Chapter 170 She Turned
Off Her Phone
Rachel had just hung up the phone when Jeffrey emerged, his shoulders slumped and gaze fixed on the floor.
He shuffled toward her with hesitant steps.
Though he remained silent, Rachel could read the frustration etched across his face.
She gently clasped his hand, and together they departed.
Inside the elevator, Jeffrey’s continued silence made Rachel’s heart constrict with worry.
Her mind already whirled with concerns, and Brian’s persistent calling only compounded her distress. Without hesitation, she disconnected his call. When her phone lit up with his name again, she powered it off completely.
Meanwhile, Brian fumed in frustration.
Within a mere span of days, Rachel seemed transformed into someone he barely recognized, someone who dared to hang up on him and appeared unconcerned about her professional responsibilities.
As the siblings stepped out of the elevator, Rachel noticed a shopping center nearby. “We’ve been rushing around all morning,” she suggested, squeezing Jeffrey’s hand. “I need to catch my breath. Let’s grab some drinks before lunch.”
Jeffrey responded with a subtle nod. He understood perfectly that she sought to give him time to accept failure.
After their meal, with afternoon hours stretching before them, Rachel selected a film. The title suggested comedy, something light to lift their spirits.
To her dismay, what began with laughter gradually descended into heartbreak, culminating in the heroine’s death.
The ending hung heavy in the air, oppressive and inescapable.
At such a vulnerable moment, Rachel couldn’t help drawing parallels to her own situation.
When the credits rolled, the theater remained full, the silence punctuated only by muffled sobs.
Rachel struggled to contain her emotion as tears traced silent paths down her cheeks.
Time seemed suspended until Jeffrey’s voice broke through her fog. “Rachel, wipe your tears,” he murmured, offering a tissue.
Glancing up, she realized her face glistened with moisture.
Under the theater’s spotlight, her smudged makeup created dark shadows beneath her eyes.
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Chapter 170 She Turned Off Her Phone
With unexpected tenderness, Jeffrey dabbed at her tears. His movements conveyed both care and uncertainty. this clearly marked his first time comforting someone this way.
Instead of solace, the gesture unleashed a flood of memories. Rachel recalled their childhood, when she had always been the one drying his tears.
Jeffrey, adventurous and active, would frequently return with scrapes and cuts. Too proud to cry aloud, he would shed silent tears while she, the protective sister, wiped them away.
Years had rushed past them.
They had both grown up, but soon she would have to leave the world again. She felt sorrow rise unstoppably within her.
“Jeffrey, did you understand the movie we just watched?” she asked softly.
Jeffrey nodded emphatically. “Yes.”
“Were you scared when the heroine died?”
To her surprise, he shook his head firmly.
“Why not?” she pressed, curious despite her grief.
“Because our little sister said if we die, we can see Mom again. And I miss Mom.”
The “little sister” he mentioned was Kate Marsh.
At the mention of their mother, Rachel’s composure crumbled completely.
The siblings fell into each other’s arms, their sobs echoing shared pain.
Though they had never known their mother from birth, their longing for her remained a constant ache, especially when witnessing Moira’s affection toward Kate.
In their younger days, Jeffrey had stood shorter than Rachel, his growth delayed by fragile health.
People often mistook her for the elder sibling by several years.
And true to the slower emotional development of young boys, Jeffrey had maintained an innocent, childlike perspective on the world around them.
Rachel assumed the role of caretaker whenever Jeffrey wept for their mother, offering comfort beyond her years. As time passed, his yearning for maternal connection only intensified.
One day, he looked up at her with tear–stained cheeks and asked directly, “Rachel, where is our mom? Where did she go?”
At that tender age, Rachel herself hadn’t fully grasped the permanence of death. Drawing from fragments of adult conversations, she explained softly, “I heard our mom became a star watching over us from the sky.”
Her improvised explanation transformed his sorrow into wonder. His weeping ceased immediately as his gaze lifted toward the heavens, searching the constellations with newfound purpose.
This marked the beginning of a period of unexpected joy for Jeffrey.
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Chapter 170 She Turned Off Her Phone
Each evening brought him a simple yet profound happiness–standing beneath the vast night sky, connecting with the stars above.
Often, he would tug at Rachel’s sleeve with childlike uncertainty. “Rachel, there are so many stars in the sky,” he would whisper, his voice tinged with worry. “Which one is our mom? I’m afraid I’ll pick the wrong one, and she won’t recognize me.”
Tears would silently course down Rachel’s cheeks as she pointed toward the most luminous celestial body visible that night. She would assure him, “She’s the most beautiful and the brightest one.”
That night, excitement kept Jeffrey awake long past bedtime.
His newfound connection to their mother sustained his happiness for an entire month.
Then came Christmas, when Kate returned home.
She discovered Jeffrey alone in the yard, his face tilted skyward in quiet communion with the stars. Curiosity drew her to his side. “Jeffrey, what are you doing? Why are you always staring at the stars?”
With unguarded enthusiasm, Jeffrey shared his precious secret. “Kate, I’m looking at my mom. She’s up there.” Kate froze momentarily before dissolving into laughter.
Jeffrey watched her, bewilderment clouding his expression. His young mind struggled to comprehend her reaction but found no answers,
When her laughter finally subsided, he cocked his head. “Kate, why are you laughing?”
Her amusement redoubled as she pointed at him dismissively. “Oh, Jeffrey… you really don’t know? You’re such a fool.”
His face scrunched up in frustration. “I’m not a fool! I’m your elder brother!”
Kate smirked, nodding exaggeratedly. “Yes, my foolish brother.”
Then, with a dramatic sigh, she lifted her chin and shattered his month–long dream with a single sentence. “Jeffrey, you are so silly. Stars are just stars. How can people turn into those tiny dots in the sky? Your mom isn’t up there at all. Who told you that? Was it Rachel?”
Jeffrey’s small hands clenched into fists. His cheeks puffed up in defiance.
But Kate wasn’t finished. “I’m not lying,” she said, crossing her arms. “Do you want to know where your mom really is?”
“Where?” His voice was barely a whisper.
Kate shrugged. “Nowhere. She’s dead. Do you even know what ‘dead‘ means? It means no more breath, no talking, no crying and no laughing. Oh, and I heard that when people die, their muscles rot. Bugs eat them, and
their bones turn to dust.”
Requiem of A Broken Heart
