Chapter 5: The Confrontation

Our eyes met.

The air snapped, electricity crackling in the space between us. I felt the urge to laugh, to cry, to say everything and nothing all at once.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze.

Derek stared at me, unmoving.

His hand hovered at his side, knuckles white. His jaw clenched, and I could see the question forming—was I real, or just another ghost from his past? There were so many emotions in his eyes, I didn’t dare look too closely.

Caleb reacted first, pulling me behind him and, a little guilty, asking, “U-Uncle, why are you here?”

His voice trembled, like a kid caught breaking curfew.

Derek’s tone was harsh. “Who the hell are you?”

The words landed heavy, sharp as a gavel. I flinched, suddenly five years younger and just as lost.

At that moment, Caleb actually calmed down. “What do you think, Uncle?”

He squared his shoulders, meeting Derek’s glare head-on, though his hands shook slightly.

Derek seemed to realize something, and took a few unsteady steps back.

The color drained from his face. “It can’t be her—why does she look so much like her?”

Hearing this, Caleb looked at me too.

If I remembered right, we’d never met before.

But I was sure Caleb knew who I was.

Just then, Derek took advantage of Caleb’s distraction, rushed over, and grabbed my wrist.

His fingers dug into my skin, desperation radiating from him.

Caleb tried to stop him, but Derek shoved him out the door.

With a heavy bang, the door slammed shut.

The sound reverberated through the house, leaving silence in its wake. For a moment, only Derek and I were left in the room.

After a brief silence, Derek scrutinized me again.

His eyes searched my face like he was looking for a secret code. “What’s your name?”

I lowered my eyes, avoided his gaze, and replied, “My name is Grace.”

A lie so small it almost broke my heart. He had a new life now—I shouldn’t disturb him.

Besides, I’d be leaving soon. It was better not to let him know the truth.

Derek sneered. “Even your voice is exactly the same. Tell me, who sent you?”

The bitterness in his tone was like biting into an apple and finding it rotten to the core.

I looked up in surprise. So he just thought I looked like Megan.

That was good. Afraid he’d notice something, I simply stayed silent.

But the more Derek looked at me, the more agitated he became.

He grabbed my shoulders and demanded, “Who told you to look like her? What are you after? Answer me!”

He pushed me against the wall. My back ached from the impact, but I couldn’t break free.

Just then, Caleb, who had climbed in through the window, saw what was happening.

The window creaked, and suddenly Caleb was there, breathless, outrage flashing in his eyes.

He rushed over and pulled Derek away, shouting, “The engagement party isn’t even over, and Uncle leaves his fiancée to come here. I want to ask, Uncle, what exactly are you hoping for? Wasn’t it you who personally sent that person to the crematorium?”

The accusation hung in the air, ugly and raw.

Derek seemed to hear something terrifying. His body trembled, he didn’t dare look at me, and then he fled the house in a panic.

The slam of the door was final. Watching his back, a wave of bitterness surged in my heart.

I pressed my palm to my chest, feeling the old wound ache as if it had never truly healed.