Chapter 463 Sunny's Passing
On the other end of the phone, Owen's tone was unusually serious and heavy, as if an invisible pressure was weighing down his voice: "Mr. Windsor, Sunny is dead."
Hearing this, Sterling's heart suddenly tightened, and he slammed on the brakes. The car made an awful screeching sound against the ground, shaking violently.
Sterling felt like something had grabbed his heart hard at that moment.
Sunny, that little companion who had been with Bella for so long, was just gone like that?
Sterling tried hard to control his emotions, keeping his voice from shaking: "What happened?"
Owen sighed and continued: "There was a heavy rain last night, and Sunny somehow ran out in the middle of the night. We were worried all night and searched for hours but couldn't find it. This morning, we found it in the grass by the roadside a mile away. The vet said it died of old age. Sunny was actually quite old, and having been a stray before, its health wasn't particularly good. Although it spent its final days pretty well with the Windsor family, it still couldn't escape this fate."
Listening to Owen's words, an indescribable sadness welled up in Sterling's heart.
Sterling's mood grew heavier, and the splitting headache made him frown. He angrily punched the steering wheel, with such force that it seemed he wanted to pour out all his anger and helplessness.
"How could you not keep track of one cat?" he growled in a low voice, full of regret and self-blame. Sunny was the little animal Bella cherished, and now it had died on his watch - how could he explain this to Bella?
Sterling remembered the trusting look in Bella's eyes when she handed Sunny over to him, and felt even more guilty. Now that Sunny was dead, how should he tell her? Would she think he hadn't taken good care of Sunny?
"If you had kept watch last night, it wouldn't have died so soon! Now if I tell her it was a natural death, do you think she'll believe me?" Sterling's tone carried some blame. He knew he couldn't entirely fault Owen, but right now, he desperately needed an outlet.
Owen remained silent on the other end of the phone. He understood Sterling's current state of mind and knew he bore responsibility, but more than that, he felt helpless. He clearly took on the posture of someone waiting to be scolded, quietly waiting for Sterling's next instruction.
After a moment, Sterling's emotions calmed down a bit. He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calmer: "Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now. I'll handle the rest myself."
With that, he hung up the phone, tossed it aside, then took a deep breath before slowly getting out of the car and walking into the residential complex. His steps were heavy and slow, as if each one carried endless self-reproach.
After he knocked on the door, Bella didn't open it immediately. Instead, she asked through the door in a somewhat guarded tone: "What is it?"
Standing outside the door, Sterling heard Bella's voice and felt even heavier. He knew this news would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to her. But he still braced himself and answered in a tone that was as calm as possible but left no room for argument: "Something important, open the door."
Hearing this, Bella looked through the door crack and saw Sterling's grave expression. An ominous feeling immediately rose in her heart. She nervously swallowed, her voice trembling slightly as she asked: "What's wrong?"
Sterling didn't answer directly but pushed the door open and walked in. He went straight to the sofa and sat down, then took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, his eyes looked even more profound and heavy.
Seeing this, Bella's unease grew stronger. She followed Sterling, walked to the sofa and sat down, her eyes fixed tightly on him, waiting for his answer.
Finally, Sterling spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "Sunny is dead."
These four words were like a thunderclap exploding in Bella's ears. Her face instantly turned pale, and a flash of disbelief crossed her eyes. She suddenly stood up, gripping the armrest of the sofa tightly with both hands, her voice trembling as she asked: "What did you say? How could Sunny be dead?"
Sterling looked at Bella's pained expression, and his heart ached too. He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound calmer: "Last night there was heavy rain, and Sunny somehow ran outside. Owen and the others searched for a long time but couldn't find it. They only found it this morning - it was already gone."
Listening to Sterling's words, tears welled up in Bella's eyes. She couldn't accept this cruel reality. At this moment, she felt as if she had lost an important family member.
Bella collapsed back onto the sofa weakly, covering her face with both hands, tears sliding down between her fingers. She looked up at Sterling with tear-filled eyes.
When he said "Sunny is gone," her heart felt like it was being torn apart, the pain unbearable.
And when Sterling mentioned "natural death," her emotions became even more agitated and uncontrollable. She growled in refutation:
"How could it be natural death! Don't normal cats live for more than ten years? Sunny wasn't that old at all, it was still young, it should have had many more years to stay with me! It must be because you didn't tell people to take good care of it before you left! That's why it suddenly died like this!"
Bella's tears had already blurred her vision. She glared at Sterling angrily, as if wanting to pour all her dissatisfaction and pain onto him. She couldn't accept this cruel reality, and even less could she accept Sterling's casual explanation of Sunny's death.
"I should have taken it with me from the start, I shouldn't have left it with you!" Bella's voice trembled, filled with endless regret and self-blame. She recalled the scene when she handed Sunny over to Sterling, and her heart ached even more. She felt she should have been responsible for Sunny, should have taken care of it herself, instead of giving it to Sterling.
Sterling looked at Bella's agitated state. He understood that Sunny's death was a huge blow to Bella.
Sunny wasn't just a cat - it was her emotional anchor, especially since Sunny had come to the Windsor family after the child was lost.
Last night's heavy rain and Sunny's sudden disappearance were accidents - he couldn't have predicted this outcome either.
Sterling took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound calmer: "Bella, calm down. Sunny really wasn't young anymore, and it had been a stray before, so its health wasn't particularly good. Last night's rain made it catch cold, and with its age, it just couldn't make it through. This isn't our fault - we all did our best."
However, Bella couldn't listen to Sterling's explanation at all. She only felt that Sterling was shirking responsibility, making excuses for his negligence. She angrily stood up, clenching her fists tightly, her voice trembling as she said: "Stop explaining! You don't understand my feelings for Sunny at all! To me, it wasn't just a pet - it was my family! An irreplaceable part of my life! How could you let it leave me so easily like this!"
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