Chapter 509

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Fiona said earnestly , “ Gordon said he wanted to visit our old house . He missed that place . ”
Irene and Heidi exchanged hesitant glances , torn between options . After all , having the funeral in Hareigh would be more practical for everyone ,
Jonathan said firmly , “ We’ll follow Grandma’s wishes .”
Jonathan left them no room for objection . He had someone drive them back , and Irene and Heidi supported Fiona as they walked .
On the way , Heidi said sadly , “ He just reunited with Mom . Why ? ”
Irene sighed and said , “ Dad’s wish was fulfilled . He’s at peace now .”
From the moment they reunited , Fiona and Gordon only spent five days together . To Gordon , knowing Fiona was alive brought him peace .
Once Gordon finally felt relieved , his body reacted all at once , like years of pain and struggle erupting in a last release . His time was almost up , but the happiness of that reunion made him hold on for just a few more days .
Gordon passed away the day before Halloween .
At the old house where they got married , Irene and Heidi told Fiona that he had been living alone all these years . They only came around during
holidays . However , they never really spent time with him because he always got violent.
They felt annoyed , but they didn’t bring themselves to leave their dad alone . Now that Gordon was gone , they could finally have a break . They didn’t have to worry about him losing his temper and getting lost anymore .
Fiona remained silent , no matter what Irene and Heidi said .
After coming back , she saw all the old stuff . Back then , they didn’t even have wedding photos , and even a single – color photo was a luxury . She saw her comb and clothes still in the wardrobe , which smelled musty when opened .
Fiona gripped the wardrobe doors tightly , breathing in the smell . She then slowly slid down , burying her head , crying quietly .
Memories overwhelmed her . And only now did Fiona seem to truly accept the cruel fact that Gordon had already died .
Still unwilling to let go , she stroked a wrinkled suit of Gordon’s , tears welling up . “ I haven’t forgiven you . Why did you leave so soon ? How am I supposed to live without you ? ”
“ Mom , shall we get up first ? Dad surely didn’t want to see you so sad if he were still here .” Irene and Heidi gently helped Fiona to her feet .
Shortly after , Edward and George arrived as well .
Edward , who had barely known Gordon and felt little connection , walked over to Heidi and asked , “ Is Grandpa dead ? When’s the funeral ? ”
Heidi shot him a glare . “ I’ll tell you later . Just go wait outside . ”
Edward covered his mouth with one hand , sensing the heavy atmosphere . He silently lowered his head and stepped outside .
Edward heard the loud sobbing from the room and felt a bit guilty , wondering if he could do anything . However , crying for someone he didn’t feel close to just didn’t come naturally
Miriam texted Edward , and he filled her in on what happened .
Edward : [ My grandpa died . I’m home now , waiting for the funeral . ]
Miriam : [ Your grandpa ? You mean Jonathan is also- ]
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Edward : [ Jonathan is not here . He’s probably dealing with the funeral . [
Miriam told Teresa about what happened and asked , “ Did you hear that Jonathan’s grandpa Gordon passed away ? ”
Teresa was stunned . Gordon had just reunited with Fiona , and she had been there too that day . As they left , Fiona told her she looked pretty . She was sa shocked to hear the news .
She thought , ‘ No wonder the receptionist said Jonathan wasn’t in when I went to see him . It turned out he was heading home ”
She wanted to ask if he was okay , but she hesitated before sending the message . After thinking for a while , she decided not to disturb him .
According to local customs in Nareigh , funerals lasted three days , with close relatives present , taking care of guests . Jonathan and Edward , as the only young boys here , should help .
Suddenly , unbearable pressure crushed Teresa’s chest , suffocating her with anxiety until Jennifer came to her , telling her to get ready to go back to Chesburg for Halloween .
Teresa didn’t have the right to stop Jennifer from going home for Halloween . She didn’t want to argue with her , so she just tried to stay calm .
Teresa said , “ There’s one thing about Ms. Nelson .”
Jennifer looked puzzled . “ What about Ms. Nelson ? ”
Seeing Jennifer’s expression , Teresa realized she didn’t know yet , so she said , “ Jonathan’s grandpa passed away today . ”
Jennifer stopped for a moment , clasping her fingers . She pursed her lips and said with a blank face , “ He had advanced – stage lung cancer . I knew this would happen .”
Teresa asked , “ You sound so calm . ”
Jennifer retorted , “ Why should I feel sorry for some old guy who messed up my wedding and ripped my dress ? And he’s not even our grandpa . Why
should we be sad ? ”
Teresa was pissed by Jennifer’s cruel words and didn’t want to say another word . She said , “ We’ll go home in separate cars tomorrow . I don’t want to be around you . ”
“ Why ? There’s no need for two cars , ” Jennifer said .
Teresa said , “ I don’t care about the extra cost . I just don’t want to be in the same car with you . ”
Jennifer’s face darkened instantly . She took a deep breath , ignored the words , and shared some good news with Teresa . “ I’m up for promotion to department head by year – end , and I’m feeling pretty sure about it . ”
Teresa said , “ Did you earn it yourself , or are you just getting help from Jonathan again ? ”
“ I earned this myself . ” Jennifer declared carefully , “ I’ll prove it to you . I can stand on my own .”
Teresa merely responded with a nod . She planned to ask Jonathan about this earlier , but after hearing that Gordon was dead , she decided not to bring it
Since Donald was going to spend time with Jennifer the next day , Teresa left Michael at Miriam’s house .
The sky was heavy with clouds . At noon , Teresa got in her car and saw a message from Jonathan on her phone .
Jonathan : [ Did you go to my office ? Is something going on ? ]
Teresa felt a little touched . She thought he was probably swamped with Gordon’s funeral , yet he still messaged her .
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She thought for a while and sent him a voice message . ( I’m okay . Are you doing alright ? ]
Jonathan replied with a single question mark .
Since Teresa was driving , she could only continue with voice messages . ( I heard from Miriam that your grandpa is dead . )
Jonathan : [ Yeah . The funeral is tomorrow . ]
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It took Jonathan several minutes to reply with just one sentence . Teresa set her phone aside and focused on the road . When she reached the highway . hér phone rang again .
Seeing the cars in front of her , she quickly glanced at her phone and saw the latest message from Jonathan .
Jonathan : [ I’m not okay . ]