Chapter 2627
Mara told Balfour things were a mess at home and she didn’t want to drag him back into it. Seemed like there was no reason for him to get involved anymore-it was her family’s dirty laundry, after all.
When he got home, he told his grandparents about Victoria’s suicide, but they were skeptical.
“That girl doesn’t strike me as the type to do something so rash,” Alyssa said, peering over her glasses.
Balfour exhaled heavily. “Maybe it’s the fallout from what happened before. She’s been off-kilter since her dad went into a coma. I guess I’ve got my own part in dragging her down.”
Deep down, they all knew that from the moment Elton became a vegetable, the Howard family had a hand in shaping the fate of those two girls.
They couldn’t just stand by and watch the rest of Victoria’s life unfold without them.
“When the time’s right, ask her if there’s anything she needs help with,” Dean suggested.
Balfour nodded-it was the least he could do to shoulder some of the responsibility.
The real kicker came after Victoria’s affairs had been settled. Elton woke up in the hospital, and they were the first to get the call since the Howards had arranged his care.
Balfour and Mara arrived at the hospital almost simultaneously.
After catching up with Mara for a bit, Elton asked why Victoria hadn’t come along. Mara and Balfour exchanged a look, both at a loss for words. Sensing something was off, Elton, frail as he was, pressed them for answers.
Under his persistent questioning, Mara broke down and revealed the somber truth about Victoria’s suicide. The news nearly sent Elton back into oblivion.
Thanks to the doctors, Elton regained just enough consciousness to entrust Mara to Balfour, making him promise to take good care of her and keep her safe-no matter what. Already burdened with guilt, Balfour agreed without hesitation. After unloading that last wish, Elton closed his eyes, seemingly at peace, reuniting with Victoria in whatever lay beyond.
That day, Mara’s cries were heart-wrenching. Balfour, wracked with guilt, stayed by her side, eventually arranging for her to be taken home and sorting out Elton’s final arrangements.
What he didn’t expect was Mara’s request to help with her transfer to a school abroad so soon after.
“Why choose somewhere so far? There are plenty of top-notch universities stateside,” Balfour said, puzzled.
But Mara’s voice was laced with a desolate tone on the phone.
“I need to leave this city of sorrow. It’s filled with memories of my sister and dad, and it hurts too much. I can’t stand to stay,” she confided.
Balfour was silent for a long while. “If you’re set on going abroad, I’ll take care of it. I’m just worried it might be a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“What do I have left to be impulsive about? My sister’s gone, so was my dad. Balfour, just let me go. I can’t bear to stay here any longer.”
With Mara feeling so adamant, Balfour couldn’t refuse. Within a week, he’d arranged everything, and Mara was on a flight to study overseas.
At first, out of a sense of obligation, Balfour would occasionally fly out to see her, given that she was all alone in a foreign country. That was how they’d kept in touch over the years.
Listening to Olivia recount their past, Balfour was reminded that Mara hadn’t been on good terms with Victoria before her death. Strangely, Mara seemed to miss her sister more as time went on.
“So you’re saying Victoria didn’t take her own life? That Mara had a hand in it, making it look like suicide?” he asked Olivia, disbelief plastered across his face-a look of confusion rare on the face of such a high-powered executive. It was clear how taken aback he was.
