Chapter 63

Leon parked his car in the parking lot and looked at his surroundings. This wasn’t a new neighborhood. The buildings were packed together, varying in height and facing different directions. In the alleyways, makeshift plastic awnings jutted out here and there. The building walls, caked with decades of grime, looked perpetually gray. Leon pictured Kelly walking down this road for the past twenty years, throughout the seasons.

Just then, a voice pulled his attention away.

“Jackson, slow down. Be careful!”

A high schooler came into his view, riding a skateboard. He quickly fell off as he wasn’t good at skateboarding. Trailing behind him were his parents. The man was carrying a bunch of bags, while the woman, looking anxious, hovered close behind the boy, afraid he might hurt himself.

“I’m fine. Quit nagging,” the boy snapped.

The boy’s face struck a chord in Leon, and he quickly guessed who he was. Kelly rarely talked about her family, but the few things she’d let slip and how she handled problems told Leon the kind of home she grew up in. Back then, she had probably married him impulsively just to escape her family. But now, the scene before him was the perfect picture of a loving and harmonious family.

Leon’s gaze darkened. He nudged a rock with his foot. The rock rolled under the skateboard, causing it to jolt. The boy lost his balance and fell hard onto the ground.

“Jackson!” Helena cried out, rushing over to check on her son.

“What happened? How’d you fall?” William rushed over with the bags in his hands. He frowned when he saw the blood on Jackson’s hands and scolded, “You never listen to me! Why are you showing off before you even know how to ride?”

“He hurt his right hand! How’s he going to do his homework now?” Helena looked brokenhearted. Then, she glared at William and added, “He’s already hurt. Stop scolding him for a second.”

“You guys are so annoying! Just help me up already,” Jackson grumbled through the pain.

Helena hummed to lift him up before blowing on his scraped hand gently. “There, there.”

“Come on, let’s get him upstairs and disinfect that. We don’t want it getting infected.”

As Jackson entered the building, he glanced back and saw a man standing by a black Mercedes, watching him with dark, unfathomable eyes. A chill ran down his spine.

“Watch where you’re going. Don’t fall again,” Helena reminded him.

Jackson quickly looked away.

Meanwhile, downstairs near the building entrance, Kelly ran into a neighbor, Carol Teller.

“Kelly? What are you doing back?” Carol asked.

“Ms. Teller, I just came back to grab a few things,” Kelly said, instinctively adjusting her bag.

“Did you let your parents know? I ran into them earlier. They said they were taking your brother shopping. Your mom mentioned he wanted a skateboard,” Carol said.

“I’m just here to pick something up. I don’t think it’s worth bothering them,” Kelly replied.

“Sure, sure. Good luck with school,” Carol said with a smile.

Kelly said, pretending to glance at her watch, “I’m sorry, Ms. Teller, my ride’s almost here.”

Kelly gave her a quick goodbye and walked off. A few steps later, she saw three familiar figures approaching, and quickly ducked into a corner. She watched Helena and William fussing over Jackson from the shadows, clearly distressed and completely unaware of her presence. William had a brand-new skateboard tucked under his arm. They really gave him whatever he wanted.

Just then, Carol returned. She saw the family and greeted them warmly, “Hey, you’re back! Kelly was home too. Did you see her?” Then she noticed Jackson’s injured hand. “Oh no, what happened to his hand?”

“He fell earlier. Sorry, we’ve got to get upstairs and disinfect,” Helena replied in a rush.

The family moved on, ignoring Carol’s mention of Kelly. Kelly stood still for a long moment before finally turning away. She had long since gotten used to it. Her place in their hearts kept getting smaller, until one day there would be no place left for her at all.