After I got pregnant, I witnessed my boyfriend's grandmother's death. She left behind a secret, and now, everyone who knows that secret is dead.

First, it was my boyfriend's father who died. My boyfriend's mother followed soon after. Lastly, my boyfriend died too. He ended his life by overdosing right before my eyes.

The media went wild. They dug obsessively for the truth. Again and again, the police summoned me for questioning. Online hate toward me was overwhelming.

Everyone wants to know what the secret is. People claim I cursed my boyfriend's entire family to death, just to keep the secret to myself.

I stay silent, never saying a word in defense of myself.

On the seventh day after my boyfriend had passed, I spot someone at his funeral.

At that moment, I place my hand on my swollen belly. I am utterly calm and at peace.

It is time for me and my child to die too.

After I had gotten pregnant, my boyfriend, Ben Miller, brought me to his hometown to visit his family.

Ben's grandmother, Edith Dent, took just one glance at my swollen belly and let out a disconcerting wail. Then, she slammed her head into the living room wall.

Blood splattered across the entire wall. However, she didn't die instantly. What frightened us was that Edith's eyes were wide open. A stream of blood seeped out of each eye.

Her once kind and gentle expression was now full of horror, as though she had seen something utterly terrifying.

The scene was deeply unsettling.

Ben's mother, Betty Clark, fainted several times. Meanwhile, his father, Hank Miller, sobbed uncontrollably as he clutched Edith's body.

A neighbor had rushed over upon hearing the commotion. He kindly pointed out that Edith seemed to have something she wanted to say before passing. Thus, we all fell silent, trying to catch her final words.

But in the end, only Hank heard them. Edith whispered a secret to him and then took her last breath.

After hearing it, Hank's expression turned to sheer dread. His hands, which were still holding Edith's body, shook uncontrollably.

Breaking down, Hank shouted, "This is the end of us all!"

His reaction terrified the rest of us.

Betty stepped forward and held Hank. In a soft voice, she asked, "What did Edith say, dear?"

Hank gave us a deep look. Then, he suddenly pushed Betty aside. And before anyone could react, he threw himself at the wall with much force.

Blood splattered across the floor as Hank collapsed onto Edith's corpse. And just like her, his final expression was filled with terror.

As Hank lay dying, Betty broke down. She begged him to hold on, saying the ambulance was almost here. However, when she made out his final words, her face instantly drained of all color. She abruptly ended the call with emergency services.

From then on, Betty never said a single word about what Hank had said to her. It didn't matter who asked her. Even when the police questioned her sternly, she remained silent.

…

After Edith's and Hank's funerals were held, Ben seemed to age overnight. Exhausted, he turned to Betty and asked, "What exactly is the secret Grandma said before she died? Why did Dad end his life after hearing it?"

Tears streamed down Betty's cheeks as she stroked the family portrait. "Stop asking about it. There was no secret. Your grandmother's and father's deaths were just tragic accidents. Don't dig too deep."

Ben cried until his voice gave out. "We're talking about Dad! And Grandma, who raised me! I watched them take their own lives. How can I possibly do nothing? You at least have to tell me why!"

Feeling heartbroken for Ben, I helped him try to persuade Betty. "Edith and Hank died before our very eyes. How could we possibly be indifferent? What's more, they took their lives after learning of that secret. And you know of it too, Betty. So, we're just worried you'll—"

I knew my words were rude, but this was what I feared the most.

However, before I could finish speaking, Betty cut me off harshly. Without warning, she threw the family portrait to the ground. Her eyes were blazing with fury as she looked at me with deep hatred.

"I already told you—there's no secret at all! You two youngsters went against convention and are having a child before marriage. That's what angered them into ending their lives, okay?" Betty snapped.

At the mention of Edith's and Hank's deaths, tears began streaming down her face again. Clearly, she was more heartbroken than we were. But soon, Betty composed herself.

Taking a deep breath, she apologized to me. "I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed with grief and said things I shouldn't have. Edith and Hank both had chronic illnesses. Plus, the economy hasn't been great these past few years. Maybe they just didn't want to become a burden on you two. But enough talk of this. Suicide is nothing to be proud of. Don't bring this matter up ever again."

Betty's attitude toward this subject was cold and firm. No matter how much Ben and I pressed her, she refused to say another word on it.

Still, I couldn't shake the unease in my heart. My hand wouldn't stop trembling, even as it rested on my belly.

Edith had clearly liked me. Yet, the moment she learned I was pregnant, she took her own life.

I wanted to know why. I wanted to know what secret she had left behind.

Ben seemed more desperate than I was to find out what the secret was.

On the seventh day after Hank's passing, Betty drank excessively out of grief. In her drunken haze, she started ranting and raving incoherently. Seizing the opportunity, Ben managed to coax the secret out of her.

Betty spoke very softly, so he had to lean in close to hear her. But almost immediately after he had heard it, the same terrified expression that had been on Edith's and Hank's faces appeared on his own.

I watched this horrifying scene unfold. Unable to wait any longer, I questioned him. "So? What's the secret? Why are you and Betty both so terrified?"

However, Ben didn't answer me. It was as though he had been scared senseless. He merely stood there while holding Betty up.

Utterly anxious, I walked over and leaned toward Betty myself. I wanted to hear it directly from her, but Ben's reaction shocked me even more.

Tears began flowing from his eyes, like a broken dam. Not only that, he looked terrified and helpless.

Then, Ben actually pushed me, forcing me away from Betty.

Frantic, I said, "Why are you pushing me? I'm pregnant! What did Betty say? Why are you keeping me from hearing it?"

