"Everyone gets old eventually. Aren't you afraid your own children will learn from your example?"

Coralie scoffed. "Uncle Keeley, I'm not like you. I have my own sons and daughters. I don't need to rely on my nephews and their wives to take care of me! By the way, don't you have sons and daughters of your own? Why don't you have them take care of you?"

Coralie's words were deliberately cruel. "Oh, that's right. You spent your youth slaving away for that widow's family, raising her children, and now that you're old and can't work anymore, you come back here expecting your nephews to take care of you? How could there be such a good deal in this world?"

She punctuated her last sentence with a spit.

"Shameless!"

Keeley's heart went cold. He had never imagined a day like this would come. He had thought that with the enormous property buyout money, he would be able to live out his golden years in peace and happiness with his nephews.

He never expected that after pouring his heart out for them, the result would be the

same.

These were his own blood nephews. Why? Why were they doing this to him?

Keeley dragged his suitcase, with nowhere to go. His old house had been demolished. He couldn't afford a hotel room; he was penniless. In this vast world, there was no place for him.

No. He couldn't accept this. He couldn't just be driven away by his nephews. Keeley dragged his suitcase back to the gate and pounded on it with both hands. "Open up! Open the door! Let me in!"

"Give me back my two million! Give me back my money!"

"You old fool! Have you lost your mind?" Coralie came out and dragged Keeley away. "It wasn't just us who took that two million! The other three families got their share too, and Sloan got even more than us! Why are you only coming after us? Besides, you gave us that money willingly! No one forced you. What's ours is ours! You want it back now? Not a chance!"

With that, Coralie gave Keeley a hard shove.

Thud.

Keeley fell to the ground. The phone in his pocket flew out and hit the pavement, the screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks before going dark.

Ignoring the pain shooting through his body, Keeley scrambled to pick up the phone. It was his only connection to the outside world. But no matter how many times he pressed the button the screen remained black.

After a long while, Keeley managed to get back to his feet. He grabbed his suitcase

and started walking toward the wheat fields at the edge of the village.

It was a long walk, but he finally reached the fields. In the middle of the sea of

green, there was a single, raised grave mound.

Keeley stumbled toward it and

collapsed onto his knees in front of

the grave, He wrapped his arms around the headstone, pressing his cheek against the cold stone, and began to wail. Mom! Mom! Oh, Mom! I miss you. I miss you so, so much..."