Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
How could her grandmother die with an empty stomach?
Audrey’s hands trembled as if she was convulsing. Her tears flowed like water and her cries echoed in the corridor. Soon, a nurse came and pulled her up by the arm.
“Young lady, I’m really sorry for your loss. Our hearts go out to you. We understand your pain, but please, calm down. You should go see your grandmother one last time.”
Audrey kicked and shook her head like a child. Her teary eyes were red and vacant as she said, “My grandmother is not in here… She’s waiting for me in the ward…”
After saying that, she turned around and started to rush to the ward.
A strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm.
Hector frowned slightly. Audrey’s arm was too thin as if he was holding a pencil, making Audrey seem even more fragile and delicate.
He said, “Audrey, go and have a look.”
It was as if a basin of cold water had just been poured over Reagan’s head. She shivered and her long eyelashes hung down while trembling densely. She looked so pitiful like a stray dog on the streets on a cold rainy night.
Hector’s hand slowly moved downward until it got to her wrist as he led her to the morgue.
With her head down, Audrey followed him obediently. Her steps were light as if she was a ghost.
The staff led them in, lowered his head, and left.
There was a body on a cold iron bed. A white sheet was over it.
With her back against the door, Audrey stood frozen for a good minute. She then took one painstaking step after another.
Her entire body was trembling as she lifted the white sheet. Save for the pale lips, her grandmother Looked Like she was asleep.
How could this woman be dead? No, she must be having one of those deep slumbers.
This thought gave Audrey a glimmer of hope. With a smile, she said softly, “It’s time to wake up, grandma. You are pulling my legs, aren’t you? Is this because I didn’t take you back to your house? My car is ready. Get up, let’s go right now…”
Not a single muscle moved on the old woman’s face. Even her eyelashes didn’t flutter. Seeing this, Audrey reached under the white cloth to hold her grandmother’s cold and stiff hand. She choked with sobs, “Grandma, I don’t want anything anymore. I want nothing else than to live in your house with you. Is that okay?”
Audrey leaned her head against her grandmother’s chest, speaking in a very soft and gentle voice.
“Say something, please. Even if it’s a single word. Don’t leave me alone…”
Despite calling out for a long time, her grandmother still didn’t wake up. Audrey held her grandmother’s face and finally cried out.
It wasn’t a sob or a whimper. This time, it was a heart-wrenching cry.
The cry was so poignant that it could melt the heart of the devil himself.
“Grandma, you can’t do this to me. How am I supposed to live without you? Come back to me. I’m not ready yet…”
Her cry echoed in the room, but there was no response.
It had been over an hour since Audrey sat on the bench in the corridor. She completed the necessary procedures and contacted the funeral home in Tenassie.
She was determined to bury her grandmother in her hometown.
Tenassie was over 600 kilometers from here. Even if the body was transported overnight, it would only get there by morning at the earliest.
Kendra, the attending nurse of Audrey’s grandmother, stayed by her side. She even urged Audrey to take a rest in one of the wards, but Audrey insisted on staying where she was. She wanted to be as close as she could to her grandmother.
It was about time Hector left. Although he sympathized with her, he had to go. He had happened to be passing by today and had already been delayed for a long time.
As soon as he came to Audrey’s side, she looked up at him. Her eyes were red and swollen from all the crying.
Audrey stood up and solemnly bowed to Hector. Her voice came out hoarse and broken.
“Thank you, Mr. Clement. I don’t have my phone on me right now. Please send me the bill. I’ll settle the expenses once I’m done with everything at hand.”
Since the matter was an emergency, Hector had instructed his subordinates to handle all the medical expenses.
He looked down at her again when he heard her address him as Mr. Clement.
“You don’t have to be so polite. You know I am Cornell’s uncle, right? Why don’t you just call me Hector?”
Audrey nodded.
“I know, but I insist on repaying you once I settle everything here.”
Audrey had heard the way Tessa addressed Hector. His eyebrows were a lot like Cornell’s. He had a habit of furrowing them too just like the other male Clements.
Hector was somewhat surprised. Since she didn’t address him by his first name despite knowing who he really was, the reason was quite clear. It appeared all wasn’t well between her and Cornell.
He left soon.
Audrey remained on the bench throughout the night.
At the crack of dawn, she finally left to go buy some new clothes and some supplies for the funeral.
It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet when the hearse from the funeral home arrived.
Kendra accompanied Audrey to Tenassie. Since she had cared for the old woman for so long, she had developed an emotional connection. She wanted to say goodbye to the witty old lady.
When they arrived at the funeral home, Audrey paid the fee calmly and chose a place in the graveyard.
None of her relatives were left in Tenassie, so there would be no other mourners. This was why Audrey deliberately chose this secluded place. Even though she was practically alone, she was determined to send her precious grandmother off properly.
From the funeral home, she went to the town to buy some flowers for the ceremony, including the cakes that her grandmother had craved before she died.
Audrey hadn’t shed a tear throughout this journey. But as soon as she saw the cakes, a flood of tears came rushing. She couldn’t hold them back.
“What an unfilial granddaughter I am!” Audrey scolded herself.
She hadn’t granted any of her grandmother’s wishes even though how little these wishes were. How useless of her!
Startled by her tears, the shopkeeper gave her an extra bag of cakes and said comfortingly, “Cheer up, young lady. No matter what Life throws at you, you need to stick your chest out and never give up.
Take a bite of these delicious red bean-flavored cakes. You’ll love them.”
Audrey thanked the shopkeeper. She picked up a piece of cake and slowly put it in her mouth to have a taste on behalf of her grandmother.
But as her teeth sank into the soft cake, pea-sized tears began to flow from her eyes again. Some found their way into her mouth. There was a burst of salty and sweet flavors in her mouth, but all she could taste was bitterness.
The shopkeeper was taken aback.
“Is it not good?”
Feeling weak in the knees, Audrey squatted and wept like a child.
She sobbed.
“It’s delicious… But my grandmother didn’t get to taste it before…”
Her grandma would never taste it again.
A day later, Cecilia was now in a stable condition and her father had flown over from Swynborough.
Cornell finally got the chance to look at his phone. There were five missed calls from his mother.
There were no new messages, not even from Audrey.
For Pete’s sake, why was this woman so stubborn? Couldn’t she just make a compromise for peace to reign?
Cornell smoked three cigarettes just to let off steam. Then, he swallowed his pride and called Audrey.
But her phone was switched off.
A bad feeling rose in his heart. He was worried something was amiss and asked Matteo to inquire about the situation.
After hanging up the phone, Matteo sighed deeply and kept silent for a few seconds. He then reported, “Sir, Mrs. Clement’s grandmother passed away. The funeral is currently ongoing.”
Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in Cornell’s ears. He couldn’t believe his ears. He raised an eyebrow sometime later.
“What did you just say?”
Matteo paused for a moment before repeating, “Your wife’s grandmother is dead.”
In Tenassie’s funeral home, there was a rule that the departed had to be cremated before the memorial ceremony commenced.
As Audrey waited, reluctance to say goodbye to her grandmother held her heart hostage as if she wished to etch her grandmother’s face indelibly into her mind’s eye.
When her beloved grandma’s body was silently ushered into the cremation chamber, the heavy iron door swung shut.
The finality of it struck her hard. She could never again see her grandma’s smiling face, the person who loved her most in the world.