Chapter 6

I accidentally made eye contact with Silas, but he quickly looked away. His expression remained calm and unreadable.

For some reason, I was afraid he'd seen us like that, so I quickly pushed Charlie away.

Only then did Charlie notice Silas sitting by the campfire. He managed to calm himself down and asked, "Were you the one who saved Josie?"

Silas didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the herders.

Charlie didn't press him for an answer. He simply turned to the bodyguard beside him and ordered, "Go give him a check as a thank-you."

Then he took my hand and held it tightly. "Josie, I'm sorry. I failed to protect you this time. I promise it won't happen again."

His words made my heart ache.

Many years ago, Charlie had gently stroked my hair and said to my parents, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of Josie. She'll always be my precious princess."

For all those years, Charlie had kept that promise. But after he met Alya, he stopped choosing me.

I was in a hurry to bring my parents' bodies home, so I didn't say anything more. I quietly returned to the car.

We drove along a wide road. Gradually, buildings began to appear on both sides, and we were getting close to a residential area.

Following the directions provided by the church, we soon arrived at an old building. The church in Everpeak looked a little different from those in other places.

My eyes slowly filled with tears. When I finally saw the elder who had taken care of my parents' remains, I could no longer hold back my tears.

His voice was gentle and calm as he handed me a small voice recorder. "Ms. Souza, I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents left this for you before they passed away."

Charlie stood behind me with one hand resting on my shoulder. The elder led us to the room inside the church where my parents' bodies were being kept.

By then, tears were streaming down my face. I was sobbing so hard that I could barely catch my breath.

The elder quietly recited a few prayers.

My nose burned, and I was so overwhelmed with grief that my legs felt weak. Charlie comforted me in a low voice as he played the recording for me.

My father had always been the stronger and healthier one between my parents. Yet now, his voice sounded painfully weak.

He murmured my name and took several quick, shallow breaths before speaking, "Josie, from today on, your mom and I won't be able to stay by your side anymore. But please don't be too sad. I know you've always been a crybaby since you were little, so I'm sure you're crying as you listen to this. But don't be sad, sweetheart. At least your mom and I were together in our final moments.

"We first met here, in Everpeak. We always regretted that we never got to hold our wedding beneath the snowy mountains. In the end, we still didn't get that chance, but at least we made this trip together. That means something to us. It's such a shame that we won't be there to see you through the rest of your life. We won't get to see you walk down the aisle and get married.

"But we aren't afraid of death. So please, don't grieve too much. We don't want you to hurt yourself by being too sad. We believe Charlie will take good care of you in our place.

"Your mom and I have gone ahead to the next life to prepare a home for you. We're sorry we have to leave you behind. Josie, don't be afraid of this brief separation."