Chapter 140
“Mr. Warren, the Thompson family has faced a tragedy.” Barry immediately informed Alex when he received the call. Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
Barry said, “Two hours ago, Harold was killed in a car accident. The Thompson siblings rushed back overnight.”
Alex was terrified, and his heart almost stopped. “Impossible.”
Just earlier, Ellie’s parents were fine. Harold had even given him a handful of peanuts and pecans, and Alex had told Harold he would deliver the wheelchair.
At that moment, Alex’s phone rang. With red eyes, he looked at the buzzing phone beside him, trembling as he reached out but stopped himself.
The buzzing stopped, and then Barry’s phone rang right after. With a serious look, Barry said, “Alex, it’s a call from Warren Manor.” Seeing Alex in shock, Barry put it on speakerphone.
“Barry, tell Mr. Warren to come back quickly; Ms. Thompson’s dad has passed away.” Evan’s sad voice came through the receiver, sending Alex’s mind into a frenzy.
Barry asked, “Mr. Warren, should we go straight to the Thompson family?”
After a long pause, Alex’s shaking voice spoke, “Return to Warren Manor.”
As dawn came, the Warren family was awake. Carlos sat with a cane at the head of the table, with Evan beside him. Todd had a serious look as he sat to Carlos’s left, while Nancy anxiously paced the living room.
“Mr. Thompson died. Why did you take so long to return?” When Alex entered, Nancy said, her voice urgent. “Ellie and Aaron have already gone back; the Thompson family is small; you must help them prepare the funeral.”
With a thud, Alex knelt before his Grandpa and parents. His gesture left everyone in the room pale.
Nancy asked in disbelief, “What does it mean? Don’t tell me you think Mr. Thompson’s death is tied to you?”
Looking up, Alex’s eyes were tear–filled; he struggled to speak while his lips trembled. Finally, he said, “I know nothing about Mr. Thompson’s death, but I’m responsible for the leg he lost.”
Todd jumped to his feet in anger. “You brat, explain yourself.”
Kneeling, Alex replied, “The one who saved me was Ellie, not Haley; I mixed them up.”
Suddenly, Nancy stepped forward and slapped Alex hard across the face. She was shocked by her son’s words; a heavy silence fell over the large living room.
Alex felt numb, his head spinning in confusion. “Years ago, Ellie saved me from drowning in the wastewater; when Mr. Thompson rescued her, a piece of steel injured his thigh, and it got infected.”
His voice cracked with emotion as he continued, “The injection meant for me ended up in Ellie’s body, making it so she can never have children.” When Alex learned the truth about that injection on the dark web, he was deeply shocked. The substance was only available on the black market, specifically designed to destroy the human reproductive system, usually bought for illegal reasons.
Nancy, shaking, her voice filled with tears. “What sins did I commit in my past life to have you, this disgrace, as my son?”
Tears streaming from his eyes, Alex grasped Nancy’s hand desperately. “Mom, please help me.”
Todd interrupted, “There’s no one who can help you now. You must go to the Thompson family and seek forgiveness.”
Alex said, “Dad, I want more than just forgiveness. I want Ellie!”
Todd’s face turned pale with anger. He struck Alex multiple times “She is your sister, you scoundrel.”
“She is not Alex cried out. “I have never seen her as my sister.”
Crawling toward Carlos, he grasped his Grandpa’s hand, “Grandpa, Ellie listens to you; please help me. I must take responsibility; I can’t let her leave the Warren family.”
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4:04 PM d.
Chapter 140
Carlos, with a serious look, regarded his only grandson before finally speaking. “What does she know about this?”
“She only has suspicions, no proof.”
Carlos responded, “Once a life is lost, it can’t be brought back. First, go with your parents to the Thompson family. After dealing with the funeral, you must apologize to the Thompsons.
“Mr. Thompson is dead; he won’t hear your apologies. Whether he forgives you doesn’t matter; you must think about how to make things right with those still living.”
In late October in Jaslands, the weather was unusually wet and cold due to a steady rain. The Thompson family, once lonely, was now full of visitors.
The trees, pigpens, chicken coops, the grand entrance, the courtyard walls, and the main hall–all were adorned. The Thompson family hosted an overwhelming gathering, with villagers providing help, relatives coming to pay respects, and classmates, colleagues, and friends of Ellie and Alex.
In the dim light of cloudy skies and muddy ground, only the pathway leading to Ellie’s home had been thoughtfully paved with sand by caring neighbors overnight.
Ellie stood with a few relatives, waiting for Harold’s ashes. Lacey and Diana had come early to support her.
As the hearse came closer, Lacey tugged on Diana’s arm, her voice trembling with tears. “Diana, Ellie’s dad is coming home.”
Diana cried, her makeup ruined. “Lacey, please don’t cry. If you do, I won’t be able to hold back my tears.”
Ellie stood silently; when she rushed into the hospital and saw Harold’s remains, all her tears had been shed that night.
From a distance, she watched as her brother was helped down from the car, carrying the urn, while relatives rushed to meet Harold’s ashes. Ellie felt frozen, unable to move.
Last time she came home, she spoke of plans to work hard for buying a house, intending to bring Harold to live in the city. Harold had promised to take his medication and even talked about taking care of Ellie and Aaron’s future children.
When she left, Harold had walked her to the station, and she had hugged him tightly one last time. But now, just a few days later, all she could see was Harold reduced to ashes, fitting into this tiny urn.
Ellie thought, ‘My dad has suffered greatly; he endured unimaginable pain and struggle. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t say a word before leaving this world, never to speak to me again!
