When David mentioned his late mother, his voice choked with tears. He clearly felt deep sorrow.

However, he seemed to realize something.

He closed his eyes. "She was old. Her mind was failing. Maybe after Ivy died, she didn't want to live anymore. Alright, stop asking. This is the end of it!"

With that, David returned to his room. He never said another word about Ivy.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about that note. I wanted to know my sister's final words.

Linda felt the same.

Three days later, David got drunk and passed out on the bed.

Taking advantage of the situation, Linda found the note in his pocket. She opened it in a hurry.

Suddenly, she froze in place.

I saw my mother's expression change instantly. I felt anxious and asked, "Mom, what exactly did Ivy write?"

She didn't answer like I thought she would. It was like she'd been scared stiff. She just stood there, completely dazed.

I panicked and rushed forward, trying to grab the paper. However, my mother's reaction stunned me even more.

Her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she looked at me in confusion. Her eyes filled with emptiness and despair.

Then, she crumpled the paper and stuffed it into her mouth.

I was terrified and grabbed her arm. "Mom, what are you doing? Spit it out! Don't swallow it!"

No matter how I yelled, Linda still swallowed that paper.

She looked at me, tears glistening in her eyes. "Fiona, you must never find out what Ivy said before she died."

I stood there in shock. I didn't understand the power of the words Ivy left behind. Why was everyone's reaction so strange?

Martha even ended her life right after she read that sentence.

At that moment, I realized David had woken up and was staring at us.

He sighed, sounding helpless. Then, he suddenly laughed.

He looked at Linda with a dark gaze. "Linda, now you and I are both living in hell."

I fell apart inside. I had no idea why things turned out like this.

Just a month ago, I thought I was happy.

During summer break, I spent every day with Ivy at home. We watched TV, played games, or read comic books together.

My parents didn't just love each other. They loved us, too.

They had been married for 20 years. They never had a serious fight and showered me and Ivy with love.

Martha was old, but she never favored boys over girls. She was a gentle, kind grandmother. She would secretly buy us snacks or give us pocket money.

Usually, when my parents were busy with work, Martha would cook for us.

Not long ago, she was talking about making roast chicken for me and Ivy.

Yet, in a matter of days, everything changed.

Ivy killed herself, and Martha jumped, too.

David started drinking heavily, and Linda became strange.

I felt my world spin. Everything I knew collapsed.

Through my exhaustion, I couldn't stop wondering what Ivy's last words were.

The next day, the police came to our door again.

My parents weren't home, so I greeted the police and let them in.

An officer asked, "Did your sister have any suicidal thoughts recently, like failing exams, fighting with your parents, or heartbreak?"

I racked my brain for a long time and finally shook my head.

Ivy had always been top of her class. She got perfect scores on every final exam.

She was obedient, and my parents cared for her. They never scolded her. They had no reason to.

As for heartbreak, that was impossible. Ivy was only in seventh grade. She didn't have a boyfriend.

The police couldn't figure it out, so they tried a different approach.

"What about your grandmother? Did she show any intention of ending her life lately? The moment she saw Ivy's note, she jumped. So what exactly did Ivy write?"

When I heard them mention my grandmother, tears streamed down my face.

I was sad about Ivy, but Martha's death affected me more. After all, I watched her jump in front of me.

I cried so hard that I could barely speak.

Seeing my state, the police ended the investigation. They concluded that Ivy was overwhelmed by academic pressure.

However, they had just left our home when they hurried back.

Their captain, James Miller, looked at me with hesitation.

He stayed silent for a long time, then spoke in a raspy voice. "Please don't be too upset. We just got the news that your father jumped into the river."

My face paled on the spot. My body shook uncontrollably.

The police took me to the riverbank. The white tape had already been set up.

Crowds watched as the police led me inside. They started whispering.

"That's the daughter of the man who just died, isn't it? She looks just like him."

"What could have driven him to this, leaving his daughter behind?"

"I heard his other daughter ended her life, so he couldn't bear it anymore and jumped in too!"

"His daughter was gone, but he still had another one. How could he abandon her?"

Their words made my heart sink.

I never would have believed my father, who was always afraid of water, would choose to end his life in the river.

An officer patted my shoulder and handed me a phone. It showed a video taken by onlookers.

I saw my father drive up to the riverbank. He calmly got out of the car, ran to the edge of the bridge, and jumped.

In the video, he was decisive. He didn't hesitate for even a second.

The rushing water swallowed him at once.

Watching the last moments of my father, I covered my mouth and sobbed.

I knew David couldn't swim and was terrified of water.

Jumping into that raging river meant certain death, with no chance of survival.

I covered my mouth, crying.

In just a few days, I had lost my sister, my grandmother, and now my father.

I collapsed to the ground in despair, unable to understand why this was happening.

James looked at me gravely. "Fiona, I know you're hurting, but you have to pull yourself together. From the clues we have, Ivy's last note is the key. You need to tell us what it said."

I was on the verge of breaking down. I grabbed my head and screamed. "I don't know! I really don't know!"

If I could, I'd do anything to find out what Ivy wrote.

Why did my father and grandmother both kill themselves after reading it?

Right then, Linda arrived in a hurry.

She accepted David's suicide very calmly, showing no emotion.

She stood at the riverbank and answered the police's question.

Linda said, "I know why David ended his life, and I know what Ivy's final message was. I'm the only one who can answer your questions."

She smoothed her hair and smiled.

Our family had lost three people in a row. The police treated the case seriously.

Countless reporters covered our story, drawing nationwide attention.

People everywhere were curious about the last message Ivy left behind and how it led Martha and David to take their own lives.

They crowded outside our home, hoping to interview Linda. However, she stayed inside, refusing to come out. She spent every day holding our family photo, sitting there hour after hour.

Seven days after David died, the police retrieved his body from the river.

It was disfigured from soaking in the water. Strangely, though, the smile on his face looked exactly like the smiles Martha and Ivy had when they died.

The police thought it was bizarre. Drowning was supposed to be painful, so the body would normally show signs of agony.

How could his final expression be a smile?

When Linda saw David's body, she finally shed tears.

She wiped her eyes and then started laughing uncontrollably.

Facing the reporters, Linda finally spoke. She sounded tired, but her tone was firm.

"Our family's situation has drawn everyone's interest. Many people have reached out to me, trying to find out what Ivy's last words were that drove her grandmother and father to end their own lives. I believe it is not the right time to reveal the truth."

Right there, Linda made an announcement in front of all the reporters. She said she would reveal Ivy's final message one year later.

Everyone was confused, but they decided to wait.

During that year, I took leave from school and stayed by my mother's side. I was afraid she might do what my father and grandmother did.

However, I was overthinking. That year, she was strong.

She went to work, cooked meals, went shopping, and even signed up for a flower arrangement class. She showed no sign of grief.

Over time, fewer people talked about our family. The attention died down, and life seemed to return to normal.

However, I knew this story was far from over.

Besides those things, Linda developed a habit of writing in a journal.

She never let me read it and hid it carefully.

Seeing this, I didn't push her.

A year passed quickly.

Linda booked a banquet hall to fulfill her promise to reveal Ivy's final message.

Once the hall was packed with people, Linda cleared her throat and began to speak. "Fiona, come here."

I felt confused but walked to her side anyway.

Linda looked at me gently and patted my hair. Then, she gripped my hand tightly.

"Fiona, I know you're a good kid. Now, I'll tell you what Ivy's last words really were."

She raised her head slightly and leaned toward my ear. In a soft voice, she said that sentence...