Chapter 2

Ben seemed more desperate than I was to find out what the secret was.

On the seventh day after Hank's passing, Betty drank excessively out of grief. In her drunken haze, she started ranting and raving incoherently. Seizing the opportunity, Ben managed to coax the secret out of her.

Betty spoke very softly, so he had to lean in close to hear her. But almost immediately after he had heard it, the same terrified expression that had been on Edith's and Hank's faces appeared on his own.

I watched this horrifying scene unfold. Unable to wait any longer, I questioned him. "So? What's the secret? Why are you and Betty both so terrified?"

However, Ben didn't answer me. It was as though he had been scared senseless. He merely stood there while holding Betty up.

Utterly anxious, I walked over and leaned toward Betty myself. I wanted to hear it directly from her, but Ben's reaction shocked me even more.

Tears began flowing from his eyes, like a broken dam. Not only that, he looked terrified and helpless.

Then, Ben actually pushed me, forcing me away from Betty.

Frantic, I said, "Why are you pushing me? I'm pregnant! What did Betty say? Why are you keeping me from hearing it?"

But no matter how I questioned him, Ben refused to answer.

His eyes were full of sorrow as he looked at me. "I really wish you will never learn this secret."

I stood there in a daze. I didn't understand what kind of secret could make my boyfriend's entire family fall into despair. Why were they all so terrified after hearing it? Why did Hank take his own life the moment he found out?

At that moment, I realized Betty had sobered up without us noticing. Her eyes were vacant as she stared at us.

She chuckled bitterly. Her face was haggard and anguished. Then, gradually, Betty's bitter chuckling morphed into maniacal laughter.

She grabbed Ben's hand, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.

"You insisted on hearing it yourself, Ben. Now, you'll have to live in pain, just like me," Betty said.

I was completely devastated. I couldn't understand how things had come to this.

I had come here happily, bearing gifts, and excited to meet my boyfriend's family. I had thought our days ahead would become more joyful.

Ben was a good man. He was emotionally stable and had a gentle temperament. In the three years we had been together, we had never once had an argument.

Ben's family was just like him—gentle and warm.

Edith was kind. Hank and Betty were deeply in love with each other. They usually spoke kindly to each other and had never had a single fight.

Ben often spoke about me in front of his family. He also said they all liked me and looked forward to meeting me.

Edith, in particular, was very fond of me. She would frequently give Ben money to buy me gifts. She even told him to be patient with me and treat me tenderly. Additionally, she often sent me local specialties and asked about my well-being.

However, everything changed the moment I said I was pregnant.

Edith took her own life on the spot, and Hank followed her soon after. Betty fell into despair and spent her days in a daze. Even Ben became quiet and withdrawn, as though he were carrying an unbearable burden.

I felt as though the whole world was against us, refusing to let us live in peace for even a single day. When I would feel mentally and emotionally exhausted, I would often wonder—what exactly was the secret that Edith had left behind?

It turned out I wasn't the only one with that question, especially after the neighbors shared this incident online.