He looked at the colleague suspiciously, “Is today April Fools‘ Day? Or did Adeline bribe you to trick me?”
“Tell her, even nonsense has limits. My patience will run out.”
Asher’s voice grew louder and louder, and by the end, he shoved the urn and peace amulet into his colleague’s arms, slamming the door shut
under their sympathetic gaze.
The noise woke up Cora. She came out in a sheer nightgown, her curves barely visible, making Asher stare.
Ignoring the knocking outside, he took her back into the room, and after they freshened up, he finally asked about me.
“Cora, did Adeline say anything before she left yesterday?”
Cora was nervous, her hands clenched into fists, but she had practiced her lies countless times, so she calmly said, “Adeline seemed unhappy, muttering about you being a heartless man and that she’d never come back.”
As soon as she finished, Asher punched the wall, “Seems like the fridge wasn’t cold enough to wake Adeline up completely.”
“If she has the guts, she should never come back. If she dares, I’ll show her how I’ll deal with her.”
3:14 PM
<
Asher claimed not to believe the ashes were mine, but he was clearly distracted all day. I didn’t know if he hoped I was dead or alive.
After three days of my disappearance, Asher finally couldn’t sit still. He picked up his jacket and told Cora, “Cora, I’m going out.”
He drove straight to the crematorium.
Upon arrival, Asher was stunned. Everyone from the gate to his office looked at him with sympathy.
Finally, inside his office, Asher breathed a sigh of relief and vented to Gideon, “You wouldn’t believe the way they looked at me. I said Adeline wasn’t the deceased, but they don’t believe me.”
Gideon looked at him with the same sympathy.
Asher was angry.
“Gideon, it’s one thing for them to make trouble, but why are you like this?”
“You of all people should know Adeline is fine at home. If you continue, I’ll really get mad.”
In our ten years of knowing each other and five years of marriage, I’d never heard Asher talk so much. This was the first time. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed his growing panic.
Gideon, seeing him like this, patted his shoulder with a heavy tone, “Asher, don’t be like this. I know you’re hurting, but you need to pull yourself together. Your sister–in–law’s affairs still need you.”
“Shut up!”
Asher slapped Gideon’s hand away, “Don’t think that just because we’re friends, you can say whatever. This joke isn’t funny.”
