The sky was a bleak, washed-out gray. Sleet and biting windshed together, making the world seem even colder and more oppressive to Evadne.


    An hourter, her grandfather''s ck sedan rolled to a stop outside Wye Cemetery.


    The door opened, and Mr. Murray stepped out, holding an umbre. He helped Hamilton, frail and shuffling, down from the car. The old man refused the wheelchair, insisting on walking into the cemetery on his own unsteady legs.


    "Ms. Evadne, Wye Cemetery isn''t exactly some prestigious resting ce. It''s mostly ordinary folks buried here. With Mr. Hamilton''s wealth, would he really have any friends among them?" Jason watched Hamilton''s stooped figure moving away, puzzlement written on his face. “And who could this person possibly be, that Mr. Hamilton would brave this kind of weather, refusing even his wheelchair, just to pay his respects? I''m getting more and more curious."


    Evadne''s gaze lingered on the bleakndscape outside, her expression unreadable. After a moment''s hesitation, she slipped out of the car and quietly followed behind them.


    She trailed them through the cemetery, unnoticed.


    She wasn''t sure how much time had passed before her grandfather and Mr. Murray finally stopped in front of a headstone. They bowed low, thenid a bouquet of white daisies at its base.


    Evadne hung back, too far away to read the name or see the photograph on the grave.


    Most people visited graves in the morning, but her grandfather had chosen this cold, lonely afternoon. There was something odd about that.


    "Mr. Frederic, the cold isn''t good for your lungs. Let''s go back," Mr. Murray said anxiously, stripping off his overcoat and draping it over the old man''s shoulders.


    Hamilton coughed, his voice little more than a whisper. "I''m all right.”


    He stared at the photo of the girl on the headstone, her smile forever bright. His voice was hoarse, ground down by guilt. "She was such a good child. I failed her. Our whole family failed her...


    I don''t even know if I''ll live to see this day next year. So... just let me stay with her a little longer."


    Hidden behind the gnarled trunk of a tree, Evadne felt a dull ache twist in her chest.


    Before she could process her feelings, a woman approached a middle-aged figure with snow-white hair, dressed in in, worn clothes. Her eyes were bloodshot and fierce as she fixed her re on Hamilton.


    "You!" she spat. "You actually have the nerve to visit my daughter?"


    Mr. Murray stepped forward protectively, wary and ready to defend Hamilton, but the old man gently brushed him aside.


    Evadne''s heart thudded so hard she thought it might burst.


    "Mrs. Cooper," Hamilton said, his tone weighted with remorse. "I''ve been carrying this guilt for years. Nora worked for our family. She was diligent, bright, and kind- everyone loved her."


    He took a shaky step closer, the lines of regret etched deep in his face. “After the ident, our family couldn''t escape me, no matter how much time has passed. I''ve never been able to let go of Nora''s memory.


    I want to say again... I''m so sorry."


    With trembling hands, he bowed deeply before her.<feb> Content originallyes from Find_Novel(.</feb>


    "An ident?" Mrs. Cooper let out a brokenugh, tears streaming down her face. "If it was just an ident, would you be sneaking around here, paying secret visits to my child''s grave? You know exactly how Nora died.


    She was murdered-by your beloved Thaddeus!"


    The words hit Evadne like a thunderp. Her eyes went wide with shock.


    Nora, Mrs. Cooper''s daughter, had been a housemaid for the Abernathy family, and supposedly died in an ident. But now Mrs. Cooper was using Chad?


    Mr. Murray stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Mrs. Cooper! Mr. Frederic sympathizes with your loss, but you need evidence for usations like that. Otherwise, we''ll have no choice but to pursue legal action for nder."


    Hamilton said nothing, his lips pressed in a thin, mournful line.


    Mrs. Cooperughed bitterly, her voice raw. "It''s been twenty years! You had her body cremated right away—what evidence could possibly be left? Your family used its power to cover everything up, just to protect your deranged eldest son. You bribed and threatened us, took my husband and son hostage to force me to stay silent about Nora''s death...


    For two decades, I''ve swallowed my grief and lived in hell, all to keep my family safe. Every night, I see my daughter in my dreams, begging me to get justice for her..."


    She broke down, sobbing and pounding her fists against her chest. "I failed her! I don''t deserve to be her mother. If I can''t get justice for Nora, how can I ever face her in the next life?"


    A bitter wind swept through the cemetery, making Evadne shiver. Her gaze grew dark.


    Mrs. Cooper wept andughed in turns, teetering on the edge of despair as she confronted the family of her enemy. "Now my husband is bedridden-he has only months left. My son died in a car crashst month. I have no one left in this


    world.


    All I want now is justice for Nora! I want Thaddeus to finally admit what he did and


    pay for his crime!"


    Evadne''s heart twisted with sorrow.


    A mother outliving her children-what a cruel fate.


    But what gnawed at Evadne even more was the question: Chad had only been fourteen back then. How could a boy so young have killed a grown woman?


    ernest


    "Mrs. Cooper, understand your pain..." Hamilton''s breath rattled in his chest as he gripped his heart, struggling to speak. “But your daughter''s death truly was an ident. My grandson... had nothing to do with it."