Chapter 2
With a loud crash, my ashes scattered everywhere in an instant, like a flurry of gray snow.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Herring. That was my fault!" the staff member stammered, clearly flustered.
He rushed to clean up, but Jonathan waved him off. "Don't bother. Just sweep it up and flush it down the drain."
He walked away without a second glance, his back cold and resolute.
I watched him walk away, and it felt like someone was stabbing my heart.
When we first got together, he couldn't stand to see me hurt. Now, he could say something so heartless without even blinking.
I finally realized that once you hated someone, you could really go that far.
By the time Jonathan stepped out of the funeral home, the sky had already turned dark.
His face was blank, his posture ramrod straight, and he acted like the whole mess with the ashes was barely worth mentioning.
Just then, a familiar figure came running over in a hurry.
When I looked closer, I realized it was Jenna Lester, my college roommate and my best friend.
She was out of breath, her forehead covered in sweat, and her eyes were red, like she'd been crying.
As soon as she saw Jonathan, she stopped dead in her tracks. "What are you doing here?"
Jonathan noticed Jenna's furrowed brow and spoke in a cold tone, "What are you doing here?"
Jenna was still catching her breath, her gaze conflicted as she looked at him.
"I'm here to pay my last respects to Melody," she said.
"Your last respects to her?" Jonathan's lips twisted into a mocking smirk. "Well, tough luck. You won't get to see her."
Jenna froze, her expression changing in a flash. "What do you mean?"
Jonathan didn't answer. He just gave her a dismissive glance and turned to leave.
With a heavy heart, Jenna suddenly dashed into the funeral home.
She burst in just in time to catch sight of a staff member sweeping up the ashes into a dustpan.
"What are you doing?" Jenna cried out, her voice trembling.
She rushed over, grabbing the staff member's arm, her whole body shaking.
The staff member was startled, stammering nervously, "Th-this was Mr. Herring's order..."
Jenna's hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked. She spun around and dashed outside, grabbing Jonathan just as he was about to get into his car.
Jenna shouted, her voice shaking with rage, "Jonathan! Are you fucking human?
"Melody gave you everything she had! I've never seen anyone love you more than she did, and this is how you repay her?"
"Let go!" Jonathan said coldly, his voice like ice.
He brushed her hand away, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "She loved me most? Funny.
"She should've known this day would come the moment she caused Emily's death!"
"Bullshit!" Jenna's eyes were bloodshot, her words squeezed out through gritted teeth. "Emily's death wasn't..."
"Shut the hell up!" Jonathan snapped.
Before Jenna could finish, Jonathan roughly shoved her aside, cutting her off mid-sentence.
He snorted, "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to bring up Emily in front of me? Looks like I need to teach you a lesson for Melody!"
With a flick of Jonathan's hand, his bodyguards closed in around Jenna.
Jenna tried to speak, but before she could get a word out, someone yanked her hair and slammed her to the ground. She let out a muffled groan, curling up in pain.
She was hit with a barrage of curses and punches, raining down on her like a violent storm.
"Stop! Don't hit her!" I shouted at Jonathan, my voice cracking with desperation.
But Jonathan didn't even hear me, like I wasn't even there.
I tried to pull the bodyguards off her, but my hands kept slipping right through their bodies, over and over. There was nothing I could do.
"Jonathan, you have to listen to me! Emily's death wasn't..." Jenna struggled to get the words out, her voice desperate.
But before she could finish, one of the bodyguards slapped her hard across the face.
Jenna's head snapped to the side, and blood instantly spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"That's enough! Jonathan, Jenna is innocent! Please, spare her!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.
But nobody around me even seemed to notice.
Even as Jenna was beaten and curled up on the floor, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she kept her eyes fixed on Jonathan, as if she wanted to carve his image into her soul.
She lay in a pool of blood, her breathing weak and shallow. "You'll regret this one day..."
"Oh? Really?" Jonathan scoffed, his interest clearly piqued.
He tipped his chin up with a sneer. "I can't wait to see how you make me regret it.
"But right now, you'd better worry about yourself."
With that, Jonathan's eyes hardened, and he barked at his bodyguards. "Take her away. I don't want to see her."
At his command, the bodyguards grabbed Jenna by the collar and dumped her by the roadside like she was nothing but garbage.
I could only watch helplessly, and it felt like my soul was being torn to shreds.
Jonathan turned, got into his car, and the door slammed shut behind him.
Along with him, the truth stayed hidden, just like before.
As the car started up, I took one last look at Jenna.