Chapter 14 As Murphy opened the envelope , Gemma's delicate handwriting appeared before him once more : [ Uncle Murphy , you must be the one reading this letter , right ? Because I can't imagine anyone else coming to look for me . [ It's a bit sad , isn't it ? Even after all these years , you're the only person I can think of who might come looking for me if I were to disappear . And what's even sadder is that I'm not entirely sure you'll come. After all , you have Evangeline now ... [ I'm sorry . I've said something you don't want to hear again . Please don't be upset . I'm not blaming you . In fact , I'm happy for you . It's lonely being alone in this world . To find someone you love and share your life with is a kind of blessing . [ Uncle Murphy , I don't know why , but whenever I wish you happiness , you don't seem to believe me . You always think I still have lingering feelings for you and that my blessings are insincere , deceitful , or have ulterior motives . [ But that's not true . I admit that I still like you - a lot . This feeling might not change even in a thousand or ten thousand years . But my feelings are real , and so are my blessings for you . [ By the time you read this letter , I'll probably already be lying in the cryo - casket , right ? At this moment , I have no reason to lie . So , Uncle Murphy , can you believe me now ? [ I truly , from the bottom of my heart , wish you happiness . I hope you and the person you love grow old together and have a family filled with children and grandchildren . [ I want you to experience all the beauty the world has to offer , even if the person sharing it with you isn't me . [ Uncle Murphy , please don't feel sad about my departure , and don't blame yourself . My decision has nothing to do with you . [ When I was little , every time my parents fought , I would hide in the wardrobe . It was dark and cold in there , but only in that small space did I feel safe . Back then , that tiny wardrobe was my entire world . Later , Uncle Murphy , you carried me out of that wardrobe . 1/3 Chapter 14 +25 Bonus [ The world outside was vast and empty . It wasn't dark anymore , but somehow , my heart felt lost , like it had nowhere to belong . I think I overestimated myself . Having spent so long in small , confined spaces , I wasn't equipped to handle such a big world . [ Thankfully , I had you , Uncle Murphy . As long as you were by my side , I wasn't afraid of anything . [ So , I quietly placed my heart in your hands . Over the changing seasons , my feelings for you grew silently . [ I never thought it was sinful . On the contrary , I thought it was sacred . [ One of my favorite teachers once told me that no one lives in this world completely alone . There are so many people in this world , and each person is connected to others in some way . These tiny threads of connection form the web of relationships that tie us to the world . [ She gave an example , saying everyone has parents , and the bond of familial love between us and our parents is our connection to the world . Unfortunately , I don't have parents . I only have you , Uncle Murphy . [ I don't have a lover either . I only have you . I don't even have many friends . I only have you . Uncle Murphy , you are my only connection to this world . [ I once stood at a crossroads , watching the crowds rush by . This city was filled with people , yet to me , they were all strangers . Only you were different , Uncle Murphy . You held me when I was cold , comforted me when I was scared , bought me cake and gifts on my birthday , and sat beside me to make wishes and blow out candles . [ Uncle Murphy , you always said my feelings for you were distorted , that they were unnatural . Evangeline even called me mentally unstable . But how could I not love you ? [ When my mother could no longer endure my father's relentless control , when she raised the knife against him , when she smiled as she hung herself from the beam , when my world began to crumble inch by inch - it was you , Uncle