diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index ef97d243a73ae9..50cc720b1247ba 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -958,10 +958,10 @@ function getMaxListeners(emitterOrTarget) {
  */
 async function once(emitter, name, options = kEmptyObject) {
   validateObject(options, 'options');
-  const signal = options?.signal;
+  const { signal } = options;
   validateAbortSignal(signal, 'options.signal');
   if (signal?.aborted)
-    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const errorListener = (err) => {
       emitter.removeListener(name, resolver);
@@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ function on(emitter, event, options = kEmptyObject) {
   const signal = options.signal;
   validateAbortSignal(signal, 'options.signal');
   if (signal?.aborted)
-    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
   // Support both highWaterMark and highWatermark for backward compatibility
   const highWatermark = options.highWaterMark ?? options.highWatermark ?? NumberMAX_SAFE_INTEGER;
   validateInteger(highWatermark, 'options.highWaterMark', 1);
diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index 9db60a4f89a3d9..6a7d2cde463597 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ function readFileAfterStat(err, stats) {
 
 function checkAborted(signal, callback) {
   if (signal?.aborted) {
-    callback(new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason }));
+    callback(new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason }));
     return true;
   }
   return false;
@@ -2204,7 +2204,7 @@ function lutimesSync(path, atime, mtime) {
 
 function writeAll(fd, isUserFd, buffer, offset, length, signal, flush, callback) {
   if (signal?.aborted) {
-    const abortError = new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    const abortError = new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
     if (isUserFd) {
       callback(abortError);
     } else {
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
index 76460d2957bb0b..41be9a2a213b13 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ async function fsCall(fn, handle, ...args) {
 
 function checkAborted(signal) {
   if (signal?.aborted)
-    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
 }
 
 async function writeFileHandle(filehandle, data, signal, encoding) {
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/read/context.js b/lib/internal/fs/read/context.js
index b1a5d6ae03e953..bbbf4f35e4ba40 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/read/context.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/read/context.js
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class ReadFileContext {
 
     if (this.signal?.aborted) {
       return this.close(
-        new AbortError(undefined, { cause: this.signal?.reason }));
+        new AbortError(undefined, { cause: this.signal.reason }));
     }
     if (this.size === 0) {
       buffer = Buffer.allocUnsafeSlow(kReadFileUnknownBufferLength);
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
index efa8dd85c64bfb..411eab8136d595 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ async function* watch(filename, options = kEmptyObject) {
   }
 
   if (signal?.aborted)
-    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
 
   const handle = new FSEvent();
   let { promise, resolve, reject } = PromiseWithResolvers();
diff --git a/lib/timers/promises.js b/lib/timers/promises.js
index 7343a39615a9b7..529f78d615a4af 100644
--- a/lib/timers/promises.js
+++ b/lib/timers/promises.js
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ async function* setInterval(after, value, options = kEmptyObject) {
   const { signal, ref = true } = options;
 
   if (signal?.aborted) {
-    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+    throw new AbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
   }
 
   let onCancel;