Henry was turning his wheelchair when he saw her tears falling, and a strange pain began to ache in his heart.
He was stunned. It felt as if the person in front of him was not Angelina Thompson, butâ¦
He quickly closed his eyes, wishing to rid his mind of those messy thoughts.
âIâll try my best to persuade him,â he said, âbut whether or not heâll listen to me will depend on him.â
He then swept a glance over at the woman in front of him and said, âDonât ever show up in front of me again after this. Itâs annoying.
>>
As soon as he finished his sentence, he turned his wheelchair and left.
Angelina watched his silhouette receding into the distance, making no move to chase after him.
All the commotion outside seemingly didnât reach. Stardust Mansion at all.
Inside, Joan was on pins and needles. Devastated over Stellaâs death at first, she was soon horrified by whatever was taking place there.
OSTA Weston would carry Stellaâs body around every day and go on with his daily life with the corpse just as he would back when she was still alive.
He would hold her up early in the mornings and help her wash up. Then he would take her to the dining table as he sat beside her, eating the breakfast Joan had prepared. Every once in a while, he would say something to the corpse with the gentlest of expressions.
In fact, Weston seemed to be acting just like his usual self. Had it not been his chilling behavior these past few days, Joan wouldnât have been so terrified or walked on eggshells all the time.
At first, she still tried to talk some sense into him, but later, she didnât even dare to say a word to him.
Sometimes he would carry Stella into the back garden so she could bask in the sun after changing her into a white dress. Those purple spots on Stellaâs skin still had not faded, so Weston hired a makeup artist to cover them up nicely for her.
Stellaâs eyes were now always shut. Her hair was starting to dry up. Her face was so pale that it seemed translucent.
In fact, she was ashen and gray, just like a corpse.
As if dissatisfied with the makeup artistâs skills, Weston decided to do it himself.
One day, as soon as Joan entered the door, she was met with the sight of Weston combing Stellaâs hair. He had even learned how to groom her eyebrows. He was quick to pick up these skills, and soon, he could do the things that women did and could even apply makeup and dress her till she looked quite decent.
But this only terrified Joan further.
As she watched him live with a corpse every day, she could not help but worry about Westonâs mental state, so she secretly contacted Dr. Quirk.
As soon as he received Joanâs call, Dr. Quirk quickly rushed over to see him. He had, in fact, been trying to contact Weston himself these past few days but to no avail.
Even his best friend Henry Moore, his uncle Xavier Ford, and his grandfather Warren Ford failed to speak any sense into him, so there was not much hope that a stranger would fare any better.
As he arrived at Stardust Mansion, Joan was already waiting for him at the door. Had it not been for her help, he might not even get the chance to enter the place.
âItâs so good to see you, Dr. Quirk!â
âPlease go check on Mr. Ford,â she spoke in a hushed voice as she led him into the mansion through the back door. âI donât know whatâs gotten into him. Heâs been carrying Mrs. Fordâs corpse around all day. He even speaks to her. Iâm really worried about him. If this goes.
on, things might get really badâ¦â
âDonât worry,â Dr. Quirk nodded and reassured her. âIâll go take a look at him now.â
From afar, he could already see Weston sitting on the swing in the back garden with Stella in his arms.
He would lean down from time to time to say something to her. His expressions were tender and warm, and his eyes were clearâthere were ostensibly no signs of madness at all.
âMr. Ford,â Dr. Quirk slowly approached him.
Westonâs face turned cold as soon as he heard the footsteps. He turned swiftly around and asked, âWhat are you doing here, Dr. Quirk?â
He stood up slowly while still propping Stella up. An obvious look of displeasure flashed across his face as he watched Dr. Quirk walk up to him.
âI donât remember asking for you,â he said.
âI just stopped by to see you,â replied Dr. Quirk. âJoan is really worried about you.â