?<strong>Chapter 982:</strong>


    Joelle met his gaze, her eyes steady. “Rnd, I know you’re capable of seeing what’s right and what’s wrong.”


    She knew he wouldn’t believe the truth if she said it outright. Time, she hoped, would make him see. Only then would he understand that they didn’t mean him any harm.


    Adrian returned after speaking with the airline. The next afternoon, the three of them boarded a flight home.


    As the ne ascended, Rnd stared out the window, watching the city shrink beneath him.


    The ce was broken, scarred, but Wade had made it a home for him. But in the end, he hadn’t even been able to bring Wade’s body back.


    Rnd clenched his jaw. The turbulence as the ne lifted reminded him of the way Wade had died.


    He shut his eyes, trying to push the memory away, but it was too clear, too vivid to escape.


    Suddenly, a pair of warm hands covered his clenched fist. Rnd looked up to find Joelle, her face etched with concern.


    She, too, was tense as the ne took off, but she gave him a small smile, forcing it through the anxiety. “We’re going home.”


    Home? Did he even have a home anymore?


    Thousands of miles away, was there a home for him?


    Rnd didn’t respond, but this time, he didn’t pull his hand away from Joelle’s grip.


    The three of them finally reached home.


    The vi was bigger than he had expected, but the entire ce was eerily dark. Molly was watching their every move from the shadows. At one point, she grabbed a walkie-talkie, her voice low as she issued amand. “Now! Start!”


    Bang!


    The sharp sound of party poppers went off, and Rnd instinctively covered his ears, the noise so jarring that he almost made a run for it.


    Suddenly, the lights flooded the house, illuminating every floor from the first to the third.


    Rnd felt like an exhibit, surrounded by strangers who were watching him, as if he were some kind of entertainment.


    But they didn’t realize it. They were simply trying to show him kindness. A banner hung from the third floor, the words “Wee Home, Rnd” scrawled across it in bold letters. The words felt foreign to him.


    Why were they acting like they knew him so well?


    Aurora and Lucas were the most mature. They walked up to introduce themselves.


    “Rnd, do you remember me? I’m Aurora.”


    Rnd had no recollection at all. But he had heard Joelle mention her several times on the way. Aurora was Joelle and Adrian’s eldest daughter.


    “I’m Lucas.” Lucas held out his hand, his voice steady.


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