Chapter 5

Madelyn’s POV

A gentle silence descended upon the marble stones and well-kept grass in the cemetery as I walked in, wrapping everything in a kind of quiet that felt heavier than it should.

I missed my mom so much. She’s been gone for years, but the ache hadn’t faded at all. She died, and not even two weeks later, Nathan brought Fiona and Yolanda into our home.

I hated them for that.

I hadn’t slept in days, barely eaten anything either. My legs wobbled with every step, and honestly, I felt like I could collapse at any moment.

Heh. Collapsing right here in a cemetery didn’t even sound that bad. At least it would’ve saved me a few steps.

With nothing left, skipping straight to the end almost felt… fitting.

A few steps ahead, I noticed a middle-aged man kneeling before a grave. I frowned with curiosity.

Although his posture was formal and his suit was flawless, the way he wiped the picture on the stone suggested something much more intimate and unvarnished. Behind him, two bodyguards stood at a respectful distance, silent and taking in their surroundings.

The photograph showed a girl my age. My eyes gazed at it and I slowed my steps without realizing it.

The man’s eyes lifted, and the longing in the man’s eyes screams volumes of emotions. It was heavy with a grief I could almost feel. 

The man might have felt my gaze and our eyes met. I felt like I had interrupted his moment, and with burning cheeks of shame, I realized I was intruding. Quietly, I stepped aside and let him have his privacy.

By the time I reached my mother’s grave, my steps slowed. The flowers I brought last time were still there, wilted and brittle, pressed flat by time. 

Beside them lay the little vanilla-scented candle my mom used to love, now burned down to nothing.

No one had replaced them. Nathan had never come.

I knelt and gently brushed the dead petals aside, replacing them with fresh ones. My hands shook a little as I fixed them into place.

“Sorry, Mom,” I whispered, trying to smile even as my eyes stung. “Henry didn’t come with me today…”

The tears that had been gathering finally spilled over, slipping down my cheeks before I could stop them.

“I lost everything,” I breathed, voice cracking. “Everything.”

Henry. Carter. Even Dad. They all seemed to drift away from me, one by one, leaving an empty space I could not fill.

Henry flashed into my mind. He must miss me, too, just as I miss my mother. Wait, what if Henry had forgotten about me? Or thought I had forgotten about him?

My stomach churns at the thought that my son has been fed with lies and erased me from his life.

I grabbed my phone and quickly dialled the number that connects with Henry’s smartwatch. It rang, but the call was cancelled, so I dialled again.

‘The number you were trying to reach is either unattended or out of co–”

“Shit!” I turned the call off and tried again, but I can no longer reach him.

Either Yolanda or Carter confiscated Henry’s smartwatch! They must be so determined to sever every tie I have with Henry to reach this point. The smartwatch also acts as Henry’s GPS, and without it with him, I hope they won’t lose him in the mall or anywhere!

I tried again, but still no answer.

“Mom, I need to see Henry. I don’t know what to do.” I sobbed as I clutched the cold stone. “Even just a glimpse, I want to see if he is okay… how he is doing.”

What mansion, what money… none of it mattered. I only wanted my son. 

Even if he was Yolanda’s biological child, the years we spent together were real. The laughter he brought me was real. And now they tell me I do not deserve him. Why? On what grounds?

I wiped my tears and made up my mind. I would find my son. No matter what it took.

“Mom… please give me strength,” I whispered as I placed my forehead against her name. “Please protect Henry. Keep him safe.”

I finally stood and said goodbye, letting the wind carry my last plea.

I didn’t notice how long it took me to reach the road, how the world had shifted around me. My head was light, and I felt lost and out of it. My mind solely focuses on seeing Henry, even just a peak or a glimpse–anything to ease my worry.

The revving sound of a car made my eyes widen in shock. A few meters away, a car was speeding past its speed limit and rushing towards me! I was stunned, my feet frozen into the cemented ground.

My heart lurched, my hands gripped the railings.

The car was coming straight for me!

The world shrank for one terrifying heartbeat. My instinct is the only one running in my head, there was no thought. I shouldn’t stay frozen on my feet. I couldn't be hit!

The river waited below, and the railing felt chilly to the touch. And the car was still heading for me.

Then I moved.

I climbed, pushed off the bridge, and fell.

The air blew past me, ripping at my hair and clothes. I was falling, and the thought of drowning made my stomach drop. For a single, suspended heartbeat, the world seemed to tilt.

Is this how I’ll die?