Chapter 9: The Farewell I Had Waited For

News of Gwen's arrest spread throughout the city within a single day.

The once-admired Lincoln family instantly became the center of public attention.

Every newspaper carried the same headline.

"Twin Sister Arrested After Woman Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances."

The engagement was canceled.

The decorations that had once celebrated Gwen's happiness were quietly removed overnight.

The luxurious banquet hall now looked cold and empty.

I floated silently behind my family.

No one could see me.

No one could hear me.

The funeral home called early the next morning.

"The victim's body has been released to the family," the staff member said gently.

For several seconds, nobody answered.

Finally, my mom whispered, "We'll come today."

When they arrived, the white cloth covering my body was slowly lifted.

My mom collapsed before she could even take a second step.

"Kate..."

"My daughter..."

She reached toward my cold face with trembling hands.

But she did not dare touch me.

My dad stood motionless beside her.

His face had aged years overnight.

The confident businessman who had always believed he was right now looked completely broken.

Zac quietly turned around.

His shoulders shook uncontrollably as tears streamed down his face.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm so sorry, Kate..."

Those words echoed through the silent room.

Even Orion appeared.

He placed a bouquet of white lilies beside me before falling to his knees.

"I failed you," he whispered.

"You trusted me... and I chose someone else."

"I never even listened to your explanation."

No one spoke after that.

The room was filled only with quiet sobbing.

My mom suddenly noticed something hanging around my neck.

"That cross..."

The funeral staff carefully removed the small silver necklace.

"It was still around the victim's neck when she was found," he explained.

The moment my mom held it in her hands, she completely broke down.

"This was... Mom's gift..."

"She protected it until the very end..."

She hugged the necklace tightly against her chest and cried harder than ever before.

"Kate... Mom failed you..."

"Mom should've believed you..."

"Mom should've protected you..."

Every apology came far too late.

I quietly watched her.

Strangely...

I no longer felt angry.

The pain that had followed me for so many years slowly disappeared.

Grandma once told me that hatred only trapped people in darkness.

Perhaps she had been right.

Outside the funeral home, light rain continued to fall.

A gentle breeze entered through the open window.

The small cross in my mother's hand suddenly reflected a warm beam of sunlight.

At that exact moment...

I felt a familiar warmth surround me.

"Kate."

I slowly turned around.

Standing beneath the bright light was the person I had missed most.

"Grandma..."

She smiled exactly as she always had.

"You've suffered enough, my child."

"Come home with Grandma."

I looked back one final time.

My family remained gathered around my body, crying with endless regret.

Their tears were real.

Their remorse was real.

But my life would never return.

I gently smiled.

"Goodbye."

"I hope... in another life... we can truly become a family."

Holding Grandma's hand, I slowly walked toward the warm light ahead.

The darkness that had followed me since childhood finally disappeared.

For the first time in my life...

I was no longer afraid.