Chapter 628: What If They Found Out?
"He was loyal. To his country. To his friends. To his family. He gave everything he had, and when that wasn’t
enough, he gave himself. That is the kind of man we are laying to rest today. A man who should never be
forgotten."
Across the rows, Ava’s hands shook where they gripped her umbrella. She bit her lip hard, fighting back sobs, her
eyes fixed on the coffin as though willing it to open.
Beside her, King White wrapped a steadying hand over Queen White's trembling fingers. The Queen's face was
streaked with tears, her lips moving silently as if whispering prayers into the rain.
Hannah buried her face in her palms, shoulders shaking, until one of Somto’s comrades gently put an arm
around her. That single touch broke others too, within his circle, hardened soldiers and lifelong fighters bowed
their heads, unable to hold their composure. Their grief was silent but vast, like a mountain collapsing inside.
Ebere clutched at her chest, whispering her brother's nthrough the storm. Abuchi gritted his teeth, tears
slipping freely despite how hard he tried to hide them. Obinna sat stiff, his face pale, the enormity of the brother
he never fully knew hitting him like a blow he wasn’t ready for.
Even Queen Chioma'’s lips trembled. She tried to sit tall, tried to hold on to anger, but grief clawed through her
expression. Chidera, the youngest, leaned forward, his little fists tight, his eyes burning with confusion and pain
as he stared at the coffin like it had betrayed him.
And then Nnenna lowered the paper. She didn’t need it anymore. Her voice wavered, but her words cut through
with raw honesty.
"Somto... | will never forget what you did for me. | will never forget your sacrifices, the ones | know about, the
ones | will still find out in the future and the ones | might never know. A part ofwill always love you."
The note slipped from her lap, forgotten, carried away by the wind and rain.
Arthur's jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening around the handle of his umbrella. For a moment he held it in, but
a single tear escaped, tracing down his cheek and vanishing into the rain.
Carl's chest heaved as he tried to steady himself. Darius exhaled deeply, looking at Nnenna with something
close to respect and sorrow combined.
No one clapped. No one moved. The only sound was the storm raging above, as if the sky itself was mourning
the greatest general the world had ever known.
The funeral ended the moment the coffin was lowered into the ground. As the first handfuls of sand landed on
the wooden surface, the sound echoed heavier than thunder in their hearts.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOne by one, friends and loved ones stepped forward, dropping white roses into the grave. Umbrellas shielded
them from the storm, yet some, unable to contain their grief, let theirs fall aside, allowing the rain to mix freely
with their tears.
The loss was too sudden, too sharp for anyone to bear. Slowly, the crowd thinned. Umbrellas drifted away like
dark petals in the rain until only three remained.
Nnenna sat silently, her chair rooted before the grave. Carl and Arthur stood behind her, unflinching sentinels in
the storm. Hours slipped past unnoticed. The downpour showed no mercy, yet none of them moved.
At last, Nnenna wheeled closer, as if forgetting anyone else existed. She stopped before the stone tablet, the
rain sliding down her cheeks, blurring the line between storm and sorrow. Her hand brushed over the umbrella
icon on her chair sensor without thinking, turning it off. The rain hit her fully now, soaking her through, but she
didn’t care.
She didn’t notice when Arthur and Carl quietly bowed their heads one final tand stepped away, leaving her
alone with the grave, the storm, and her silence.
For the first tsince the cliff, she let herself break.
At the cliff she had been in denial. For five months she had fed herself with plans for revenge. Now, seven
months later, the truth hit her like an avalanche: Somto was gone, truly gone. The realization had no mercy.
Tears fell as fast as the rain, and the rain washed them away like it understood the shape of her grief. She
pressed her forehead to the cool stone of the tablet and whispered, "I'm still going to need a shoulder to rest on,
Somto. But you're not here anymore. You never will be."
Loneliness rolled through her even though people cared enough to stay around her. "I don’t know how to do this
without you," she confessed to the empty air. "Nothing will ever be the same."
The love system's past words echoed in her head, every person is unique, and that truth stung now more than
ever. "lI miss you," she said, "and this feeling will huntfor the rest of my life, because of how you died."
Guilt flared hot and sudden. She remembered the wind she had caused, the impulsive way she had reacted in
the attempt to save herself. What if they found out? "Maybe I'll finally get what | deserve," she whispered, anger
and fear flashing in her eyes.
She blinked hard, wiping rain and tears away, voice steadying into a cold resolve. "I can’t live a lie anymore. |
have to tell them it was me, tell them it was my fault." Her hands clenched on the armrests. "I'm sorry | couldn't
get your forgiveness before it was too late."
She didn’t beg for pity. She only said the truth she had been holding back, the truth that might change
everything.
Carl's voice cfrom behind her, gentle and low. "Nnenna, con. We need to get you inside."
He stepped closer, holding an umbrella over her and tapping the sensor to fold her canopy back. Rain dripped
from the edge, but she didn’t flinch.
"You're soaked," Carl said, worry plain in his voice as he made sure the canopy covered her properly.
Hey there!
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We're gradually approaching the
grand finale of this . From now
f q
on, I'll be releasing one Chaptgy per
day unt ths starylreadhbs its end. |
Kho many of you wish it could go
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te black figureo Nnenna will
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... Signing off before | accidentally spoil the ending [J
See you in tomorrow’s Chapter!
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