?Chapter 1038:


    “She would not tell me why. Just kept saying I had to leave, to go far away and nevere back. She told me not to ask questions, not to look back, and most of all… to protect myself. I was too scared to think. I didn’t understand, but I did what she said. I packed and left that same night.”


    Tears pressed against Sharon’s eyes as her voice dropped. “But the next day… something didn’t sit right. The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. That kind of fear doesn’t juste out of nowhere.” She paused, swallowing hard before continuing.


    “I turned on the TV, hoping to calm myself down. But then I saw the news. They were reporting on a fire at Faron Retreat. Said it broke out the night before and burned the whole ce to the ground. It waspletely destroyed.” For a moment, she covered her mouth with both hands, trying to steady herself.


    “The police found two bodies inside. A man and a woman. They were burned beyond recognition.”


    At that, Sharon could not hold it in any longer. Tears streamed down her face as she broke into sobs. “I couldn’t believe it. It felt like my whole world copsed right then.” She tried to gather herself between breaths.


    “Later, the investigators confirmed the victims were Mr. and Mrs. Hudson. Called it an ident. Just a fire. Case closed.” Grief clouded her voice as she looked down. “I didn’t know if they had any rtives. I didn’t know who to reach out to. So I handled it myself. I collected their ashes. Buried them together at Evergreen Cemetery. Figured the least I could do was let them rest.”


    Her fingers tightened against her sleeves as she continued, “Eventually, I went back to Faron Retreat. I wanted to look for clues, to collect whatever was left behind. But the people who used to linger around there had vanished. Just like that.” Finally, Sharon met Sadie’s gaze, her own brimming with sorrow. “Sadie… I know this is hard to hear. But they’re gone. Really gone.”


    Sadie didn’t respond right away. A sting burned behind her eyes, blurring the room around her.


    g ? ln σ ν?? ?s, where stories thrive


    Tears began to rise before she could stop them.


    An idental fire?


    She couldn’t bring herself to ept that.


    With all the strange things that had happened, how could this, of all things, be chalked up to chance?


    The crowd that had gathered, the man in the mask, and her parents’ urgent final words all echoed in her mind.


    None of it felt random. Every thread led to the same cruel conclusion.


    They had not died by chance.


    Still, at least she had a piece of closure now.


    She had found the ce where they hadst been alive.


    Rising to her feet with steady resolve, Sadie gave Sharon a deep, respectful bow. “Thank you, Sharon, for taking care of my parents back then.”


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