The Unwritten Chapter

The days following the funeral felt heavier than Cael expected. The Chang household had resumed its routine, but for him, the silence carried an unnerving weight. He found himself drawn to the room where his parents' belongings were now stored—a small sanctuary tucked away in the mansion.

It was late in the afternoon when Cael finally allowed himself to step inside. The room was immaculately organized, a testament to Mrs. Chang's meticulous care. Boxes lined the shelves, each labeled with his parents' names. Patricia's delicate handwriting on a journal caught his eye, and he felt a pang of longing as he picked it up.

Flipping through the pages, he found familiar entries—mundane notes about family meals, appointments, and even his achievements in school. But the last few pages shifted in tone. The handwriting grew more hurried, fragmented.

"Meeting with James today. Something feels… off."

"Clide says it's nothing, but I can't shake this feeling. If anything happens, I need to make sure Cael is taken care of."

The words sent a chill down his spine. What had she been worried about? He turned to the next page, only to find it blank.

He sat on the floor, journal in hand, trying to piece together what these vague entries could mean. His mother had always been practical and grounded. For her to write something like this—it couldn't be dismissed as paranoia.

His thoughts spiraled back to Evelyn's words in the hospital. "Patricia's death broke her." Could Evelyn have known something Patricia had confided? And what about the whispers at the funeral? Cael had tried to ignore them, but fragments of sentences lingered in his mind: "It was bound to happen"… "They got too close to…"

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Cael?" Mrs. Chang's voice was soft. "Are you in here?"

He quickly wiped his face and stood, placing the journal back on the shelf. "Yes, come in."

She stepped inside, carrying a tray with tea and biscuits. "I thought you might need a break." Her eyes scanned the room, softening as they landed on Patricia's belongings. "This must be hard for you."

"It is," Cael admitted, his voice tight. "But it's helping, in a way. Being close to their things."

Mrs. Chang sat beside him, placing the tray on the floor. "Patricia was my best friend," she said quietly. "She always saw the good in people, even when they didn't deserve it. She and Clide… they were so full of life."

Cael hesitated, then asked, "Did she ever talk to you about feeling… uneasy? Like something was wrong?"

Mrs. Chang's brows furrowed. "Why do you ask?"

He gestured toward the journal. "There are some things she wrote. It feels like she was worried about something—like she thought something bad might happen."

Mrs. Chang's expression faltered. "Patricia was… careful. She worried about a lot of things. But…" She sighed, hesitating. "There were times when she felt they were being watched. Clide brushed it off, said it was nothing, but she couldn't let it go."

"Watched?" Cael repeated, his heart racing.

"Yes." Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "They were involved in some business matters that Clide never shared with me. Patricia didn't either, but… I think she wanted to. She hinted at things now and then, but before she could say more, Clide would always cut her off."

The air in the room grew heavier, and Cael couldn't shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something much darker than he'd anticipated.

"Do you think their deaths…?" He trailed off, unsure if he wanted to finish the question.

Mrs. Chang's face tightened, but she didn't respond. Instead, she stood and patted his shoulder. "You should rest. Dwelling on the past won't bring them back."

As she left the room, Cael sat there, the weight of her words sinking in. There was something his parents had been caught up in, something that might have led to their deaths. He had promised to protect Jade and himself in this lifetime, but now he realized there was more at stake.

He wasn't just living their legacy. He was uncovering it.