Chapter 12
Seeing that I did not have the extreme grief she imagined, she went crazy and boasted to me about. every little detail between them.
The more she spoke, the deeper the smile on my face became.
I shook the video call interface on my phone.
“Ryan, your current perspective is really lousy.”
“I wasn’t interested in playing house with you anymore. Sign the papers early, it’s good for both of
us.”
I stopped the funeral home’s car by cutting off the video.
The car window was rolled down.
The rain soaked the air.
The closer I got to the funeral parlor, the more I felt dazed in my heart, and finally, at the moment I entered the door, tears collapsed.
My mother has always been a tall and imposing figure in my heart.
She was one head taller than me, and due to taking medication for a long time, she was always. heavier than normal people.
When I was little, she used to play games with me, and she could easily lift me up and spin me
around.
Later, she grew old and I also wanted to hold her.
I tried many times, but I never succeeded.
And now, this grown–up person has turned into a palm–sized box.
She lay nearby, and for the first time, I was able to fully embrace her.
I chose a cemetery as usual, placed her in the well–dug long pit, burned some incense, and bought
some of her favorite food when she was alive.
I leaned against the tombstone, not knowing if it was due to exhaustion or tranquility, and ended up dozing off.
“Your mother must have left you some money, quickly hand it over to me!”
I suddenly opened my eyes and saw my dad standing in front of me, my heart sank.
“Where’s the money? If your mother doesn’t have it, then you give it to me!”
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You are enjoying yourself, being taken care of by a good man and having a great time, haven’t you ever thought about what kind of life your father had!”
He squatted down and poked the grave mound with a wooden stick before it had a chance to be
marked with a tombstone.
“I didn’t have any money.”
I stood up, my right hand tucked into my pocket, as memories flooded in with an overwhelming
sense of fear.
I could only take a half step back, tremblingly gripping my phone.
“Troy Yates, my mother has already divorced you. It was you who insisted on severing the parent–child relationship with me in court. We have no reason to support you.”
“I warned you, as soon as dawn broke, there would be people patrolling the cemetery, you…
My father turned his eyes and his facial muscles tightened.
He grabbed my arm, spitting on my face, and repeatedly whipped my stomach with a fast and
accurate wooden stick.
“You little brat, is this how you talk to your father? Disgusting!”
“Don’t even mention security guards, even if the police came, what difference would it make? It is only right and proper for me to teach a lesson and demand compensation for the damaged goods.”
He kicked me in the chest, pinning me to the ground, and slowly pulled out my newly lit phone.
In a panic, I could only keep pressing the power button.
I couldn’t care less about whether the distress message was successfully sent or can be received. My mind is completely occupied with one feeling.
Pain.
“Bella, you said, how much were you worth to Ryan?”
My ears were buzzing intermittently, and my vision was gradually darkening. I kept swallowing saliva, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Why didn’t he answer the phone!”
My dad pulled my hair and smacked his phone against the side of my face, emitting a few strange laughs.
“I knew it, he didn’t want you anymore.”
“He truly deserves to be my son–in–law, even his style is just like mine…”
As soon as the words fell, the phone suddenly connected.
“Bella, you…”
I only heard fragmented footsteps and arguing voices on the other end of the phone, seemingly accompanied by the sound of a girl crying, but it was quickly suppressed.
Almost simultaneously, Ryan’s anxious voice came through, “I have something urgent to attend to, I’ll call you back immediately.”
The phone was hung up.
My dad got angry and left me aside, angrily taking out my mom’s urn.
He tossed and turned, weighing it carefully, and then, upon realizing that there was truly nothing hidden, he forcefully smashed it onto my head.
The box popped open closely in front of me.
The grayish–white ashes were scattered all over the ground.
