Inside the house, the warm glow of a happy family. Benedict was bouncing the baby in his arms. "Lawrence, Daddy's gonna make you fly!"
Vivian watched from the couch, smiling. "That's enough, Benedict. You'll scare him."
Benedict grinned. "My son? No way. A Young man doesn't scare that easy."
Every word was a blade dipped in ice, plunging into my chest one after another, until there was nothing left but raw, bleeding ruin.
My vision went black. The last thing I saw before I collapsed was Benedict rushing toward me, panic etched across his face.
This time, he was more attentive than ever, hovering by my side nearly twenty-four hours a day.
"Phoebe, Mom was just angry. I was afraid that if I spoke up for you, it would only make her worse. You have to understand—being caught between you two puts me in an impossible position."
Before, he'd never said anything like that.
Vivian watched the scene unfold, her expression darkening.
That afternoon, my phone rang.
On the other end, my mother was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. The news of my father's car accident struck like a bolt of lightning straight through my chest. When I saw his body lying there, cold and still, I shattered completely.
By the time we finished making the arrangements, it was the middle of the night.
I dragged my exhausted body home, and the moment I saw Benedict, the dam broke. Tears poured down my face.
After I told him everything, he pulled me into his arms, his voice thick with emotion. "Phoebe, don't worry. I'll get justice for your father. I'll make sure whoever did this pays for it."
My eyes burned with fresh tears. I placed every last shred of hope in him.
The next day, I found him holding Vivian in his arms while she wept.
"Benedict, what are we going to do? My brother killed Phoebe's father in that accident. She'll never let him go..."
"Please, talk to Phoebe for me? Convince her to let my brother off."
Benedict's face was half-swallowed by shadow.
After a long silence, I heard him speak. "Don't cry, Vivian. Crying too long isn't good for your health. I'll take care of it. Here's a plane ticket. Have your brother fly overseas for a while, let things cool down."
Something inside my chest cracked apart.
The blood drained from my face. A high-pitched ringing filled my skull.
Benedict, is this what you meant by getting justice for my father?
He slid the forgiveness agreement across the table toward me.