“Sam, from now on, it will be just you. Poor child… don’t be afraid of loneliness.”
“Mommy, no… please don’t!”
“I’m sorry… please forgive my cowardice. Your father spent his whole life teaching me two things.”
“One is to be strong, and the other is love. Unfortunately, I failed at both. Looking back, I was such a failure as a mother…”
“No, you are the best mother in the world. I have always been grateful to you.”
Many times, she endured silently on her own.
Whenever he made a mistake, Gracie appeared to be the disciplinarian, but she would always apply medicine to his wounds and kiss his forehead after he fell asleep.
He knew, he knew it all!
Gracie was genuinely happy; her son had praised her.
It was the first time, but sadly, it would also be the last.
Sam had already tasted loss today; now he was physically and mentally exhausted, with no courage to face another blow.
“Don’t die, Mommy… I only have you. I won’t let you die.”
Sam commanded her domineeringly, while tears fell like rain, continuously dripping down.
From soft sobs to loud wails, his helplessness was heart-wrenching.
Gracie felt heartbroken too, but she did not regret her choice.
She lived for Gregory. If he hadn’t saved her back then, she would have died long ago.
Now that Gregory was dead, the pillar supporting her entire spiritual world had collapsed.
Continuing to live would be like a walking corpse; it was better to follow him early. Only their child would suffer…
Gracie suddenly coughed up blood. With her last breath, she looked at Sam pleadingly.
“Don’t say anything more. I won’t let you die, definitely not.”
“I’ll go find Iker. I’ll surrender and accept punishment… I don’t want anything but you!”
Sam desperately tried to carry her to seek help, but Gracie clung tightly to Gregory and refused to let go. His weak body couldn’t support both of them.
Falling helplessly, Sam’s glasses flew far away, and his vision blurred.
Was it rain?
Was it tears?
Or was it her blood…
He couldn’t tell.
Why was heaven so cruel, refusing to give a repentant person a second chance?
“Sam, since I’m about to die, promise me three things… okay?”
“Don’t talk anymore, please. Don’t leave me alone.”
“First, take care of yourself.”
“I can’t. Without you, I’ll just stay up all night and drink myself into insomnia. I need you to watch over me.”
“You’re being childish again, just as cute as when you were little.”
Gracie seemed to recall how he used to throw tantrums to avoid going to kindergarten and smiled.
“Second, let go of hatred and get along with your brother. Stop targeting him; he actually has far less than you.”
Sam quickly agreed to the second point.
“Okay, I promise you.”
“I knew it; you do care about him.”
Sam denied it stubbornly: “I don’t. It’s only for your sake…”
As long as Gracie didn’t leave him, he would agree to any conditions!
Gracie’s third condition was simple: bury her with Gregory.
She turned to look at her beloved man, her stunning face showing rare shyness.
“This way, in my next life… I can marry him.”
“Yes, I promise you,” Sam nodded tearfully.
Gracie could finally leave in peace. She wanted to touch her son’s face one last time.
“Don’t be sad for me… everything is my…” willing choice.
Before she could finish her words and just as her fingers touched his chin, they fell lifelessly from mid-air.
“Mommy!”
Sam cried out in pain. His desolate and sorrowful voice echoed through the burnt wilderness, startling birds and beasts into flight.
On the same day, he lost both his father and mother.
From then on, he was alone in the world.
The woman in his arms looked as if she were merely asleep.
Her red dress had long been stained with blood, dazzling the entire spring.
Gracie’s life: born for love, died for love; loving deeply without fear of life or death.
Sam knew her greatest wish. Bearing his inner pain, he carefully placed her beside his father, letting them sleep side by side with their fingers intertwined.
“Father, in the dwelling place of the dead, you must make it up to Mommy.”
“Mommy, I’ll listen to everything you said. Don’t worry.”
Before, Gracie had used her hands to dig out a lifeline for him;
Now it was his turn to fulfill his filial duty and let his parents rest in peace.
The relentless rain poured down harder; Sam had no more tears left.
Like an emotionless machine, he mechanically dug the soil until his ten fingers were raw without feeling any pain.
Just as he was about to bury his parents, a letter fell from his father’s pocket when he moved him.
“What is this?”
As Sam bent down to pick up the letter, a young man in black appeared behind him without warning.
The man pointed a gun at the back of his head.
“Give me the letter, now!”
He spoke harshly.
Sam didn’t dare turn around. Holding the letter in one hand, he spoke to the man behind him.
“It seems this letter is very important to you.”
“Yes!”
The man had completed his mission and was about to board a ship when he suddenly remembered he hadn’t retrieved the letter.
It was something his superiors had repeatedly emphasized must be obtained.
If it fell into third-party hands, it would be disastrous.
Helplessly, he had returned only to find that the one who had slipped through earlier was now right in front of him.
He hadn’t intended to kill anyone but had no choice now.
Initially thinking Sam could escape and he could report that Sam had died of illness on Dragon Serpent Isle,
But now… he still gave Sam a choice.
“There are two paths. Do you want to hear them?”
“Go ahead.”
“First, give me the letter and I’ll spare your life. But after leaving here, you must never mention today’s events!”
“Second, I’ll kill you and take the letter.”
Both ways achieved his goal; only the process differed slightly.
After hearing his options, Sam laughed. His laughter was wild and piercing.
“Hahaha… hahahaha.”