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**Chapter Title: Reunions and Revelations**

As we stepped into Madam Stella's house, a cold breeze brushed my face and hair, sending a shiver down my spine. Goosebumps prickled my skin, and I knew what it meant: Bliss's presence was here. The door was ajar, and the silence that filled the place was thick, almost oppressive.

"Hello? Is someone in there?" My voice echoed, but there was no reply.

Linda, standing close to me, shuddered. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this, Sam. Maybe we should leave."

I pulled her closer, trying to reassure her. "Don't be scared. I'm with you."

Having been in this house once before, during my study sessions with Bliss, I instinctively navigated through the familiar halls. We approached Bliss's old room, and my heart clenched at the sight of it, frozen in time. On the bed, I spotted a few postcards. One caught my eye: *"Love you, Sammy. Going to Washington."* I smiled sadly, slipping it into my pocket.

Then, the sudden crack of gunfire shattered the eerie calm.

"Jesus Christ!" I shouted, sprinting toward the source of the sound. Linda followed panic etched across her face. We reached the next room, and my breath hitched. Madam Stella was standing there, pointing a gun at her head.

The bullet we heard had shattered a glass. She was testing the gun.

"She's going to kill herself!" Linda screamed, bolting toward her, but her foot caught on something, and she stumbled, landing hard on the floor. Her neck, exposed by the fall, revealed a distinctive mark.

Madam Stella froze. Her eyes widened in shock as the gun slipped from her grasp.

"My daughter... Oh, my God... My child!" Her voice cracked with disbelief.

Linda, still on the floor, looked at her in confusion. "Sam, this woman's lost her mind!" she cried out, panic creeping into her voice.

It was time. The truth had to come out. I swallowed hard. "Linda, she's not crazy. She's telling the truth. She's your mother."

Linda stared at me, disbelief turning quickly to anger. "No, Sam! My mother left me to die on the streets. This can't be her!" Her voice quivered with fury and pain.

Madam Stella broke down into sobs, her hands trembling. "Forgive me," she pleaded. "I had no choice. Your father left me with nothing. I wasn't stable. I couldn't take care of both you and your sister. I... I abandoned you both, but it tore me apart. Please, Linda, forgive me."

Linda's face crumpled as the weight of the truth bore down on her. Bliss was her sister—Sam's late girlfriend. Her mother, the one she thought had left her for dead, was standing right in front of her. The reality of it was too much to bear. Tears began to flow, hot and uncontrollable.

I stood frozen, watching as Linda sat there, overwhelmed. The pain, the confusion, the years of abandonment—it was all too much. But then, something shifted in her expression.

"No matter what, Mum, I never stopped loving you," Linda whispered. "Every day, I looked out that window, hoping you'd come back for me." Her voice cracked, tears streaming down her face. "I love you."

Madam Stella fell to her knees and pulled Linda into a tight embrace, as though afraid her daughter might slip away again. "I'll never leave you again," she promised, sobbing into Linda's hair. "Bliss would have loved to see you, to know her sister." Her voice was barely a whisper, but the emotion behind it was raw and real.

Linda clung to her mother as if trying to make up for all the lost years. She had never known what a mother's love felt like, but now, she was finally experiencing it. The bond they shared—the one Bliss had longed for—was beginning to heal.

I felt a lump rise in my throat. Bliss should've been here. She would have wanted this, more than anything. I turned toward the door, quietly stepping away to give them space.

As I reached the threshold, Linda looked up, tears in her eyes but with a faint smile on her lips. "Thank you, Sam."

I smiled back, nodding. My heart swelled with a bittersweet sense of fulfillment. The promise I'd made to Bliss had been kept.

Walking outside, the cold air brushed against my face once again, but this time it was different. It wasn't just a chill—it was Bliss. I could feel her presence, a comforting breeze wrapping around me, as if she was there, smiling.

"Goodbye, Bliss," I whispered. "Take care."

I left the house, feeling more at peace than I ever had before.

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