Chapter 352 I'll Handle It When I Get Back
Jasper gently placed Adeline in the car. She stared out the window, her brow furrowed as the city turned into suburbs.
"Why is Bennett so far away?" she whispered.
Linda, catching her eye in the rearview mirror, swallowed hard, unable to break Adeline's fragile hope.
Jasper reached for her hand but hesitated, pulling back. He cleared his throat, trying to sound upbeat.
"Bennett needs some peace and quiet," he said, his voice strained. "He's been working hard."
Adeline nodded slowly, her gaze distant. "Yeah, he does need some quiet time."
She let out a small, humorless laugh. "He's always been like a little old man. So serious. Always telling me to take care of myself, telling Lauren not to be so loud..."
She trailed off, her smile fading. "He's only six, but sometimes it feels like he's lived a lifetime already."
A heavy silence filled the car. Ryan, gripping the steering wheel tightly, fought back tears, his eyes fixed on the road.
Adeline, lost in her memories, didn't notice the shift in atmosphere. She kept talking about Bennett, her voice full of a mother's love and pride.
The car stopped, breaking the fragile peace. Adeline looked up, her eyes widening as she saw where they were.
A cemetery.
Her breath caught, a cold dread creeping up her spine.
"Why... why are we here?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Ryan got out and retrieved a wheelchair from the trunk, his movements stiff. Jasper and Linda helped Adeline out of the car, her legs shaking so badly she could barely stand.
As the realization hit, her composure crumbled.
"No," she breathed, her voice raw with denial. "No, it can't be..."
She slumped into the wheelchair, her body racked with sobs. "Why?" she cried, her voice echoing through the graveyard. "Jasper, I trusted you with him! You promised... you promised you'd protect him, that you'd be a father to him..."
Grief overwhelmed her, a suffocating wave. It was her fault. All her fault. She shouldn't have left Blake. She shouldn't have brought Bennett and Lauren back to Radiance Springs.
Now, she had lost everything. Her baby. Blake. And now... Bennett.
Linda pushed the wheelchair forward, her own eyes brimming with tears. Jasper walked beside them, his face etched with guilt and sorrow.
"It's my fault, Adeline," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "If I had known... if I had just..."
He trailed off, unable to voice his torment.
"What good are apologies now?" Adeline choked out, her words lost in the wind.
A light rain began to fall, as if the heavens themselves mourned the loss of a child.
They reached a secluded corner of the cemetery, a small courtyard filled with brightly colored flowers. In the center stood a newly erected headstone.
Jasper opened the gate, his hand lingering on the cold metal. Linda steered Adeline closer, her heart breaking at the look of utter devastation on her friend's face.
Bennett's smiling face beamed up at them from the headstone, frozen in time.
"Bennett..." Adeline whispered, her voice breaking.
She struggled to her feet, her legs trembling. She stumbled towards the grave, her hand outstretched as if to touch the cold stone.
"Mommy's sorry," she sobbed, collapsing against the headstone. "It's all my fault... I should have protected you... I should have..."
Her words dissolved into heart-wrenching sobs, echoing through the silent cemetery.
Linda turned away, unable to bear Adeline's grief. It was too cruel. Too much for anyone to bear.
The rain intensified, drops falling like tears from the sky. Jasper retrieved an umbrella, holding it over Adeline as she wept.
Hours passed. The sun began to set, casting long shadows across the graveyard. Still, Adeline clung to the headstone, her sobs gradually fading into exhausted hiccups.
"Adeline," Jasper said softly, his voice hoarse with emotion. He knelt beside her, gently prying her hands away from the cold stone. "Listen to me."
He pulled her into his arms, holding her close as her body shook with silent sobs.
"Bennett... he was a hero, Adeline," he whispered. "He sacrificed himself to save Lauren."
He reached into his pocket, retrieving a small, battered object. A necklace pendant.
Adeline's eyes widened as she recognized it. Bennett's pendant. The one Blake had given him.
"It was found a distance from the fire," Jasper explained, his voice catching. "Damaged, but not destroyed. He must have... he must have thrown it clear."
He pressed a button on the side of the pendant. A moment of silence, then...
"Mommy, Lauren, Blake."
Bennett's voice, small and scared, filled the air.
"If you're hearing this... then Sebastian and I... we... we might not make it."
He took a shaky breath. "Don't be sad, Mommy. Please. This was our choice. Sebastian and I... we had to protect Lauren."
His voice grew stronger, filled with a determination that belied his young age. "Tim and Tom took Lauren and pretended to escape. But they're hiding. They won't fool them for long."
"So Sebastian and I... we're going to lead them away. If we're lucky... we'll escape. But if not..."
He paused, his voice cracking. "It's not because we weren't strong enough, Mommy. It's because there were too many of them."
"Mommy... I know you'll miss me most of all. But... but you have to be strong. For Lauren. And for Blake."
"Don't stay up late working anymore. And eat your meals on time. Promise me, Mommy."
His voice broke. "I... I don't want you to forget me. But... but if it hurts too much... then it's okay. You can forget me."
The recording ended.
Adeline fainted, her body slumping against Jasper's. He gathered her close, his own tears falling freely now.
He carried her back to the car, the rain still falling, a somber backdrop to their grief.
As they drove away, a lone figure approached Bennett's grave. Molly, her face hidden beneath a transparent umbrella, stared down at the headstone, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Her phone rang.
"Ms. Collins," a voice said. "What should we do with Bennett and Sebastian..."
"I'll take care of them when I return," she replied, her voice devoid of emotion.
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