But no matter how I questioned him, Ben refused to answer.

His eyes were full of sorrow as he looked at me. "I really wish you will never learn this secret."

I stood there in a daze. I didn't understand what kind of secret could make my boyfriend's entire family fall into despair. Why were they all so terrified after hearing it? Why did Hank take his own life the moment he found out?

At that moment, I realized Betty had sobered up without us noticing. Her eyes were vacant as she stared at us.

She chuckled bitterly. Her face was haggard and anguished. Then, gradually, Betty's bitter chuckling morphed into maniacal laughter.

She grabbed Ben's hand, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.

"You insisted on hearing it yourself, Ben. Now, you'll have to live in pain, just like me," Betty said.

I was completely devastated. I couldn't understand how things had come to this.

I had come here happily, bearing gifts, and excited to meet my boyfriend's family. I had thought our days ahead would become more joyful.

Ben was a good man. He was emotionally stable and had a gentle temperament. In the three years we had been together, we had never once had an argument.

Ben's family was just like him—gentle and warm.

Edith was kind. Hank and Betty were deeply in love with each other. They usually spoke kindly to each other and had never had a single fight.

Ben often spoke about me in front of his family. He also said they all liked me and looked forward to meeting me.

Edith, in particular, was very fond of me. She would frequently give Ben money to buy me gifts. She even told him to be patient with me and treat me tenderly. Additionally, she often sent me local specialties and asked about my well-being.

However, everything changed the moment I said I was pregnant.

Edith took her own life on the spot, and Hank followed her soon after. Betty fell into despair and spent her days in a daze. Even Ben became quiet and withdrawn, as though he were carrying an unbearable burden.

I felt as though the whole world was against us, refusing to let us live in peace for even a single day. When I would feel mentally and emotionally exhausted, I would often wonder—what exactly was the secret that Edith had left behind?

It turned out I wasn't the only one with that question, especially after the neighbors shared this incident online.

Under pressure from the public, the police showed up again the very next day.

Betty had returned to her parents' home while Ben was at work. So, I was the only one left at home to answer the police's questions.

The officer tactfully asked, "Edith Dent was getting on in years. Is it possible she had some sort of mental condition? Maybe you didn't notice, but she might've already been confused for a while."

I thought back carefully, sifting through every little memory I had of Edith over the past three years. In the end, I firmly shook my head.

"That's impossible. Edith had health checkups twice a year and just did her latest one half a month ago. She was in great health with no signs of dementia or anything like that," I replied.

The officer looked a bit disappointed at my answer. After a brief pause, he asked again, "What about your boyfriend's father? We heard work has not been going well for him lately, and his company is planning to lay him off. Maybe he was embarrassed by this and couldn't accept it?

"He killed himself right after hearing his mother's last words. She could have told him she took her own life so she wouldn’t burden him. And perhaps your boyfriend's father followed suit because he felt ashamed?" he theorized.

I had watched with my own eyes as both Edith and Hank went from living, breathing people to cold, lifeless corpses. Hence, I understood better than anyone just how determined they were when they ended their own lives. There was no way they would have done so over something so absurd.

The officer offered a few other theories, but I shut them all down. Seeing they couldn't get any clues from me, they had no choice but to end the questioning.

After all, Edith's and Hank's deaths were clearly suicides, not murders. If it weren't for the pressure from public opinion, the police wouldn't have wasted the manpower to question me in the first place.

However, shortly after the officers left, Deputy Captain Leo Cade came hurrying back.

Deputy Captain Cade scratched his head uncomfortably as he looked at me. He asked if I was able to get in touch with Ben.

"Your mother-in-law… Meaning your boyfriend's mother… She jumped," he said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground. I struggled to breathe, as though I was suffocating.

As the police couldn't reach Ben, they had no choice but to take me to the scene first. By the time we arrived, the area outside the building had already been cordoned off.

A crowd had gathered. Their eyes were full of curiosity. The moment they saw the police helping me out of the car, they all raised their phones to take pictures.

"That's the daughter-in-law of the woman who jumped, right? I heard both her father-in-law and grandmother-in-law took their lives in the house the same day she visited!"

"That is so unlucky. Anyone who didn't know better would think she drove them to their deaths."

"The woman who jumped is something else too. Her husband and mother-in-law may be dead, but she still has her son and daughter-in-law, right? I heard the daughter-in-law is even pregnant. How is that young couple supposed to go on living now?"

I had already gone completely numb as I listened to the whispers around me. I knew Betty was grieving deeply, but I never thought she would actually take her own life.

One of the more superstitious officers pulled me aside. Concern was etched on his face.

"She jumped from too high… Her body's completely shattered, so you really shouldn't look. Where is your boyfriend? Some of the onlookers said she was muttering the word 'secret' in a trance-like state just before she jumped. We suspect it's the same secret that drove Hank Miller and Edith Dent to end their own lives," he explained.

Despite the officer's attempts to block my view, I stepped through the layers of white drapes and spotted Betty's body. Her body was mangled beyond recognition.

With over 30 floors, the building was dozens of feet high. Jumping from it was certain death. Yet, Betty had done it.

Unable to hold myself up any longer, I fell to my knees. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Like anyone else, I had visited my boyfriend's family. Yet, I had watched as they died in quick, horrible succession.

I didn't understand. What kind of secret could possibly make them so desperate to end their lives?

Deputy Captain Cade looked at me with sympathy.

"I know you're falling apart right now, Ms. Samson, but you have to pull yourself together. The situation is very clear now—anyone who knows the secret ends up dead," he said.

Then, he asked, "Seriously, what is this secret? Do you know? Or does your boyfriend know?"