Marked By Darkness

Chapter 95- Graves of the Past

The morning was still fresh, and the air held the scent of dew as Ruhi walked silently, her thoughts tangled in the events of the previous night. She had not informed Ruhan of her departure, not because she wanted to hide, but because she needed to be alone. There was something pulling her to the cemetery near the old bungalow, a place where the past seemed to linger like an unspoken truth.

She arrived at the cemetery and stood before Evelyn Adamson's grave. The weathered stone read: Evelyn Adamson, Born in 1927, Died in 2011.
Ruhi's fingers brushed lightly against the cold stone as she stared at the name, her mind racing with the dream she had had the night before. Evelyn's spirit seemed to linger in her thoughts, and Ruhi couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she needed to understand.

"Is she someone important to you?" a voice broke through her thoughts.

Ruhi turned, startled. A woman, perhaps in her mid-forties, stood beside her. She had an air of quiet dignity, though her face was weathered by time. Her eyes, sharp yet gentle, looked at Ruhi with a kind of knowing.

Ruhi hesitated, then nodded. "She's my husband's grandmother."

The woman raised an eyebrow, her expression softening into a knowing smile. "So, you're an Adamson?"

Ruhi, taken aback, turned to face the woman. "Why do you ask?"

The woman's smile deepened. "All Adamson women are beautiful," she replied casually.

Ruhi blinked in surprise, her gaze fixed on the stranger. Was she talking about her, or Evelyn? The woman seemed to notice her confusion.

"Your grandmother-in-law was very beautiful even at her old age," she added, a nostalgic tone in her voice. "And your mother-in-law too."

Ruhi nodded, a sense of intrigue growing. "You know the Adamson family well?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Yes," the woman replied with a simple nod. "I worked at that bungalow as a maid."

Ruhi's eyes widened in shock. She took a step closer to the woman. "When did you work there?"

The woman's face softened as she reminisced. "When your husband was just a child," she said, her voice tinged with warmth and sadness.

Ruhi felt her heart skip a beat. "So... you saw Jenesis, my husband's sister?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking her name out loud would make the reality of it all more tangible.

"Yes," the woman answered softly, her eyes distant. "They were very little, both of them. Jenesis was... different, but still full of life."

Ruhi asked her, "Then you know maybe something about her death? Why she was suicide?"

The woman, with sadness in her eyes, spoke, "She was very beautiful. Her grandmother always loved her. And she loved and trusted her grandmother the most. But after Evelyn's death, Jenesis was feeling alone. She didn't eat, didn't sleep. Her family tried to send her to another place to study, but Ruhan never agreed to that decision. He didn't want his sister going anywhere far. She didn't have many friends at school, and the other girls were jealous of her beauty. They all mocked her. One day, she returned home crying. Her mother saw and asked her what happened. She told her everything. She said she didn't want to go to school, that she didn't like it there. But her mom didn't understand her feelings that day, and things continued like that for some time. She cried in her room, thinking of her grandmother. Suddenly, one day, in her pain, she took her life. She was only 15."

The woman sighed and continued, "After Jenesis's death, Ruhan left the bungalow and went to live with his uncle. Soon after, his parents met with a tragic accident. The bungalow has been lifeless since then. I'm happy to hear that he has returned to this city and married a beautiful woman. Evelyn always wanted her family's happiness and safety, but she kept losing everyone she loved."