Chapter 246: Back then

After dinner that day, Madison took Rowan, her cousin brother, to the room prepared beforehand and tucked him in.

"Sister, I still want to stay with you." Rowan softly protested. He really liked his sister, whom he had only seen on the news or from his grandpa's phone. He just arrived, and the time he had spent with his sister wasn't even more than three hours!

"Be good. I'll play with you tomorrow. How's that? And we'll go out thereafter, okay?" Madison ruffled his hair and said gently. Of course, she understood. The little guy just needed her to be a playmate. Maybe only then would he be able to truly believe that his sister really existed.

"Really?" Rowan's eyes lit up. Even though he always acted mature in front of her grandfather, that was just a front. He didn't want his grandpa to look after him and worry about him. But when he met his sister, all his childish side was unlocked. He was really curious about what they were going to play.

"Yes, really. So sleep and regain the energy to play later. Okay?"Madison said as he tucked her in. It was already cold, so Madison had the maids prepare a thick and fluffy blanket for her cousin.

She looked at the bundle on the bed and felt that he was too cute.

"Goodnight, baby." Madison pecked him on the forehead and said.

"Goodnight, sister. " Rowan said in a muffled voice. It felt good to be kissed by his sister, and he looked forward to more.

Her grandpa had said he wanted to talk to her and Wesley, so after tucking Rowan in, she went back to the living room and found the two of them waiting for her.

"Shall we start?" Grandpa solemnly asked as he looked at Madison.

"Mm," Madison said as she sat down next to Wesley. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that whatever she was going to be told wasn't something good.

"Okay." Her grandfather said as he cleared his throat before he started narrating the incidents that happened back then. The more he explained the events, the paler Madison's face grew. Her heart felt very uncomfortable as she listened, but she didn't stop her grandfather from talking. She was always questioning herself why she was left all alone after her parents died.

"And you must know, Madison, that when your parents snuck away from home, your uncle and I never stopped looking for you." As her grandpa said this, his eyes were genuine. He wasn't lying. He had almost gone crazy that day. How could he lose all those people in one swoop?

"So, I killed those people." Madison wasn't asking. Rather, she was stating. She was smiling but there was no beauty in it. The smile was filled with despondency. Anyone who saw her smile felt a pang in their chest.

Wesley was the one who felt the most terrible. He silently pulled her in his arms and patted her back in comfort.

Madison choked. Her grandpa had said that all the people who had come to urge him to send her away because she was believed to be a curse back then all died as soon as they left their manor. Some died in car accidents, some committed suicide, and in fact, they mostly died in bizarre ways. If she was a cursed child, then maybe that energy was what caused their death, right? She couldn't believe she killed all those people. The guilt she was feeling was insurmountable. She didn't know if she'd ever forgive herself for that.

"No, Madison, don't say that. Those people merely got their retribution. It just happened to coincide with the day they came to tell urge me to send you away. Don't blame yourself." Her grandfather said. If not for the promise he had made back then, he wouldn't have told her about it. It was a painful memory.

"Mm." Madison nodded at her grandfather before she turned her head to look at Wesley; "I want to go and sleep." Madison said. She just wanted to escape reality.

"Okay. Let's go." Wesley said and nodded at Grandpa before he took Madison upstairs. When he watched the two walk away, his eyes were filled with worry. Did he do the right thing?