Chapter 512

Charlene left city hall and made it back to the office just in time for the morning meeting.
As she took her seat, Stewart leaned over and whispered, “Got all the paperwork done? That was fast!”
Charlene nodded.
There had been no disputes between her and Thorne-if anything, both of them were eager to move on. With no arguments or drama, the process was quick and straightforward.
Stewart added, “If there wasn’t a mandatory waiting period, you two would be officially divorced today. Now you have to wait another thirty days. When it’s finally over, you should go straight to sign the papers-don’t put it off again. Remember last time? You got called away to the research facility, missed the window, and had to start the whole process from scratch. Such a hassle.”
“I know,” Charlene replied.
Last time, when their waiting period ended, she and Thorne had actually planned to finalize everything the very next day. But then life got in the way for both of them, and before they knew it, they’d missed their chance.
Wednesday marked the anniversary of Charlene’s grandfather’s passing.
Old Mr. Ross passed away in Starfall, but he was buried back in Yaleborough.
By midday Tuesday, Charlene and Helena were already on their way to the airport, heading to New Albury to visit his grave.
Jasmine came along too.
At first, Charlene hadn’t booked a ticket for Jasmine, but since Jasmine was now living with the Ross family and wanted to come, Charlene brought her along.
After the Ross family left Yaleborough all those years ago, they rarely returned. Old Mr. Ross’s anniversary was one of the few times they ever made the trip back.
The old Ross family house had already been their home for nearly twenty years by the time they left Yaleborough. Now, it had been almost two decades since they’d moved to Starfall. Nearly forty years had passed. Even though someone came by to tidy up now and then, the old house was falling apart and hardly fit for anyone to live in.
These days, whenever they returned to Yaleborough, they always stayed in a hotel.
Charlene and Vernon Ross still had work commitments, so they planned to head back to Starfall Wednesday night.
As for the others…
For Helena, Yaleborough was a city filled with painful memories-she had no intention of lingering. Carl Ross and his sister had both been born and raised in Starfall; they didn’t feel much attachment to Yaleborough either. s
None of them planned to stay long.
Even though Yaleborough didn’t have much left to hold them, each time they returned, they still made a point to visit the old house.
That evening, after dinner, Charlene, Helena, and the rest went back to see it.
They’d long since gotten used to how run-down the place was, but seeing it now, in such a sorry state, still tugged at Charlene’s and Vernon’s hearts.
They’d thought about tearing it down and starting over, but the house was filled with memories-especially for Helena and Vernon. It was hard to let go.
Sybil’s old room, perhaps because of where it was in the house, had held up better than the rest.
Jasmine had been in good spirits at first, but seeing Charlene and Helena growing quiet and sember, she felt the sadness, too. She squeezed Charlene’s hand and followed close behind. s
Before Jasmine and Thorne left for Goldland, she had come to
Yaleborough every year with
Charlene to pay respects to Old Mr.
Ross. She was still a child back then,
but she remembered enoughto Read complete version only at ~net
know this place always made
Charlene and the others sad.
s
When Charlene paused at the doorway to Sybil’s room, Jasmine, seeing how
upset she was, wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug.
Charlene felt her comfort, paused for a moment, then looked down to meet Jasmine’s worried eyes.
Her own expression was full of complicated emotions, but in the end, she said nothing—she just reached out and gently touched Jasmine’s cheek.