?<strong>Chapter 421:</strong>


    A faint smile appeared on Joelle’s face. Aurora, tugging at Adrian’s hand, asked, “Mommy, Mr. Miller! That star is twinkling. Is it Rnd winking at us?”


    Bending down, Adrian lifted Joelle slightly with one arm. “Of course. Rnd will always be with us.”


    Seeing the family of three together, cheerful despite their grief, Shawn felt a sense of relief. His eyes wandered to Katherine.


    She looked up at the sky, deep in thought, until Shawn’s gaze caught her attention. She nced his way, but Shawn had already diverted his eyes.


    Leah sniffled from the cold. “The night air is growing chilly, sir. I’ll go get a nket.”


    They had left their phones in the car, shielded from the harsh criticisms bombarding Joelle from the outside world. Adrian had even hired online supporters and manipted entertainment news outlets to quash the bacsh, but his efforts proved fruitless. To protect Joelle from the onught, they agreed to leave their phones behind during outings. In the faint glow of the car’s interior, Adrian’s phone continued to light up, shing the name “Michael.”


    Leah came rushing back breathlessly.


    In her haste, Leah had forgotten the nket, clutching only a phone as she sprinted thest hundred meters. “Sir! Mr. Frye is on the line!”


    Her announcement captured everyone’s attention as Adrian took the phone.


    “Michael?”


    From the other side, Michael’s voice broke through, fraught with despair. “Adrian,e help me. I’m at my limit. I can’t handle this alone!”


    Adrian immediately understood what was happening. Lacey’s heart condition was serious; the doctors had already said there was no way to fix it.


    After Lacey and Michael’s discharge from the hospital, everyone had been bracing themselves for the inevitable. But with Joelle also needing support, Adrian could only offerfort to Michael over the phone.


    “Michael, I’m tied up here. Bring Lacey back.”


    “I…” Michael’s voice faltered, despair unmistakable as he sat in the hospital corridor, his face buried in his hands, nearly tearing his hair out. “I just can’t handle it. I can’t face her! Please, Adrian, you have toe!”


    Every gathering must eventually part, but Michael was not ready to let go.


    Before Adrian could respond, Joelle intervened, “Go. Bring Michael and Lacey back. I’ll be fine on my own.”


    Joelle was well aware that both Lacey and Michael were Adrian’s closest friends. With Michael stranded and struggling in a distant city, she could only imagine how worried Adrian must be for him. That evening, Joelle quietly watched as Adrian left for the airport.


    At four in the morning, Joelle’s phone rang. It was Adrian calling from afar, his voice thick with grief. “Lacey passed away at 3:30 AM.”


    Joelle gently stroked her sleeping daughter’s hair, trying to stifle her sobs as tears streamed down her face.


    Adrian continued, his words heavy with sorrow. “The Hudson family ns to hold the funeral here, so I won’t be back for a while.”


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