I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms.
How could they lie so easily after disregarding human life?
Quentin arrived with a composed demeanor this time.
He bowed in apology:
“I’m sorry, Mr. Declan. You instructed not to disturb Miss Lydia during her pregnancy, so I hesitated to inform you that Miss Nora escaped five months ago. She knocked out an employee delivering supplies and fled by boat.”
Lydia feigned surprise, covering her mouth:
“Oh! I can’t believe Nora has been gone for so long and hasn’t contacted Declan even once. It’s really…”
I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms.
How could they lie so easily after showing such disregard for human life?
Declan was momentarily stunned and asked in a grave tone:
“But without any identification, where could she go?”
Quentin, confident, respectfully retrieved a file from his briefcase:
“Ive been tracking Miss Nora’s whereabouts. Last night, the private detective reported a lead…”
Declan couldn’t wait to open the file, and as he saw the stack of photos inside, his expression darkened.
His chest rose and fell with anger, his grip on the photos so tight that his knuckles turned white.
<
Lydia, not missing a chance to stir the pot, added with surprise:
“Oh no! That can’t be Nora, can it?”
The next moment, Declan tossed the photos into the air, closing his eyes deeply.
I was filled with doubt and trembled when I saw the photos scattered on the floor.
They showed me in intimate poses with different men.
These were obviously altered.
But Declan believed them and shouted harshly:
“I shouldn’t have come looking for her! Who knew she’d be living so freely abroad…”
Lydia’s lips curled upward, feeding the flames:
“It can’t be! It’s only been a few months, and Nora couldn’t stand the loneliness? If it were me, I’d wait patiently for you.”
Her words only fueled Declan’s anger further.
Just then, his phone rang.
He answered, his tone irritated:
“Hello, who is this?”
After a brief pause, the voice on the other end replied:
“I’m a staff member from the funeral home. Could you come to collect Nora’s ashes?”
Declan’s expression twisted momentarily, his grip on the phone so tight that his hand turned white.
He didn’t respond for a few seconds, prompting the person on the line to ask repeatedly:
“Hello, can you hear me? You’re Declan, Nora’s partner, right? Nora’s ashes are ready for collection.”
Lydia tugged on Declan’s sleeve.
Declan snapped back to reality and forced out a few words:
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
I watched him suspiciously.
Did Declan really believe I was dead? Not even a shred of doubt?
Soon, Declan and the others arrived at the funeral home.
An employee brought out an urn and said to Declan:
“These are Nora’s ashes. Please accept my condolences.”
Declan reached out to take it, but in the next second, he deliberately let it fall, allowing the urn to shatter.
The ceramic urn broke into pieces, and my ashes spilled out, raising a cloud of dust.
The sound was like a blow to my heart.
I never imagined that even in death, I would suffer such humiliation from Declan.
The staff looked shocked.
<
“What are you-”
Declan took a step forward, stepping on my ashes, and asked the staff with an intimidating air:
“Still acting? How much did Nora pay you?”
The staff didn’t understand but sensed a misunderstanding, immediately waving his hands to explain:
“Mr. Declan, you’ve misunderstood! I don’t know Miss Nora!”
Declan smirked confidently:
“Let me ask differently, who brought the remains to you for cremation?”
The staff hurriedly replied:
“An Asian face–just like-”
His finger was about to point at Quentin behind Declan.
Lydia interrupted at the right moment, frowning:
“Declan, Nora’s really gone too far, faking her death to deceive you. Is she trying to get rid of you completely?”
Declan was a bit frantic, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes:
“Nora, faking her death to hide from me, does she think she can escape? Wait until I find her and see how I punish her!”
I just watched as Lydia, with her deep schemes, led Declan to misunderstand me step by step.
But without even the basic trust between a couple, Declan and I were bound to end up this way.
Lydia deliberately pinched the child in her arms, weakly saying:
“I’ll help you find her, no matter how long it takes.”
Seeing Lydia’s pale face and the weak, crying child, a trace of reluctance flashed in Declan’s eyes.
He shook his head and said gently:
“No one has time to find her. Lydia, I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. Your body can’t handle the stress, let’s go back home.”
Seeing Declan about to leave, the staff urgently called out:
