Chapter 211: The Case "You sure you wanna know that, kiddo?" Lena asked. I didn’t know what to say or how to feel about that question. I had come all this way because I needed to know what got Mom so worried that she had to bring me back to Rosevale. Honestly, I don’t know what I have been doing. I have never once felt close to my parents since they died. I just blocked them off because it hurts so much. It started subconsciously at first. I stopped my ballet, I turned the picture frames the other way, and tried to erase them. It was a cruel action, but it helped process the pain in a way. Gramps and Granny tried to keep their spirits alive however they could, but even they needed time to grieve, and just like that, we didn’t talk about them anymore. We never forgot, but we chose silence. Despite everything, I was glad Gramps came to me. It meant we were all healing. "Yes," I replied. "I want to. I need to." She inhaled before pushing to stand. My eyes followed her movement until she disappeared into the other room. I used my nail against the other as the passing seconds made me uneasy. Lena was back with a brown portfolio. Pressing her hand against the armrest, she sat down, not meeting my eyes for a second before she spoke. "I won’t sugarcoat it, kiddo." "Don’t." Lena nodded before she began. "She was working on a case on the Kings. Elias King, to be specific. There was a string of murders going on, a gang war or something, and many innocent lives were being caught in all the mess. I was assigned to something else, so Hannah took it upon herself to work the case." Then her expression turned into rage. "She got too close to places she shouldn’t stick her nose in, asking questions, getting attention that she might be onto something enough to pin Elias King for murder. And then..." My heart dropped. Lena took out pictures from the portfolio. "The last I heard from her, she was making a family road trip back to her hometown. She must have gotten worried or sensed something was wrong. I don’t know what happened after that, but I think they were on their way back when it happened." She dropped the pictures on the table and spread them out for me to see. "I went to the car crash site and believe me that wasn’t a failed break or anything, the damage was too great and cruel..." Tears slipped down her lashes, and her voice cracked. "The truck crushed the entire thing, everything was just..." She clenched her teeth. "I knew for damn sure Elias King ordered a hit on Hannah, but there was no proof, and nothing was traced back to him. I checked the site many times, and I tell you, nothing was wrong with the car, and that truck had no plate, like it was stolen to get the job done. The driver? He was charged, but that was it..." She placed a hand on her chest. "It was an accident, but to me it was a cold case that should have gotten the justice it deserved." I gathered the pictures with shaky hands, and the more I examined, the more I couldn’t keep going. This was what my grandparents tried to protect me from... why Granny and I had to stay behind when the authorities came to our house to report the crash. "The Kings. They are a disease to this city, and Lord knows I would have gotten out, but just like everyone, I’m cursed here. Your mother was a good woman; she only wanted to protect the innocent, but good ones don’t last." I moved my teary gaze to her. "I’m sorry..." she said softly. "I know how this must make you feel, especially now. You had no idea what kind of family you married into." ~☆~ I stepped out of the building, walking through the street, unable to feel the cold brushing against my cheeks, nor hear any sound. I stopped, waiting for the lights to turn green. I stood with a crowd, but it was like they never existed. I spent my entire time on foot, hands buried in my pocket, my gaze lowered. It was only when it turned dark that I realized I had been walking the entire time. I reached the apartment building, going up the stairs. I unlocked the door and shut it behind me, allowing my bag to fall as I walked to the bathroom to see myself in the mirror. I spent so long out in the cold that my cheeks and nose were now red. Suddenly, my lips quivered, and the emotions I had tried to repress broke from their restraint. I grabbed the hairbrush and tossed it at the mirror. It shattered upon impact. I shouted, but the sound was inaudible to me. I pressed my palm against the sink, breaking into a fit of tears and wailing my lungs out. I jammed my fist into the ceramic over and over again until I felt like my wrist was going to snap. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 I collapsed to the floor, sinking my fingers into my hair, crying and shrieking until my throat went dry. I cried and cried, feeling my heart was about to be ripped apart. But what I felt wasn’t pain, it was outrage. Burning through my skin like lava. A memory was unlocked. When we put my parents to rest, my tiny arms were wrapped around Granny’s neck as I watched Gramps drop dirt on the casket. It was snowing and so cold that I could feel it; the wetness on my cheek from crying. And when the shovels were used to cover up the casket, that was the last time I saw my parents. The last time. My entire childhood, my happiness, everything I could have had was taken away from me. Everything.