Chapter 148.

She continued toward the parking lot.

Christian followed behind her. His footsteps were heavy, slow, and angry.

Kylie could hear them.

She didn’t turn around. She knew if she looked at him too soon, he might break. And she didn’t know what to do with that.

They reached the garage.

The evening air was colder there.

Kylie stopped beside her car.

Christian continued walking several steps before stopping. He stared at the ground.

He laughed calmly when he stopped. He let out an awful laugh.

Kylie turned. "Christian."

"Three days." His voice was almost a whisper.

Kylie said nothing.

"He’s been dead for three days."

She swallowed. She looked at him.

He ran both hands through his hair. "No one told me." His voice shook.

Kylie stepped closer.

His eyes were red. His voice rose. "And they couldn’t even call me. Do they not have human feelings?"

Kylie stood quietly.

Christian looked at her. His eyes glistened. "I was supposed to know." He gritted his teeth. "I was supposed to be there."

Kylie’s throat tightened. "Christian..."

"I should have been there." His face fell. He looked away quickly. "I should have been there."

Kylie took a step toward him.

His shoulders shook once. Suddenly, he kicked the tire of his car. Hard.

"Fuck!" He cursed as pain shot through his whole body.

Kylie flinched.

He kicked it again. "Fuck!" His breathing became uneven. He slammed both hands against the hood.

"Three fucking days."

His forehead dropped against the car.

Kylie watched him.

She had never seen him this vulnerable.

Christian stayed there with both palms flat against the hood, and his head bowed. His shoulders rose and fell.

"He waited for me." He whispered. "Where was I three days ago? I was at home. Simply because I visited him two days earlier."

Kylie listened. She shut her eyes for a second, and parted them again.

"He probably thought I was busy." His voice trembled. "He always thought I was busy." He straightened. "I should have come. I am always so fucking busy."

Kylie shook her head. "You didn’t know."

"I should have known." His knees shook.

"You couldn’t."

"I should have."

"Christian!" Her voice came out firm.

He turned toward her. His eyes were red.

Kylie stopped. The words flew out of her mouth.

"Don’t tell me it wasn’t my fault." He warned her. His voice remained low.

She said nothing.

"It wasn’t your fault." He mimicked the words bitterly. "Nobody’s fault. Wasn’t that what you were about to say?"

Kylie said nothing. She softly folded her arms across her chest.

"But somebody made a decision." He pointed sideways. "She made a decision. My mother did."

His jaw tightened. "She decided I deserved to find out after he was already gone."

Kylie couldn’t answer.

His voice became barely audible. "I didn’t know anything."

Kylie felt something twist painfully in her chest.

She knew what it meant to sit beside someone you loved. She knew what it meant to memorize the smallest details.

She had spent years afraid of forgetting her mother.

Christian had just been robbed of the chance to remember his grandfather’s final moments. Not by illness, but by a choice.

Kylie whispered, "I’m sorry."

Christian looked at her.

She didn’t say it’s okay. Because it wasn’t. She didn’t say everything happens for a reason. She hated that sentence.

She didn’t say at least he didn’t suffer.

Christian’s face twisted. "I hate her."

Kylie didn’t react.

"I hate my mother." His voice shook. "I hate her." He looked toward the building. "She knew. This was my punishment."

Kylie remained quiet.

He wiped his face roughly. "Why?"

Kylie didn’t have an answer.

"Because I refused to marry someone?" He sniffed. His heart clenched. "Because I didn’t attend dinner?"

He shook his head. "Because I told her no?"

He looked at Kylie.

"So she punished me."

Kylie felt her stomach turn.

"She punished me with a dead man."

His mother hadn’t just withheld information. She had withheld his chance to say goodbye.

Kylie remained silent. She simply stared at her.

Silence settled between them.

A car drove past the far end of the garage.

Christian eventually sat down on the hood of his car. He leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees. His hands hung between them.

Kylie stood a few feet away.

She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to touch him, but she wasn’t sure if he wanted that.

At the same time, she couldn’t walk away. She moved closer, and sat beside him.

Christian stared ahead. "Do you know what dementia does?"

Kylie looked at him. "Yes."

"My grandfather forgot everyone." His voice was quiet. "Sometimes he’d look at me and ask who I was. He nursed me from birth. He was my only parent yet he asked who I was."

Kylie listened.

"Sometimes he’d remember me." He paused briefly. His heartbeat fastened. "Sometimes he’d forget again ten minutes later."

Christian continued. "One day he called me by my father’s name." He smiled faintly. "I laughed then. I was just twelve when he got admitted."

Kylie looked at him.

"I didn’t know what else to do." He looked down. He stared at his hands. Christian eyes peppered. "Sometimes he didn’t know me."

Kylie said nothing.

"But I’d still come." He rubbed his hands together. "I’d sit there for hours." His voice softened. "I’d tell him about work."

He paused, and laughed softly. "I still remember how he always said Adrian looked like someone who hadn’t smiled since birth."

Kylie snorted. "That’s actually accurate."

Christian looked at her. His eyes softened. "He would have liked you." He chuckled.

Kylie blinked. She shrugged. "That is such a weird thing to say."

Christain nudged her shoulder lightly. "Is it?" He raised a brow at her, and his usual grin returned faintly. "You’re very likable."

Kylie gave him a thin smile. "My mum is in there too." She whispered.

Christian gave her a stunned look. "Seems like we have a lot in common." He raised a finger. "We love race cars," he said. "We’re both blonde, and blue eyed.... and now, we both have families here."

Kylie turned to him. "Yours just died." She said with humor.