<strong>Chapter 990:</strong>


    Aurora sped her hands together as if offering a silent prayer. “So, please, promise me—Mom and Dad can never know.”


    “I already told you—I don’t have time for your theatrics.”


    “Thank you!”


    Later that night, Aurora barged into his room, her arms piled high with stuffed toys.


    “Molly loves art, Kalel is obsessed with money, Sariah swoons over handsome guys. I have no idea what you like. So, here—my most treasured toys! You used to snatch them from me when we were kids!”


    “Who would want your junk?”


    Aurora giggled. “You did. Don’t you remember?”


    “Impossible.”


    “Really?” She smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Mom bought me a bunny plush once, and you threw a fit because you wanted one too. She had to drive out in the middle of the night, begging the store owner to open up just so she could buy you the same one.”


    Rnd felt strangely disconnected from the memory. “She went that far?”


    “Yeah.” Aurora reached out and patted his head in an almost motherly gesture. Rnd instantly batted her hand away.


    She wasn’t offended. Instead, her voice softened. “You have no idea how much Mom suffered after you went missing. She…”


    She wanted to tell him about Joelle’s struggles with depression, her suicide attempt, and the nationwide cyberbullying that nearly broke her, but she swallowed the words. That wasn’t a burden Rnd needed to bear. Instead, she smiled. “Anyway, you’re back now, and that’s all that matters.”


    Rnd didn’t reply. After Aurora left, he sat there in silence, lost in thought. He hated to admit it, but her words had stirred something deep inside him. Perhaps Wade had been wrong. Maybe not everyone here was as terrible as he’d believed.


    Maybe Joelle’s concern for him ran deeper than he had ever imagined.


    In the days that followed, Rnd gradually eased into his new surroundings, the familiar slowly bing routine. Faces that once seemed foreign now carried names, voices, and histories, weaving themselves into the fabric of his daily life.


    Then came his wee party.


    Katherine’s family, Michael’s family, Bobby’s family—all came. Even Leah and Can had made the journey from the countryside to be part of the celebration. For as long as he could remember, Rnd had drifted from ce to ce, belonging nowhere, tethered to nothing. Yet here, in the warmth ofughter and the weight of expectant gazes, everyone was telling him—this was home. But was it?


    Here, he could sleep without the shadow of war looming over him. An entire day passed without the ever-present fear of punishment.


    He told himself to stay detached, to remain objective. Yet, he could feel it—this ce pulling him in like a quiet tide sweeping over his feet, the water rising higher with every passing moment. Was he sinking, or was he simply letting go?


    Before Lucas had to leave, Dunn invited all of their generation, including Rnd. Most of them spent the afternoon fishing by the reservoir, theirughter carrying over the water. But Rnd and Dunn strayed from the crowd, choosing instead the cool shade, a pot of coffee between them.


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    Message from Noah: Happy wednesday dear readers. God loves you and Noah whishes you all the best. (=?=) /


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