Shattered Vows: Call Me Auntie Now novel Chapter 427

Memories came flooding back.

They always said prolonged emotional distress could physically destroy a person, and they were right.

By the time Quinn's mother was diagnosed, the cancer had already reached its final stages.

After enduring several grueling rounds of chemotherapy, her mother knew her time was running out. Lying in her hospital bed, she had grasped Quinn's hand with trembling fingers.

"Quinn, sweetheart, Mom has to go now..."

"Whenever you miss me, just look up at the night sky. The brightest star up there will be me. Don't lose sight of it."

Over the years, whenever the dead of night settled in, she had made a habit of searching the heavens. But in the city lights of Riverton, it was impossible to find a star that dazzling.

A familiar lump formed in her throat as a thin veil of tears blurred her vision.

Gazing at the endless canopy of stars, her voice was as soft as the passing breeze. "My mom used to tell me to look at the stars whenever I missed her."

Raymond's gaze lingered on the reddened corners of her eyes before he reached out, pulling her gently into his embrace.

Resting her head against his broad shoulder, the cool mountain wind rustled the dark hair at his forehead.

His voice was low, carrying the quiet tenderness of the midnight hour.

"Then among all these stars, one of them must be my mother, too."

Quinn stiffened in surprise, lifting her head to look at the man beside her.

Raymond's eyes remained fixed on the heavens. The starlight reflected in his dark, somber gaze, and his usually sharp features softened into something incredibly vulnerable.

"I never met her," he said softly. His tone was remarkably calm, devoid of raw grief, yet it carried a profound, deep-seated yearning. "But I used to sneak looks at her photographs when I was a kid. When I was sent abroad alone at eleven years old, I took her picture with me."

A few simple words laid bare the quiet agonies of their respective childhoods.

Raymond pulled her tighter against his chest. "Tonight, we'll watch over our mothers together."

Hearing that, a choked sob escaped Quinn's lips as fresh tears welled up, yet a profound warmth spread through her chest, soothing the lingering aches of her past.

At that exact moment, it felt as though their souls had merged.

They sat shoulder to shoulder under the sprawling galaxy. Behind them in the tent, Leo slept soundly, his soft, even breathing a comforting rhythm in the background.

The wilderness was perfectly still, making it feel as though they were the only two people left in the world.

The harsh realities of their complicated lives still loomed over them.

Yet, Quinn found herself desperately clinging to this fleeting warmth.

She was addicted to every single second she spent with him, terrified of the inevitable moment they would have to part.

The more beautiful and tender these stolen moments were, the more agonizing their eventual separation would be.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that they finally retreated to the tent.

Raymond gathered Quinn into his arms. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up to watch the sunrise."

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