I Read Their Tragic Fates, and My Family Reads My Mind?

Arabella Donovan’s internal shriek was like a bombshell, blasting the smile right off Fifth Aunt’s face.

Fifth Uncle, who had just managed to step out and compose himself, heard the terrible news the moment he re-entered the banquet hall. He twisted his ankle and nearly fell flat on his face right then and there.

Rochelle Rowland was also stunned. She immediately forgot about her own son’s troublesome romantic entanglements and instead took her sister-in-law’s cold hand.

Arabella Donovan didn’t notice their strange reactions, focusing instead on trying to recall the plot points related to Fifth Aunt’s family.

As a direct uncle to the main characters’ family, Fifth Uncle’s family didn’t appear until fairly late in the story, but when they did, they dropped a bombshell.

Fifth Uncle’s grandchild had leukemia.

Arabella Donovan completely lost her composure at this revelation.

’They say K-dramas have a holy trinity: car accidents, amnesia, and incurable diseases. That "incurable" part includes, but isn’t limited to, cancer, leukemia, and a host of other terminal illnesses. But this trope used to only plague the main characters. Is it contagious now? Are they not even sparing the children anymore?’

Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt were also losing their composure. Just like Rochelle Rowland’s family, they only had one son, who was two years younger than Hugh Donovan.

However, their son and daughter-in-law had been childhood sweethearts who started dating and married young. The daughter they had was actually a few months older than the child from Hugh Donovan’s side of the family.

Furthermore, their son had suffered a small accident years ago that affected his fertility. Barring a miracle, this granddaughter was the only child of her generation in their line.

The old couple adored children to begin with, and they doted on their only granddaughter like a precious jewel.

To suddenly learn that their only young descendant would contract a terminal illness—the world went dark for the old couple. It felt like the sky was falling.

If not for the single thread of hope that they might share Rochelle Rowland’s good fortune—learning how to save the child from Arabella Donovan in advance—the two of them would have likely collapsed.

’Fifth Uncle’s family really loved this granddaughter. The moment she was diagnosed, they had the entire family get tested for a match, but sadly, no one was compatible. Then, just as everyone was despairing, they found out that Zachary Donovan’s bone marrow was a match.’

Rochelle Rowland and Fifth Aunt froze, instinctively looking at each other with complicated emotions.

This dramatic twist, a stroke of genius in terms of plot development, was nothing short of a catastrophe for Fifth Uncle’s family.

Due to complications from a blood transfusion, Zachary Donovan’s own health was precarious. How could he possibly donate bone marrow to save Fifth Uncle’s little granddaughter from her suffering?

To be given a glimmer of hope only to be plunged back into despair was undoubtedly more unbearable than never having known at all.

Even though Fifth Uncle’s family knew they couldn’t blame Hugh Donovan for this, they couldn’t help but hold a grudge. Especially in the years that followed, whenever their granddaughter was frail and fading, battling a persistent high fever, they would inevitably wonder: if Zachary Donovan had never had his incident, if their little girl could have received the bone marrow transplant early on, would everything be different?

Later on, through everyone’s tireless efforts, they did find another matching donor and saved her life. However, the damage from long-term chemotherapy was irreversible.

Fifth Aunt was reeling internally, nearly bursting into tears on the spot.

The thought of her little granddaughter—who had said goodbye in a sweet, childish voice and kissed her cheek, telling her to come home early—soon having to endure such painful torment, was overwhelmingly heartbreaking.

She was so small, so fragile. How could she possibly bear chemotherapy and surgery, treatments that even adults feared!

’Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oldest Cousin, just look at the mess you’ve made. You’ve really done a lot of harm! No wonder the villain tripped you up later in the story and even Second Cousin couldn’t be bothered with you. The fact that he didn’t kick you while you were down was a show of incredible restraint.’

At this moment, Fifth Aunt could finally relate to how Rochelle Rowland had felt earlier. Her fists clenched in anger.

She wanted nothing more than to march right up to Hugh Donovan and give him a tag-team beatdown, letting him re-experience a "complete childhood."

’Good thing Oldest Cousin didn’t give Zachary the blood transfusion this time. If they’re really a match, if both children are healthy enough, and if both sets of parents agree, the little girl could be spared a lot of suffering.’

Fifth Aunt’s eyes brightened. It was a true blessing in disguise. But...

Fifth Aunt turned to Rochelle Rowland, her heart a mess of emotions, her eyes filled with apprehension and pleading.

Rochelle Rowland knew, of course, what she was worried about. She sighed and gave the hand she was holding a reassuring squeeze.

’But honestly, this is all so ridiculous. I get that our family is full of cannon fodder, but why is Oldest Cousin, the supposed male lead, still so miserable? Does this world have a grudge against the Donovans, or is it just our branch of the family?’

The surrounding members of the Donovan family nodded in deep agreement, their hearts in their throats, terrified that they’d be the next to suffer some misfortune.

’And I’m not trying to be superstitious, but Fourth Aunt, Fifth Aunt, are your two families really not going to check on your ancestral graves? One kid getting sick is one thing, but for two kids to have problems one after another? That can’t be a coincidence, right?’

The two aunts, along with the barely-standing Fifth Uncle nearby, had a sudden moment of clarity. They instinctively turned to look at each other.

’That’s right! How didn’t we think of that?’

People value ancestral graves for two main reasons. First, as an emotional anchor, a way to understand one’s origins—like a falling leaf returning to its roots. Second, in the hope that the spirits of their ancestors will watch over and bless their descendants.

Now that both of their family lines’ only young heirs were in trouble, could it really be a problem with the ancestral graves?

Just as they were grappling with these complicated emotions, a rather unwelcome voice cut in from behind. "What’s this big crowd gathered here for?"

The expressions of many people changed upon hearing this voice, especially the few members of the Donovan family standing nearby.

"Why did you invite *him*?" Hector Donovan shot a reproachful look at Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, clearly displeased by the man’s arrival.

"We invited their next-door neighbor, the second grand-uncle, so it would have been rude not to extend an invitation to him too. Besides, I didn’t think he would actually come..."

But was there any real chance of that? Even Mr. Donovan sounded unconvinced as he finished speaking.

The speaker was a distant relative of the Donovan family—so distant, in fact, that the formal kinship ties had long since lapsed.

It wasn’t as if the two families had some deep-seated feud; their issues were purely about money.

Mr. Donovan’s father—Grandpa Donovan to Arabella and her cousins—had known Jeremy Donovan’s father. The two men were of similar age and lived nearby, so they were constantly compared to one another when they were growing up.

One just so happened to be tall, handsome, and from a wealthy family, while the other was short, stout, and poor. They were a cruel study in contrasts.

Thus, unlike Mrs. Donovan and Rochelle Rowland, whose rivalry was subtle and without true malice...

...Jeremy Donovan’s father had grown up completely overshadowed by Grandpa Donovan’s excellence. He came to hate Grandpa Donovan to the bone, and his son, in turn, grew to hate Mr. Donovan.

"I heard he caught a lucky break in business a couple of years ago and made a fortune. His behavior has become even more ostentatious and absurd since. He’s definitely up to no good showing up here today."