Chapter 273 Something Happened to Him

Chapter 273 Something Happened to Him

Jenna's hands trembled violently, the letter rustling between her fingertips.

The words blurred and cleared before her eyes, cleared and blurred again, until they dissolved into fragmented images in her mind.

Edward finishing the last sentence, setting down his pen, folding the letter, sealing the envelope. Then standing, grabbing his coat from the chair, and walking out of that empty office without looking back.

He had written so calmly.

Yet every word was a blade, cutting into her heart.

Jenna could hold back no longer. She pressed the letter to her chest, bent over, and broke into uncontrollable sobs.

Mark turned away, removing his glasses as his shoulders shook violently.

Three days later, Jenna flew back home alone.

Edward's body couldn't be transported yet. Cross-border cases involved tedious, lengthy procedures—DNA matching, autopsy reports, embassy approvals, documents upon documents whose names she couldn't even comprehend, and cremation.

Back home, there was a mother who didn't yet know she had lost her son.

Samantha had been transferred to an even quieter private room—Edward's arrangement before he left.

He had arranged everything: where his mother should stay after he was gone, who would care for her, what medications she needed daily, when her follow-up appointments were. All written in the will he left for Mark.

He had thought of everything, except his own return.

When Jenna arrived, Samantha was sitting on a garden bench reading.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, startled at first, then her face broke into a delighted smile.

"Jenna? What are you doing here!" She set her book on the bench, stood up, and grasped Jenna's hands, peering behind her. "Where's Andy? Did Andy come?"

"He's here. Grandma's outside with him."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Samantha chided gently, patting the back of her hand.

"Quick, quick, sit down." She turned and called over her shoulder, "Larry, hurry! Bring out the fruit from the fridge!"

The elderly butler Larry responded cheerfully and bustled into the kitchen.

Samantha pulled Jenna down onto the bench, holding her hand and refusing to let go, studying her face carefully with eyes full of joy.

"You've gotten thinner. Haven't you been eating properly again? Where's Ethan? Why didn't he come with you?"

"He's in Eldoria. Some matters to handle."

"Eldoria?" Samantha looked mildly surprised but quickly moved on, waving her hand dismissively.

"Never mind that. Your timing is perfect—there's a new restaurant nearby with absolutely authentic cuisine. Let's go tonight, all of us with Andy. My treat."

Jenna looked into those eyes—so identical to Edward's—and felt her heart clench again.

"Alright," she said softly.

Samantha beamed, shifting closer to her. "You know, just the other day I was telling Larry about you. I said Jenna used to love my roasted ribs when she was little—every time you came over, you'd specifically ask for them. Your mother used to get jealous, saying you were already favoring your in-laws before you'd even married in."

But the next second, her smile dimmed briefly, as if she'd remembered something she shouldn't mention.

"Your mother..." She paused, looking at Jenna cautiously. "Jenna, have you been to see her?"

Jenna nodded. "I have. I found everything she left for me."

"That's good, that's good." Samantha patted her hand gently, her eyes reddening.

"Your mother was the best person I've ever known in my life. Back when we were in school, there was this summer camp. Those heartless organizers took money from parents but wouldn't even feed us properly. Lunch was just one bread roll. I was a chubby girl back then—nowhere near enough to fill me up. Your mother would always break hers in half for me, saying she wasn't hungry. Later I found out she was so hungry her stomach hurt, sneaking into the changing room to drink cold water. I called her foolish. She just smiled and said she couldn't stand seeing me go hungry."

As Jenna listened, her eyes began to well up.

Samantha didn't notice, lost in her memories, a faint smile still on her lips.

"Later, after she got married and life got hard, she wouldn't tell me. Every time I visited, she'd have the house spotless, pour me tea, insist I stay for dinner. That was just her way—always swallowing everything herself, kind to everyone except herself."

Only then did she suddenly notice the tears brimming in Jenna's eyes.

She froze, her smile slowly fading.

She reached out, using her thumb to gently wipe the corner of Jenna's eye.

"Jenna, don't be sad. Your mother may be gone, but you still have me. Whenever you miss her, come see me."

Jenna bit her lip, struggling to hold back, but the tear still slid down Samantha's thumb and landed on her own hand, scalding hot.

She wasn't thinking of her mother. She was thinking of someone else.

Someone who would never come back.

Someone who had settled everyone's affairs but left himself no way out.

She had held it in for three days.

From receiving the phone call, to flying across continents, to standing in the morgue cleaning Edward's body, to reading that letter—she had held it all in.

But now, facing this mother who didn't yet know, this mother still smiling and talking about cooking for her, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Mom."

Samantha's hand froze mid-air, her expression going rigid.

Jenna gripped her hand tightly. She knelt before Samantha, tears streaming silently down her face.

"Edward... something happened to Edward."

Samantha blinked.

She tilted her head, looking at Jenna's tear-streaked face, not yet comprehending.

"Something happened?" she asked carefully. "What did he do now? Did he go bother you again? Or is there another mess at the company? Or... or is he trying to fight you for Andy's custody?"

She grew more agitated as she spoke, her brow furrowing.

"Why won't that boy learn! I've called him so many times, told him to live his own life, to stop disturbing you and Ethan, but he just won't listen! Jenna, don't cry. Tell me what happened. I'll go find him. I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

"Mom." Jenna's lips trembled violently, tears spilling over.

She desperately wanted to speak, but her throat felt strangled, unable to produce a single word.

She could only shake her head, shaking and shaking, tears flowing faster with each movement.

Samantha's voice suddenly stopped.