don't know! I really don't know!"

If anyone wanted the answer, it was me.

More than anyone else, I wanted to know what my brother's final words were.

And why my father and grandfather had both chosen to die.

At that moment, my mother hurried over.

However, to my surprise, she accepted the news of Dad's suicide with unsettling calmness.

Her expression barely changed.