Chapter 5

Lily's POV

My mother's funeral was simple and desolate.

Continuous rain fell for three full days, as if even heaven was weeping for this absurd death.

During those three days, Ethan didn't appear once. Not even a single phone call.

It wasn't until the evening after the funeral ended, when I returned to that cold villa holding my mother's urn, that the front door finally opened.

Ethan walked in carrying the sunny atmosphere of a beach resort, followed by Melody with a rosy complexion and no trace of illness.

Seeing the black-and-white memorial portrait in the living room and the urn in my arms, Ethan's steps stopped abruptly and his expression changed instantly.

"What's going on?"

He frowned, his tone holding no sorrow, only the displeasure of having his mood disrupted.

I raised my head and stared at him.

"My mom died."

"While you were taking her to the island for fun, my mom died in the hospital emergency room because she couldn't get the helicopter."

Ethan's pupils contracted sharply, a flash of shock and panic crossing his eyes.

He opened his mouth, seeming to want to explain something.

"I... I thought you were lying. I didn't watch the videos on my phone..."

"Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Melody behind him suddenly clutched her chest and let out a terrified scream, collapsing into Ethan's arms.

"Ashes... a memorial portrait... so scary... Ethan, I'm scared. I can't breathe..."

Melody's face turned deathly pale. She gasped for air in large gulps as if she might faint at any moment.

The trace of guilt in Ethan's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by extreme anxiety.

He scooped up Melody and glared at me furiously.

"You know Melody is timid and can't handle being frightened! Why did you put these disgusting things in the living room?! Won't you be satisfied until you've killed her too?!"

Disgusting?

My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. The pain made my whole body convulse.

My mother, who carried me for ten months, who raised me through hardship, had become a "disgusting thing" that frightened his beloved in this man's mouth!

"Ethan, are you even human?"

I laughed through my anger, tears sliding down my cheeks.

"That's my mother! The mother whose lifeline you personally cut off!"

"Life and death are normal. If the hospital couldn't cure her, that's their incompetence. Why are you blaming me?"

Ethan's tone was cold and cruel, as if discussing a minor mistake that had nothing to do with him.

He coldly issued an order.

"Put these things away immediately! Also, because you called frantically that day, Melody had a panic attack on the plane and hasn't slept well for days. Now, apologize to her immediately!"

I looked at this man before me in disbelief.

Force me to apologize to my mother's killer?

"What if I don't?"

I gritted my teeth, each word bleeding.

Ethan's eyes turned completely cold, carrying undeniable authority.

"Lily, don't push it. If you don't apologize, I'll have your mother's burial plot cancelled. You know that in this city, without my signature, you can't buy cemetery space."

Using my mother's resting place to threaten me!

My spine bent sharply.

Looking at Melody in Ethan's arms with a subtle smirk of triumph at the corner of her mouth, I slowly closed my eyes and swallowed all the hatred and despair.

"I'm sorry."

I spoke these three words numbly to Melody.

Ethan snorted with satisfaction and carried Melody upstairs.

I stood alone in the empty living room, holding the cold urn, as if I were in an endless hell.