Chapter 590: In Which Home Is Not a Place. It's a Feeling

Katherine didn't waste time. With Amelia, Styles, and Felix, the four of them went to see Emma. The closer they were to the house, the more nervous all four of them got. The plan was simple: tell Emma the truth—at least part of it. She deserved to know what happened to her brother.

However, they weren't prepared to see Director Hughes leaving Emma's house when they pulled up in front of the gate. Katherine's brows furrowed upon seeing the two. Emma looked sorrowful as she wept, her shoulders shaking while clutching a worn-out leather satchel.

When Emma caught sight of Katherine entering the gate, she immediately ran up towards her and cried some more. She almost knocked the wind out of her friend, not realizing that Katherine was injured. Emma was a blubbering mess as she retold the news that Director Hughes delivered just a few minutes ago.

Katherine was in shock too. Her arms immediately wrapped around Emma's frame while her eyes caught the director's who offered a sympathetic smile.

Director Hughes came to tell Emma that Chris died in the line of duty while he was protecting the country. The body could barely be recognized, so there won't be any viewing on an open casket, and that as per Chris's preference when he was still alive, he would be buried wherever Emma's home was.

There wasn't much explanation. Due to the nature of his 'line of work', confidentiality was still in place, which worked best to keep everything and everyone safer. Although the director didn't speak to Katherine, the way she looked at her already spoke a lot. Then she was reminded of their conversation yesterday.

Katherine didn't know what to say except 'sorry'. "I'm so sorry, Em. I'm really sorry." She couldn't tell whether this was better than the truth. It certainly didn't feel any better. The feeling of loss was still there. Chris was still gone. And Emma was still hurt no matter what kind of 'truth' she was told.

Even if this wasn't what Katherine would have wanted, this was probably the best for Emma. Her friend didn't need to know her brother's dirty work leading up to his death. All she had to keep in mind was that Chris was a Hero. And that's how he should be remembered.

Emma squeezed her friend as she continued to grieve over her brother whom she had just met after decades of separation. How cruel can the world be?

Despite being crushed by Emma's tight embrace, Katherine swallowed the pain. She was still bruised, but the pain she was feeling at the moment was nothing compared to Emma's pain from losing her brother—for the second time.

It's when Katherine realized that telling Emma about Chris's death wasn't the most difficult. It's knowing that he was gone before actually having to experience his freedom now that Shadow had fallen. And this would haunt her forever.

…

Over the two days that Damien was away, Katherine pulled herself together, refusing to sulk and wallow in a pitiful state. She didn't want to dwell on it anymore. It wasn't doing her any good.

So she finally decided to meet her grandfather. Katherine called Damien first at lunchtime on the 20th of December. Well, it was three o'clock for her while it had just struck noon for him.

They talked over the phone for a while. She asked what exactly he told her grandfather so that she'd know what to say when she meets him later that evening.

What Damien told Grandpa Theo wasn't the whole truth, but it was, at least, some truth she could work on. Apparently, Damien told her grandfather that Katherine was found wandering in the forest alone by a family of illegal immigrants who were on the move to Florida. Because of trauma, she couldn't remember what happened to her since and the family couldn't seek help due to their situation. They brought her up until she found herself settling in Esmea again five years ago, not knowing that this was her hometown. And when Katherine regained her memories after meeting her grandfather, she felt the need to dig up what exactly happened that night.

Damien told Grandfather Theo that Katherine believed that her house didn't blow up because of a gas leak only, unlike what was written on the police reports. She took it upon herself to find out the truth where in the end, she got mixed up with a bad group of people who were involved in illegal dealings that got the government's attention. She happened to be there when NIA raided the place, but after Damien and his connection from the inside vouched for her being innocent, she was released.

This was far from the truth of what Katherine actually went through. However, this was a story that her grandfather could handle. Some things were really meant to be kept a secret. There was no need for Grandpa Theo to know she had tainted her hands. Damien didn't want her grandfather to bear the pain of knowing what his granddaughter went through over the years.

So that afternoon, when Katherine met Grandpa Theo, there were a lot of things unsaid. But also a lot of weight was lifted off her shoulders.

With his arms wrapped around his granddaughter, Grandpa Theo stroked her back and told her, "I'm so sorry, Pumpkin. I never knew that you carried such a heavy burden. Now I understand why you couldn't visit your parents months after you regained your memories. It breaks my heart to see that you hurt yourself while seeking the justice you wanted to see. But I can't blame you. I did try to have it investigated, only to learn that it was indeed an accident. I don't want you to get hurt anymore. I hope we can move on from this."

Katherine couldn't respond. She only sobbed against his chest. It's all a lie… But she could never tell him that. Before, it was hard to understand when people say they had to lie to protect their loved ones. And now she found herself doing just that. But if she were to go back in time where she had to decide what to tell her grandfather, she would still choose the same.

Ignorance is bliss, they said. This line is somehow correlated with lying. They didn't say that when you lie by omission, bliss was only for the sake of the other party being lied to. Their ignorance from the truth protects them from being unhappy. There's no bliss for the liar at all. Because for the one who lied and who knows the truth, there's only hell.

However, carrying this for the sake of protecting her friend Emma and her grandfather, Katherine decided to keep Henry Ford's words and instill it in her heart:

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

That's right. She wasn't going to crawl. She was going to soar.

…

Friday — December 21st

Damien arrived at seven in the evening in his penthouse straight from the airport. He took off his tie as he looked around, wondering where everyone was. It was quiet in the living room, and no one was in the kitchen.

"Katherine?" he called.

Thinking that she was in the master bedroom, he headed towards the stairs. But before he could even take another step, he halted. He did not expect what was coming and dashing towards him.

His eyes went wide as they zeroed in on a wet giant brown dog, its ears flapping and its tongue sticking out as it lunged onto him. He got knocked on the ground.

"Bear! Why are you all dirty and wet?" Confusion filled his face, and he laughed as the giant fluffy dog licked him with its tail wagging.

"BEAR!!!" Katherine and Amelia came running towards him, stopping a meter away and panting. The two of them were also wet and had soap suds on their hair, face, and arms.

Damien got to his feet, wiping his face with his sleeves. His cream-colored coat was now dirty. "What's going on? Why are you all like that?"

The two women burst out laughing, their voices overlapping each other as they told Damien how they took Bear out the park where it decided to take a swim and roll over the mud. They had to give him a bath, but with a big dog like Bear, it was a wrestling match.

"Only you two? Where's Felix and Styles?"

Just then, Felix and Styles emerged from the corner. They didn't look any better as they were also covered in mud and soap suds.

"Woof!" Bear barked loudly, catching everyone's attention as it ran towards the pool and jumped.

"I guess it's a pool party," Styles muttered before jumping into the pool and trying to catch Bear. Felix and Amelia followed.

Pulling a smile on her face, Katherine greeted Damien with a kiss on the lips. "Welcome home."

He chuckled as he placed an arm around her, and then brushed the suds off her face. He was exhausted just now but seeing as this was what he came home to after what they went through just recently, Damien was content. "Yeah… I'm home."