Amelia dropped her gaze, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her pants. “Grandpa, this is all on me. I should have been more careful with the sleeping pills.”
Kevin didn’t say a word. He simply looked away, then unfolded the note Dennis had left behind.
Just seeing that paper made Amelia’s heart race. She glanced at Ethan, quietly signaling him to go and bring Dennis over.
Ethan got the message and quietly slipped out of the hospital room.
Amelia looked back at Kevin, who was gripping the thin sheet of paper with both hands, his face growing darker as he read.
She had been there the whole time Dennis wrote the note, feeding him the words, guiding his hand. The message was short, written in Dennis’s messy, childish handwriting. There were even spots where his tears had smudged the ink, leaving little dark stains behind.
“I miss Mom. I miss Dad. Bad people took Mom away. I asked Grandpa to help me, but he wouldn’t. He even hit me. I’m so sad I want to die…”
Kids, when they’re scolded or hurt by adults, sometimes come up with these dramatic fantasies. They think if they act cold or run away, or even threaten something worse, it’ll make the adults feel sorry and regret everything. Amelia knew this all too well, which was why she’d told Dennis to write, “If I die, will Grandpa regret not helping me find Mom?”
Kevin’s face went rigid, and he started coughing hard.
Amelia rushed to pat his back, but he swatted her hand away.


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