Chapter 16
Chloe peeked out, puzzled. “What’s Mr. Anderson doing here?” Watching Eric’s gloomy expression, she rested her chin on her hand. “He looks really sad
Alershrugged. “It’s none of our business
Eric stood by the gravestone, feeling overwhelmed as he remembered Ashley’s tearful departure from the Anderson family. Closing his eyes, he picured her pale, fragile form that day.
Is this really Ashley? If she has truly died, are those two unborn kids also laid to rest here? Eric couldn’t accept it, preferring to believe someone else was buried here that Ashley had tricked him. He wished that woman was still alive instead.
After a lone silent vigil, Eric scowled at the overgrown weeds and scattered litter, saying, “Why is this place so neglected?”
Tristan explained cautiously. “After Mrs. Garcia passed away that year, only Ms. Ashley visited here once a year. But after Ms. Ashley was also gone,
no one came anymore.”
Eric noticed the other well–tended graves, adorned with fresh flowers. All these years, he couldn’t imagine how lonely it must’ve been for Ashley and the two kids. After a moment’s pause, he instructed, “Get someone to tidy this place up.”
Ashley waited until Eric had left before she and the kids went up to the grave. She glanced at the flowers he’d left before tossing them in the nearby trash bin in disgust
Chloe scratched her head, puzzled. “Mommy, why did you throw away Mr. Anderson’s flowers!”
Ryan paused for a moment, then gently tapped his sister’s head. “It’s grown–up stuff, Chloe. We shouldn’t get involved,
Ashley then placed her own fresh flowers in front of the two worn tombstones, covered in weeds and dust. It seemed no one had visited her mom’s grave while she was away. She let out a bitter laugh. “What a lovely family, the Garcias.
Just then, her phone rang. It was her friend calling. She answered, “Hey, what’s up?” Her voice sounded tired and worn out.
The man’s voice came through. “Ashley. I
I’ve got some updates on what you asked me to check out
Ashley let out a low hum, her eyes filled with icy disdain.
The man continued, “I checked out the psychiatric hospital where your mom was treated back then and got her medical records before she passed Surprisingly, her vitals were all normal – no signs of mental illness whatsoever, which means…”
It suggested that her mom’s death that year might not have been accidental.
Ashley’s fists tightened with hatred. For years, she’d suspected the truth about her mom’s death. Her mom had been gentle and showed no signs of illness before the incident. How could Dad suddenly send her to a psychiatric hospital and then she tragically fell to her death? In the end, it seems like it is all planned
Taking a deep breath, Ashley steadied herself. Thanks, I’ll take it from here.
