Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 772

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The innkeeper handed her the envelope. "Now I've carried out his last wish."

"Thanks." Rebecca took it, her eyes landing on the characters scrawled across the front.

It read: [To Rebecca Perry].

For a moment, she didn't have the courage to tear it open.

Gabriel squeezed her hand. "If you're not ready, don't."

A bitter, resentful lump rose in her throat. "I'm never opening it."

"Okay, we won't." Gabriel kept holding her hand, then spoke quietly. "He had the same illness as his father. They caught it earlier when they rescued him after the attack."

He studied her blank expression and tightened his grip. "He begged me not to tell you about losing his legs or the diagnosis. He hid away, fought it for two years, but couldn't beat it.

"Last year, sensing the end, he insisted on coming to Ireland. He slipped into a coma soon after arriving. I got him into the ICU, where he stayed for over a year and passed yesterday."

The timeline clicked into place in her foggy mind: ICU last year, coma... gone yesterday, one year later.

No wonder Darren had always felt so familiar. No wonder the young Rebecca had ended up with him. No wonder the dream version of him had reacted so strangely.

"If there's an afterlife, I really wish I could have helped him fulfill all his dreams."

A hollow laugh escaped her again, and her eyes stung.

"Becky..." Gabriel stroked her hair. "Restrain your sorrow. Vance disappeared just because he didn't want you grieving. Besides, you don't owe him anything. You two are even."