Chapter 191
Chapter 191
They say that, in the final moments before death, your whole life flashes before your eyes–one last, fevered parade of memories swirling in your mind.
“Mom! Mom!”
When Celia and Raymond arrived with Serena, led by trembling hands and pounding hearts, they saw only one thing: Celestine, their mother, being forced off the pier and vanishing beneath the waves.
The two children stood rooted in place, small and stricken, their cries echoing over and over, “Mom! Mom!” as if the word alone could rewind time. But their mother would never answer them again, not the way she used to.
Raymond snapped out of his daze first, turning with a scowl on his tear–streaked face to his little sister, who was sobbing so hard her shoulders shook.
“This is your fault! You killed Mom! You killed her!”
Not long ago, news of Celestine’s kidnapping had reached the family estate. From that moment on, Celia had been a ghost of herself, clutching her phone and wandering the halls with a haunted look. Raymond, her twin, had noticed immediately–there was always that strange, silent bond between them, as if they shared the same heart.
He’d pressed her for answers, again and again, until Celia broke down in tears and confessed everything. “I just wanted to teach Mom a lesson! I didn’t know those men would turn on us! They lied to me–they’re criminals, they tricked me!”
“Celia!” Raymond was shaking with anger. “Mom might nag, but she loves us! How could you use her love to set her up like that? You actually wanted to scare her?”
Even if he’d clashed with their mother, even if their relationship had been rocky, he’d never once dreamed of hurting her.
“How was I supposed to know she’d be so stupid? That she’d actually fall for it?” Celia shot back, voice cracking. “And who are you to judge me? Did you forget what you did? Not that long ago, you jumped into the pool and pretended Mom pushed you! You let everyone blame her! You’re just as bad! I only did this because of you, and now you’re yelling at me? You’re the worst, Raymond!”
The more Celia spoke, the more her voice wavered, until she could hardly get the words out through her sobs.
Chapter 191
Raymond’s anger drained away, replaced by a cold, heavy dread.
“You should never have risked Mom’s life!” he shouted, voice trembling “She could actually die, Celia! Do you understand that?”
Celia had never seen her brother this furious. Her cries faltered, fear taking over as the word “die” echoed in her ears–a word she barely understood, but which chilled her to the bone.
“No… No, that can’t happen. Dad went to pay the ransom, Mom can’t really die… She won’t. She can’t.”
She whispered it again and again, as if repeating it could make it true–for herself, for anyone who might be listening.
Raymond was sick with remorse. With Mom gone, he should have watched over his sister, should have kept her from making such a terrible mistake.
How could he have let this happen?
In the end, with Celia sobbing uncontrollably, he promised: if Mom came back safe, he’d keep her secret. He wouldn’t tell a soul.
Desperate for news, the twins had begged Serena–who had only just rushed home after hearing the news–to take them to the scene. Serena had refused at first, but the look in their eyes was too much; she couldn’t hold out.
“It’s all right. The kidnappers only want money. Your mom will be fine,” she reassured them on the drive, her words meant to soothe, though she wasn’t sure she believed them herself.
But when they arrived at Oceana Park, the sound of gunshots was unmistakable, echoing even from the parking lot. Serena’s heart plummeted, dread twisting in her
gut.
Before she could stop them, the children had already flung open the car doors and were sprinting toward the chaos.
And then they saw it–Celestine, battered and bleeding, being shoved off the edge and disappearing beneath the surging sea.
Raymond’s scream tore through the air, raw and anguished. “No! Mom! Mom!” Serena grabbed him, holding him back with all her strength as he fought to break free, desperate to reach the place where his mother had vanished.
Celia collapsed onto the sand, her face blank with shock, as if her spirit had been snatched away by the tide. She stared out at the restless water, whispering over
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whispering on Memo
14:43
and over, “How could this happen? How could this happen… Mom.. is gone.
