---- Chapter 7 The familiar voice came from ahead, and I looked up to see Brandon approaching with a bouquet of flowers in his arms. We hadn't seen each other in years, but he limped toward me with determined steps. "T can't believe it's really you..."" Brandon murmured, his eyes suddenly welling up. "Today's the anniversary of Mom's death. I didn't expect you to come too..." Nicholas had just stepped out of the car behind me, a little unsure as he asked, "Would it be alright if I visited her too?" Mom had been kind to him when she was alive. Thinking about it, he hadn't actually done her any wrong. So, I gave a slight nod. "Let's go together." Nicholas and Brandon's eyes lit up, and they exchanged glances, both seeing the surprised joy in each other's eyes. When we reached Mom's memorial site, they got down on their knees in front of her ---- grave. They said solemnly, "We've hurt Adeline, and we know this won't erase our past actions. It took Madison leaving to finally see what we'd done wrong. " As they spoke, they both leaned forward and knocked their heads against the ground-hard. The sound made me instinctively stiffen. I pressed my lips together and opened my mouth to tell them to get up. However, they hunched low and shook their heads. I suddenly realized that even though they weren't yet 40, they already had gray hair. For a moment, I felt as if I were in another lifetime. They continued talking to Mom, rambling on about how sorry they felt toward me and how they had regretted their mistakes for these past eight years. I stood quietly beside them and said nothing. When they finally fell silent, Nicholas looked up at me and asked softly, "Could we maybe... have a meal ---- together?" I thought about it and gently refused. Even with all the time that had passed, I still couldn't sit down with them in peace. Coming here to honor my mother together was already the biggest compromise I could offer. When it became clear they weren't going to leave, I crouched beside the grave and pulled out a folder of my latest research. "Mom, look-I accomplished what you weren't able to finish back then." Then, without caring about their reactions, I told her everything I hadn't been able to say over the past eight years, omitting the painful parts. When they heard everything, tears welled up in their eyes. Brandon's voice cracked as he said, "Adeline, you must be exhausted." I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "No, not really. It's still better than being around the two of you." Brandon looked embarrassed, but neither of them