Chapter 35  Under a sky already heavy with dark clouds, a flash of lightning lit up the horizon, followed by thunder to lood it felt like the ground was shaking beneath us. The deafening roar sent a jolt of fear through me, and I instinctively crouched down, hands covering my ears.  For a moment, I thought my heart might leap out of my chest. When I dared to look up again, the candles from the altar lay shattered at Chase’s feet. The candles had snapped in half, scattering ashes everywhere  The sudden commotion startled Grandma, who was already having trouble standing with her cane. She nearly collapsed, but was quick to catch her “Easy there, Ma’am, she murmured reassuringly  Chase, who usually scoffed at superstitions, was clearly rattled by the whole scene. Grandma’s face was ashen She trembled and said “What wrong have you done to bring this upon us?  “Grandma, I swear, it’s just a coincidence Chase replied, trying to sound calm  hawing how much Grandma believed in omens, Marian quickly beckoned for the servants to tidy up the altar. “Don’t worry, Madam, it’s  t bad timing. Let’s get you to bed for a bit.”  “Manan,” Grandma said, her voice tinged with worry “My heart’s been racing lately, and I keep dreaming of Amanda It’s been over ten days, and she never goes this long without calling me.”  Chase blanched. He knew how often I visited Grandma. Even when I was swamped, I made sure to call her Ignoring him was one thing, but not reaching out to Grandma? That was unheard of.  “Grandma” Chase asked, sounding panicked, “Amanda really hasn’t called at all?”  She shot him a stem glance. “Why would I lie about something like this?”  Chase’s face was pale as a sheet, and he seemed unsteady on his feet. I wondered if he was finally making the connection to blood–stained wedding dress at the police station.  Just then, a servant’s voice came from the doorway: “Ma’am, a package from Ms. Amanda has arrived for you.”  At the mention of my name, Chase hurried to grab the package. It had my name and phone number as the sender. Relieved, he quickly  tore it open.  Inside the wooden box, he found an amulet and a card I had left for Grandma. I had prayed for the amulet at a sacred place, hoping it would keep her healthy and safe. I planned to leave after the wedding, so I had arranged for its delivery on her birthday  Grandma’s eyes welled up as she read the card, clutching the amulet tightly. Marian gently reassured her, “This isn’t just any amulet. It’s a blessed token from the church. To get one, you need true devotion and must climb all the way to the top of the mountain for the priests blessing Amanda’s devotion is something else.”  Finally, Grandma’s anxiety eased. “If she’s sent this, she must be on her way. Have someone meet her at the gate”  “Of course, right away  able to take his eyes off the amulet, turned to Marian. “You’re saying this takes total devotion?”  Chase, unable  “Yes,” Manan replied, “from the base to the peak, it’s nearly forty thousand steps. People often faint halfway through if they re not in good health.”  I knew Chase was thinking back to the time just before he left for an earthquake disaster zone. I had given him an amulet at the airport, smiling as I handed it to him. He never believed in such things, but he kept it because it was from me. When he saw the scar on my forehead, he asked with genuine concern. “What happened to you?”