Chapter 18 chapter 18
Chapter 18
The next day…
The first thing that Natalie did was to visit her mom’s grave. She took Jojo with her because she had yet to hire a nanny for her.
Jojo looked at her mother and asked, “Mommy, what is this place, and what are we doing here?”
Natalie pointed at the tombstone in front of them and simply explained, “This is your grandmother, meaning my mom. This is her final resting place, but it is only the body that is kept here. Her spirit is in heaven, and she is watching over us.”
“Mommy, I don’t really understand,” Jojo said as she shook her head.
Natalie bent down and looked at her daughter, “Baby, you are still very young, and there are some things you will understand only after you’ve grown up, okay.”
“Okay, mommy.”
Natalie cleaned her mother’s tombstone gently. It looked like no one had really visited her for the last few years.
After she was done, she looked at Jojo and said, “Come on, pay your respect to your grandma.” She handed Jojo a bouquet of fresh lilies. These were her mother’s favorite flowers.
Jojo took the flowers and carefully placed them on Clara’s tombstone.
She folded her hands in front of her chest and spoke, “Grandma, my name is Jojo, Natalie is my mom, and I am your granddaughter.”
Natalie held Jojo on her shoulders and spoke up, “Mom, this is Jojo, she looks just like you. You were so excited when she was born. You carried her when she was so little, but now she is all grown, and I am sure you would have done a great job as a grandma if you were still here.”
“I returned to Sterling City yesterday, and I couldn’t wait to see you. Things have been going great for me. I am now a surgeon, and I have won a few awards over the years. I know that you would have been proud of me if you were still here.”
“Mom, there are so many mysteries surrounding your death. When I asked Dad to investigate, he refused, saying that it won’t bring you back to life. Every time I asked about it, we ended up arguing, and now we haven’t spoken in years.”
“I wonder what came over him, or what made him change so much. But mom, I will never know peace until I find the truth about your death. Whoever caused that accident will pay dearly.”
Natalie stayed at the cemetery from morning, and she only left with Jojo when the clock struck twelve. Good thing she had carried some snacks for Jojo, so they weren’t too hungry when they left.
Natalie had switched off her phone because she did not want to be disturbed. When she switched it on, she received so many voicemails from Sean.
It was only then did she remembered that Sean had told her that he would go over to the house in the morning. He must have gone after they had left, and since he did not have the spare key for the new house, he must have been stranded outside.
Natalie dialed Sean’s number, and he picked it up just after one ring.
“Sean, sorry, I…”
Before Natalie could say anything, Sean’s worried voice came through the speaker, “Nat, are you and Jojo okay? I have been looking for you all over, but I couldn’t find you. Your phone was switched off, and I was so worried about you.”
“Sorry, Sean. We left early in the morning to visit my mom at the cemetery. I forgot to send you a text before I switched off my phone.”
Hearing that they were safe, Sean heaved a huge sigh of relief. He had no idea what he would have done if something had happened to them. “Where are you now? I will come and pick you up.”
Natalie shook her head, “There is no need. We are just leaving the cemetery now, and we will be home in no time.”
“Okay. I will wait for you at home. Please, come back soon.”
…
When Natalie and Jojo arrived home, they found Sean standing at the door. He was wearing a long, black trench coat, with his hands draped in the pockets. He looked dashing, just like the prince charming next door.
When Jojo saw him, she ran to him without hesitation, “Daddy, you are here? Jojo missed you so much.”
Sean picked her up and kissed her on the forehead. His voice was soft and rich with affection as he said, “I missed my princess even more.”
Natalie opened the door as she asked, “Did you wait for long? Sorry, I forgot to give you an update.”
“No, it is okay, I just got here. I had some errands to run in the city, and I just finished.”
Although Natalie knew that he was probably lying, she did not insist. She just nodded her head and said, “Don’t forget to take the spare key later. It is not good for you to be standing outside for too long.”
“Okay.”
Natalie entered the house and removed her coat. She looked at Sean and Jojo and asked, “What will you guys have for lunch? I shopped for some groceries yesterday at the nearby supermarket. I will go and cook us something simple.”
Although she tried so hard to act strong, Sean could tell that Natalie was not in a good mood.
But who would be in a good mood after visiting their mom’s grave?
Still holding Jojo in his arms, he went over and hugged Natalie around the shoulders, “You don’t have to trouble yourself with that, Nat. I have already ordered lunch, and it will be delivered soon.”
“Oh!”
Sean led her to the sofa, “Sit down, I will go and get you a glass of water.”
When the food arrived, Natalie did not have much of an appetite. After eating a few spoonfuls of rice, she excused herself.
“You guys go ahead; I don’t have much of an appetite. I will go and make some tea.”
Sean stared at her without saying anything. Seeing her feel so down ruined his mood too, and he ended up losing his appetite.
After making sure that Jojo was full, he took her to her room and told her to rest before he left to look for Natalie.
Natalie was still in the kitchen, looking at the boiling water absentmindedly. Sean walked in and turned off the gas stove.