Chapter 81: A Family Moment Interrupted

Parker Residence — Evening

At the beginning of this evening, the atmosphere at the Parker residence was the complete opposite of the one that had just filled the streets of Manhattan. The small family of three had gathered around the living room table to enjoy a quiet moment together.

A board game was set up between them, with several cards and pieces scattered across the table while the three players seemed completely absorbed in the game.

Or rather… in Aunt May's latest victory.

For the third time in a row.

Peter stared at the board for a few seconds, as though hoping to find some mistake that could invalidate the result. Then he suddenly raised his head, unable to accept what had just happened to him yet again.

— "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME?!"

Aunt May and Gwen immediately burst out laughing at the almost theatrical exaggeration of his anger. Peter, meanwhile, genuinely seemed to take this latest defeat as a personal humiliation.

— "I'm too good!" May declared proudly.

— "Don't be a sore loser, Peter." Gwen added teasingly.

Peter immediately turned his head toward her, almost offended that she was taking his aunt's side.

— "No, but seriously! Gwen! She's won THREE TIMES IN A ROW and you're not even shocked?!"

Gwen glanced at May before giving a slight shrug, as though the answer were perfectly obvious.

— "Well… it's Aunt May! What are you supposed to do against a woman as strong as her?"

May immediately placed a hand over her chest, clearly flattered by the compliment. She tilted her head slightly with exaggerated dignity, like a queen finally receiving the recognition she deserved from another queen or a princess.

— "Thank you, Gwen!"

Gwen immediately played along and slightly bowed her head in return.

— "Oh, you're very welcome. The pleasure is all mine."

The two women burst out laughing again, perfectly in sync, while Peter watched them with a deeply unimpressed expression. Eventually, he gave up on any attempt to preserve his dignity and let his forehead drop heavily onto the table.

— "Seriously?! I'm so done…!" Peter muttered.

At that exact moment, the doorbell rang, slightly cutting through their laughter. May and Gwen immediately looked up toward the entrance. Peter, meanwhile, didn't even move, still slumped against the table as he mourned his defeat.

— "Someone at this hour…?"

Curious, May began pushing her chair back to stand up, but Gwen gently stepped in and took the initiative.

— "I'll get it."

She left the living room and headed toward the entrance. When she opened the door, her expression immediately changed.

A familiar woman stood on the doorstep.

— "Yuri?!"

— "Hey, Gwen."

Once the initial surprise had passed, Gwen immediately stepped forward and warmly hugged her. Yuri returned the embrace before pulling back slightly to look at her.

— "Are you okay?" Yuri asked.

— "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, but… what about you? Are you okay?" Gwen replied.

Gwen had clearly noticed her condition. Yuri looked exhausted. Her face bore the signs of a difficult day, and something in her expression made it seem as though she had come carrying an especially heavy burden on her shoulders. Gwen's concern was almost immediately awakened.

Yet Yuri didn't directly answer her question.

— "Are Peter and May here?"

Gwen frowned slightly, but decided not to press the issue for now.

— "Yeah, they're here. Come on in."

Yuri stepped inside the house and followed Gwen into the living room. The moment May saw her appear, a warm smile immediately spread across her face.

— "Yuri! I'm glad to see you. Are you okay?"

— "I… I'm fine, thank you." she replied with a slight hesitation.

That brief hesitation probably didn't go unnoticed by anyone, but May chose not to point it out. Yuri joined them, and her gaze eventually fell on Peter, who was still silent, his head resting against the table as though he had completely given up on life.

— "What's wrong with Peter?"

May leaned slightly toward her and lowered her voice, as though she were about to tell her something particularly serious.

— "I beat him three times in a row at a board game. It's probably best not to bring it up." she whispered before giving her a wink.

— "I can hear you, just so you know!" Peter grumbled.

Eventually, he straightened up and settled into a slightly more dignified position in his chair. His frustration quickly faded when he turned his attention toward their guest, and a much gentler smile appeared on his face.

— "Good to see you, Yuri."

— "You too."

— "By the way, are you hungry? Do you want something to drink?" May asked.

Yuri gently shook her head. Her expression immediately became more serious again, reminding everyone that her visit didn't seem to be just a casual one.

— "No, I'm okay, thank you. I won't stay long. If I'm here… it's because I have something to tell you. At first, I only wanted to talk to Gwen about it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of you were very close to George, so you deserve to know too…"

The lighthearted atmosphere around the table disappeared almost immediately. Peter stopped smiling. Gwen straightened slightly, and May stared at Yuri with curiosity now mixed with concern. No one interrupted her.

Yuri took a deep breath before beginning.

She told them what she knew. Tombstone's discreet return to New York, the activities he had been carrying out in the shadows for some time, and then his recent death alongside several of his associates. Yuri deliberately remained vague about some of the circumstances and never once mentioned Spider-Man's involvement in the events.

And that detail didn't escape Peter.

For a brief moment, he cast a discreet glance toward Yuri, slightly surprised that she had chosen to leave that part of the story out. Yet he said nothing. May, meanwhile, wasn't looking for any hidden details. The news alone was already enough to shake her.

— "Wow… I wasn't expecting news like that…"

Yuri gently nodded, silently confirming the seriousness of what she had just told them. Meanwhile, Peter and Gwen exchanged a brief glance. Unlike May, they already knew a large part of the story.

But they made sure not to show it.

Yuri eventually turned her attention toward Gwen. Her expression softened slightly, even though the exhaustion and seriousness remained clearly visible on her face.

— "How are you feeling, Gwen? If you want to talk about it… just know that I'm here."

For several long seconds, no one spoke. A calm but emotionally charged silence settled around the table as Gwen held Yuri's gaze. At first, the young girl seemed hesitant.

Her lips parted slightly, then closed again, as though she were still searching for the right way to express what she truly felt. Eventually, she took a quiet breath and her expression softened. When she spoke, her voice was gentle, but surprisingly confident.

— "I'll be okay, Yuri."

That answer immediately surprised Yuri. She had expected to see sadness, anger, perhaps even another wave of shock upon learning about Tombstone's death. Yet she found none of that in Gwen's eyes.

Her face was serene, her voice steady, and her demeanor almost peaceful. She even gave the impression that she had already had time to process the news long before anyone had come to tell her, which couldn't help but trouble Yuri.

— "I… I'm still glad to know that justice was served. Let's put it that way. But I don't want to think about it anymore or keep torturing myself over all of this. I thought I had accepted the fact that my father was gone and that his killer was still out there… but I was wrong. Now that he's gone… I can finally grieve properly and move forward. And I think it's important that you do the same, Yuri. Because honestly, I don't think I'm the one who needs to talk to someone about all of this… you are. I may be his daughter, but you were close to him too. You knew him for much longer than I did. So, if you ever need to talk… I'm here."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gwen seemed to realize something. Her gaze discreetly shifted toward Peter, then May, both of whom were still sitting around the table. A faint smile appeared on her face before she corrected herself.

— "We're here."

Those few words struck Yuri far more deeply than she could have imagined. She remained silent, her gaze gradually drifting somewhere ahead of her.

For a moment, the voices around the table seemed to fade away. The Parker living room, the evening, the board game still sitting in front of them… everything disappeared behind a memory slowly rising to the surface of her mind.

A memory from ten years ago.

TO BE CONTINUED.