Chapter 37 – What He Left Behind
Standing before the front door, Adrian hesitated.
Cordelia stood beside him—quiet, alert—her presence kept him steady. He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and knocked firmly.
From inside, hurried footsteps echoed—someone was rushing to answer. The door opened with a soft creak, revealing a familiar face.
Adrian blinked in surprise. So did the boy on the other side.
"Leo?" Adrian asked, startled.
The boy looked up at him, confused. "You? What are you doing here?"
Adrian stepped back, trying to make sense of the coincidence. "I didn't know you lived here. I came to talk to the people who live in this house. It's something important." He paused. "Has your family always lived here?"
Leo tilted his head, puzzled by the strange question. "Yeah… always. Why?"
Adrian glanced briefly at Cordelia, then looked back at the boy. "Would it be alright if we came in? I really need to speak with your family."
Leo hesitated, clearly unsure. But after a moment, he nodded. "Okay. Come on in."
He opened the door wider, and Adrian and Cordelia stepped inside. The house was modest and warm—simple furniture, family photos on the walls, and a faint sweet scent in the air. Adrian already felt a knot tightening in his chest.
"Wait here," Leo said. "I'll get my mom and sister."
The boy disappeared down the hallway, leaving the two of them alone in the living room. Cordelia sat on the edge of the couch, while Adrian remained standing, staring at the folded map in his hands.
Moments later, Leo returned, accompanied by a woman in her mid-forties and a teenage girl. The woman's hair was tied in a loose bun. Her face was gentle, but her eyes carried a quiet exhaustion—like someone who had endured much.
They sat down across from Adrian and Cordelia.
"Hello. I'm Elena, and these are my children—my daughter Ana and my son Leo. I believe you've already met him," the woman said with a slight nod.
Cordelia gave a soft smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cordelia."
Adrian bowed his head slightly. "Adrian. Thank you for receiving us."
Elena observed them calmly, with a curious gaze. "So… what brings you here? What do you need from us?"
Adrian took a deep breath, his heart beating faster. "What I'm about to say may bring up painful memories. I apologize if it seems sudden or too personal."
He reached out to Cordelia. Silently, she handed him the old, weathered map—the one they had recovered from the divine ruins, a place few ever dared to enter.
Adrian held it for a moment, staring at the creased parchment. Then he raised his eyes and met Elena's gaze.
"I was exploring a dangerous place… one where few people return alive. There, I found a clue I had long been searching for… but I also found something else. A body. A man who had died alone, clutching this map. He left no name. Only one request: that whoever found it would deliver the message to his family."
Adrian stepped forward and gently offered the map to Elena.
"I believe… this message is for you."
Elena stared at the map, her face growing pale. Her hand trembled slightly as she took it. She opened it slowly, carefully, as if each fold carried the weight of years.
Inside, scrawled in a familiar, shaky hand, was a message.
Her husband's handwriting.
Elena's breath caught as she began to read aloud, her voice soft, breaking:
> Elena,
If you're reading this… I beg for your forgiveness.
I let my ambition blind me. I abandoned you and the children to chase something meaningless.
You must hate me. And maybe you should. What kind of man leaves his wife and kids for a dream that wasn't even real?
But even if I no longer have the right… I ask—no, I plead—for your forgiveness.
I was a fool. A terrible father. A worse husband. You all deserved so much more.
Goodbye. And even if I no longer deserve to say this… I have always loved each of you with all my heart.
Please, be happy.
From your idiot husband and father,
Paulo.
Tears welled up in Elena's eyes as her voice faded. Her hands clutched the map tightly, holding onto it like it was the last thread connecting her to the past.
Leo and Ana moved closer, embracing her without a word. Even though they barely remembered the man who had written that letter, they could feel the weight of the pain in their mother's eyes. And they cried with her.
Adrian lowered his head and stepped back. He and Cordelia remained silent, giving the family their moment.
After a long pause, Elena finally looked up. Her eyes were red, but calm. She met Adrian's gaze and gave him a slight nod.
A silent thank you.
And for a brief moment, Adrian felt something shift inside—maybe not closure, but peace. A wound had not healed, but it had been acknowledged.
And sometimes… that was enough.
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