Chapter 10: Justice for Kate

I thought everything had ended when I left with Grandma.

But my soul was still connected to the world for one final reason.

Justice had not yet been fully served.

Several weeks after my funeral, the police completed their investigation.

The two men who had assaulted and murdered me inside the abandoned warehouse were finally identified through DNA evidence and surveillance cameras collected from nearby roads.

Both men were arrested while trying to flee the province.

During interrogation, they confessed everything.

"We found the basement door unlocked," one of them admitted.

"We thought the house was abandoned."

"When we found the girl inside, she was barely conscious."

"She begged us to save her."

"But we..."

He lowered his head, unable to continue.

The courtroom remained completely silent.

Every word felt like another knife piercing my family's hearts.

The prosecutor then revealed another shocking detail.

"The victim had called for help multiple times before losing consciousness."

"However, no emergency services were ever contacted."

The investigators also confirmed that Gwen had intentionally left the basement locked after hearing my desperate cries.

Although she had not directly killed me, her actions had trapped me inside and prevented me from escaping.

The judge described her behavior as deliberate unlawful confinement that directly contributed to my death.

When the verdict was announced, Gwen burst into tears.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"I only wanted to scare her!"

"She's my sister!"

No one responded.

Those excuses no longer mattered.

She was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for unlawful confinement, destruction of evidence, obstruction of justice, and crimes related to my death.

The two murderers received the maximum sentence allowed by law.

The courtroom slowly emptied.

Only my parents remained seated.

Neither of them spoke.

My dad stared blankly at the empty witness stand.

For decades he had believed I was the family's curse.

Only now did he realize that the greatest tragedy had been the prejudice inside his own heart.

My mom quietly held Grandma's small cross necklace.

She never let it leave her side anymore.

Every day she visited Grandma's grave.

Every day she apologized.

"Mom..." she whispered before the gravestone.

"I failed Kate."

"I failed the promise I made to you."

Beside Grandma's grave, another tombstone had been placed.

It carried my name.

"Kate."

"Beloved granddaughter."

"May you finally rest in peace."

There was no mention of bad luck.

No mention of being unwanted.

Only love.

The kind of love I had searched for my entire life.

Zac visited almost every weekend.

He always brought fresh white flowers.

"Little sister," he said softly.

"I finally understand why you stopped calling me brother."

"If there is another life... I'll protect you first."

Orion came only once.

He placed the engagement ring he had once prepared for Gwen in front of my grave.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," he whispered.

"But I'll spend the rest of my life trying to become someone worthy of the love you once gave me."

As the seasons changed, fewer tears were shed.

But none of them ever forgot me.

Above the quiet cemetery, warm sunlight broke through the clouds.

Grandma gently squeezed my hand.

"It's time to go, Kate."

This time, I smiled without sadness.

The little girl who had spent her whole life chasing after a mother's love no longer needed to run anymore.

Because somewhere beyond the light...

Someone had been waiting for me all along.

And this time...

I was finally going home.