NovelEnglishChapter 802
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Jace's hand fell to his side, his phone slipping onto the floor. His whole body seemed to collapse under invisible
weight. His voice cracked. "Mom said... Dad... he's gone." Wayne didn't react, like he'd already seen this coming.
They stood there in tense silence before Wayne nuttered, "Let's go."
ork
Jace called while | was half-asleep. My dreams had been all over the place, and the phone's ringing yanked me
out of that foggy mess. | groaned, fumbling for it. "Hello?" "Rea..." Jace's voice wavered, then broke.
"What is it?" | mumbled, still groggy.
"My dad... He's gone."
His voice was barely a whisper, yet it snappedawake. My heart thudded as his words sank in.
Matthew Johnston. The man who took my parents from me-but also the man who treatedlike his own
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtdaughter. | hated him, but | couldn't hate him completely.
It's why I'd been dodging my promise to Lindey to visit the Johnston house. And now? He was gone. Forever.
| stayed quiet, throat tight. On the other end, | could hear Jace quietly crying. "I... | don't have a father anymore,"
he whispered.
Grief like that is something you can't explain to anyone who hasn't felt it. | had. Losing my parents left a wound
that's never really healed.
Spain can't be fixed with words, and | had nothing to give him. All | could do was hold the phone and listen
to Jace's quiet sobs on the other end.
After a while, when his voice evened out, | finally asked, "When's the funeral?"
"Three days," he said, his tone hollow.
| wanted to say I'd be there, but | wasn't even sure | could get out of bed, let alone show up. All | could manage
was a faint, "Okay."
"Rea, will you come?"
I didn't know how to answer. | stayed silent, the squestion swirling in my own head-
could I really go?
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Chapter 802
Then Jace said something that hitlike a freight train. "Mom toldthat in his last moments, when he could
barely speak, he was calling your name."
Tears stung my eyes. | tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling. "I'll go," | said softly.
Jace didn't say anything else-just hung up.
4]
Lena cin later to check onafter | told her | needed to leave. She ran a few tests, poking and prodding,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmbefore givinga once-over with her usual doctor glare. "You're not bleeding anymore, and everything looks
stable. But no heavy lifting, no tripping, no wild movements, and if you feel even a little off, you call me. Got it?"
Having an OB-GYN as your best friend? Life. Saver.
| nodded, though | wasn't exactly brimming with energy.
Lena frowned, like she could see straight through me. "Alright, I'll switch shifts and go with you."
| blinked. She'd sworn off trading shifts after a patient had complications the last tshe did, but here she was,
ready to break her rule for me.
"You don't have to," | said, not wanting her to feel pressured.
She rolled her eyes. "Mr. Johnston was always kind towhen | tagged along to the Johnston house for free food
and drinks. Going to pay my respects isn't about you-it's about him."
Her saying that madefeel a little better. If something happened, at least I'd have Lena
there.
"Oh, hey, any updates on that case?" | asked, trying to switch gears.
The last I'd heard, the deceased patient's family member-the one who'd kidnapped her- was already locked up.
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