Desperate Funeral

Chapter 5

Brian finally showed up at the hotel.

I looked at him with an empty, emotionless gaze.

The first thing he did was check on my injuries. When he saw that the bleeding had stopped, he let out a breath of relief, like that was all that mattered.

Then he turned to my relatives, bowing slightly as he offered them a quiet apology. He had no idea what had just happened, but he could feel the way their eyes pierced through him, cold, judging, disgusted.

I sat there, lips pressed together, watching him perform like it was all some act.

Eventually, when he sensed something was off and turned to speak to me, I cut him off with a voice like ice.

"Get out."

He froze.

"You're not needed here. And I don't want to see you again. Ever."

But Brian acted like he didn't hear a word. His eyes were full of forced tenderness as he suddenly scooped me into his arms, ignoring everything I'd just said.

I didn't struggle. Not because I wanted to stay in his arms, but because I was afraid any movement might tear open the wound on my back. All I could do was clutch my father's urn tightly to my chest as Brian carried me out.

Just as we reached the exit, Shirley, who was being loaded into a police car, caught sight of us.

She completely lost it.

Screaming like a madwoman, she broke free from the officers and ran straight toward us.

The moment Brian saw her, panic lit up his face.

No matter how clueless he'd pretended to be, even he had to realize now what had gone down.

But I still underestimated how far he could fake it.

Before Shirley could reach us, Brian suddenly turned and kicked her, hard.

Her thin frame was thrown nearly seventeen feet through the air before she crashed to the ground.

The whole place went silent.

Even I was too stunned to react. I never imagined that Brian could be even more brutal toward his lover than the bodyguards had been toward me.

Shirley lay sprawled on the pavement, shocked and trembling. She dragged herself up, staring at him like she didn't recognize him.

"You kicked me… for that bitch?" she asked in disbelief, voice cracking.

Neither of us noticed the surveillance camera quietly recording from the corner.

Brian acted like he didn't know her. He turned away, trying to walk off with me in his arms.

The officers hauled Shirley back into the car as she screamed and thrashed, her back bent in desperation.

I looked at Brian and let out a low, bitter laugh.

"You're even colder than I thought."

That made him stop in his tracks. He turned to me, panicked, trying to explain.

"No, it's not what you think. There's nothing between us. I swear to you, Daisy, trust me!"

He grabbed my hand.

"Your dad just passed away, how could I do something like that now? I swear, if I've ever cheated, may I die on the spot!"

The words sounded sincere. The guilt in his eyes was convincing.

But something inside me snapped.

The fury I'd been swallowing finally exploded.

I twisted in his arms, ignoring the pain, and threw myself down to the ground.

He reached for me, horrified, but I turned my head and screamed with every ounce of strength I had left.

"Don't you dare mention my father. You're not even worthy."

That one sentence drained the last bit of energy from me.

My vision went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Brian was sitting beside me, worry written all over his face.

It didn't seem fake. But I couldn't tell if he was scared I was hurt, or scared I'd die before he could salvage his image.

Because once trust is broken… there's no going back.

He gently held my hand, his voice soft.

"Don't worry. I explained everything to your relatives and made sure they got home safe. That woman's unstable. Don't let her get to you."

I didn't respond.

Instead, I turned my head toward the police officer standing quietly in the room and rasped through a hoarse voice,

"Get him out of here. I don't want to see him again."

Then I added, with all the clarity I had left,

"He was in on it. Without him, my father's funeral would've never turned into a circus."