Chapter 261: He’s Dead
His thoughts turned to Mina Ford.
Lately, he often dreamed of Mina Ford, of the time they were in love...
"What if we leave the Kane family?"
"We can have a good life, even away from here."
The tearful words Sophie had once spoken echoed in his ears, refusing to fade.
Back then, he had let everything fall apart, allowing his company to go bankrupt. He only pulled himself together later for Sophie’s sake. To pay for her education and give her a life of comfort, he had married into the Kane family as a live-in son-in-law.
It had all been for Sophie, at first. But ever since Bianca Kane gave birth to their son, his mindset had slowly but surely changed. His son became his entire world, and in his focus on raising him, he completely ignored Sophie and her feelings.
He had watched with his own eyes as the Kanes ostracized her, as they punished her. Time and again, she was locked in a dark room, and all he could do was let her out of that gloomy space the next morning, over and over again...
A poignant sorrow suddenly gripped his heart.
’Mina Ford, who had loved him so much, who had defied the entire world for him... if she knew what he had done, how would she feel?’
’She would despise me, wouldn’t she?’
’I failed Mina Ford, and now I’ve failed our daughter too. What a goddamn failure I am!’
He felt he had to atone for his past.
After the divorce from Bianca Kane was finalized, Joel Kane remained with the Kane family. Joseph packed his bags alone, preparing to leave the house he had called home for a decade.
Joel Kane stood in the doorway of the room, watching him fold his clothes neatly into a suitcase. "Dad," he asked timidly, "are you mad?"
He turned his head and smiled at Joel. "No."
"I chose to stay with Mom, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you as my dad. You’re still my dad."
He nodded. "I know."
Joel Kane had been accustomed to a life of luxury since birth, so it was understandable that he didn’t want to leave with him. Besides, the boy wasn’t a little kid anymore; this was his own choice.
He finished packing and walked out, pulling his suitcase.
Joel Kane trotted after him all the way to the front door and handed him a set of car keys. "Mom said this car is in your name, so she’s not taking it back. She said to consider it a gift."
"Alright. If it’s a gift, I’ll accept it."
Joseph Shaw took the keys and carried his suitcase down the steps.
After putting his luggage in the trunk, he glanced back at Joel Kane, gave a pained wave, and drove away.
Not long after he drove out of the residential complex, a speeding truck slammed into him at a corner.
It happened so fast that Joseph Shaw had no time to react. He and his car were sent flying several meters.
The impact knocked him senseless. As the car crashed and rolled, blood from a head wound streamed into his eyes, blurring his vision. His mind felt frozen, a complete blank.
A piercing screech of brakes tore through the air.
The truck screeched to a halt nearby. The driver climbed out, rubbing a neck sore from the impact. Staring at the car, now a mangled wreck, he quickly dialed for an ambulance and the police.
Joseph Shaw’s face was buried in the deployed airbag. He was pinned in his seat, his consciousness fading.
Soon, the ambulance and police cars arrived.
By the time the paramedics pulled Joseph Shaw from the wreckage, he was barely hanging on.
He was loaded onto the ambulance and rushed to the hospital, with paramedics administering emergency treatment and trying to stop the bleeding on the way...
In his daze, he thought he saw Mina Ford.
She was as young and beautiful as he remembered. She reached out, gently caressed his face, and smiled warmly at him.
"Mina..."
’Why couldn’t I be given a chance to fulfill my duties as a father?’
’I just came to my senses, gave up everything the Kane family had to offer, and wanted to be by Sophie’s side. Why, of all times, did it have to be now? Why take me away now?’
Tears of regret slid from the corners of his eyes. Filled with bitterness and pain, he slowly closed them for the last time.
---
News that Joseph Shaw had died in a car accident on the way to the hospital soon reached Alaric Blackwood.
Sophie Shaw had just undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant and was still in recovery. She couldn’t handle any kind of shock, so Alaric Blackwood had no choice but to keep the news from her for the time being.
He stayed by Sophie’s side through the most difficult time of her life.
After the surgery, Sophie showed no signs of rejection, and her body was recovering well.
A little over a month later, she was discharged from the hospital. She would still need to take anti-rejection and anti-infection medications for a while, but she could stop once she made a full recovery.
Alaric Blackwood brought her back to Maplewood Estate.
The house was just as she remembered it—clean, spacious, and bright.
Lawson had prepared a feast. After she and Alaric Blackwood finished lunch, she went upstairs to her room for a long, comfortable soak in a warm bath.
When she came out of the bathroom, Alaric Blackwood was waiting to dry her hair, gently combing it out for her.
"Sophie, there’s something it’s time I told you."
Sophie sat at the vanity, watching the man’s reflection in the mirror. "What is it?"
"The day of your surgery, your dad... he was in a car accident."
The truck driver was fatigued. He fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into Joseph Shaw’s car.
Sophie froze. Seeing Alaric Blackwood’s grim expression, she had a terrible premonition. "My dad... he’s okay, right?"
"He took his last breath on the way to the hospital."
Sophie’s eyes immediately reddened. "What did you say?"
"He’s dead."
The police already investigated. There was no foul play—it was just an accident.
"The paramedics in the ambulance heard him call out a name before he died—Mina."
Tears instantly streamed down Sophie’s face.
Alaric Blackwood hugged her from behind. "I’m so sorry."
So much had happened in the past month.
Joseph Shaw had died in a car crash; Mandy Halloway and Quentin Blackwood had divorced; Sean Wright’s family was relentlessly harassing Nina Halloway, calling her a jinx who brought ruin to others and demanding she pay with her life.
The cases against Bianca Kane, Damian Morgan, and Timothy Quinn had gone to trial, and all three would be sentenced soon.
"Has the funeral been held?" Sophie asked, her voice choked with tears.
"Not yet. We were waiting for you to get out of the hospital."
"Then let’s arrange the funeral as soon as possible."
"Okay."
...
On the day of Joseph Shaw’s funeral, not many people came—mostly just close family and friends.
Toward the end of the service, Vianne Kane arrived late with Joel Kane in tow. The two of them hastily offered a white chrysanthemum each and lit a stick of incense for Joseph Shaw.
After the casket was lowered, Vianne Kane led Joel Kane to their car, ready to leave the cemetery. Sophie hesitated for a moment before going after them.
She stopped Joel Kane. "Joel, can you talk with me for a moment?"
Joel Kane looked lost, glancing up at Vianne Kane.
Only after Vianne Kane nodded did he turn to Sophie and ask, "About what?"
"I’d like to talk to you alone."
Vianne Kane didn’t object, allowing Sophie to lead Joel Kane a short distance away to talk privately under a large tree.
"I’m not surprised you chose to stay with the Kane family," Sophie said, squatting in front of Joel Kane and looking up at her younger brother.
She realized he’d grown quite a bit taller since she’d last seen him.
"But I want to know how my mom’s necklace, which was in your possession, ended up at an auction."
Joel Kane’s eyes darted away, clearly unwilling to tell the truth.
Sophie sighed. "For Dad’s sake, I won’t hold you responsible. I just want to know the truth."