Chapter 169
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Upon hearing his words, I almost cast my phone aside. A few seconds later, I raised my voice and
confronted the maniac, âJohn, what the hell is wrong with you? What have you installed on my phone?â
He replied nonchalantly, âItâs just a form of simple spyware. You should stop getting worked up over
such a trivial matter. Iâm trying to keep an eye on you and ensure that everything is fine on your end.
Thatâs all.â
âYouâre rotten to the core!â I could barely suppress the urge to smash my phone.
âPlease calm down, Scarlett. I just want to keep an eye on you and ensure that youâre fine. Isnât it
great? I get to know what youâre up to whenever I want!â He sounded aggrieved, speaking as if he
meant no harm.
âYou should stay away from me!â After I hung up the call, I rushed into the washroom and flushed my
phone away without a second thought.
I was so angry that my heart wouldnât stop racing. I couldnât pinpoint the exact time he had installed the
spyware on my phone.
After the farce, I wasnât in the mood to satisfy my cravings anymore. I went to the living room and took
a seat on the couch to collect my thoughts because I was greatly infuriated.
Eventually, I fell asleep on the couch in the living room. When I woke up a little later, I noticed that there
was a blanket over me.
Once I opened my eyes, Ashton and I exchanged glances because he was right in front of me.
I was taken aback by his presence and I greeted him immediately, âG-Good morning!â
âWhy have you fallen asleep on the couch?â He broke the silence, asking me this question indifferently
as if he was displeased.
âI couldnât bring myself to sleep last night. Therefore, I decided to come downstairs for a change of
environment. I didnât expect to fall asleep on the couch as well.â
He asked rhetorically with a poker face, âAre you trying to imply that you had a hard time sleeping by
my side?â
I shook my head vigorously as I rebuked, âNo! I was having a hard time sleeping! Hence, I came
downstairs for a walk! T-Thatâsââ
As he knew that something was wrong with me, he lifted me into his arms and comforted me, âAlright,
Iâm not blaming you. Iâm just worried that youâre going to catch a cold. If you canât bring yourself to
sleep in the future, wake me up and get me to keep you company, okay?â
My mind was over all over the place because it was evident that he was trying to be tolerant of me
again. He had always been a patient man and had given in to every request of mine.
I nodded and nestled in between his arms as I slowly returned to my usual self.
What happened in the morning and the night before was nothing more than a farce. After finishing our
breakfast, we dropped by the cemetery. We arrived early, and it was a great day.
Ashton had readied the things that we had needed beforehand. He supported me and brought me up to
my grandfatherâs grave because the road there was quite slippery.
The sun had already risen from behind the hills when we were about to arrive. We paused when we
merely a few feet away from the grave because someone else was in front of Georgeâs grave.
I furrowed my brows unwittingly as I had my eyes fixed on the woman in front of the grave.
Ashton also caught a glimpse of Rebecca, who had dressed up in a black tulle dress, in front of the
grave. Perhaps it was because she had never put on a black dress whenever she was around meâit
took me some time to figure out that it was Rebecca.
I turned around and asked Ashton once I noticed that Rebecca was the one in front of the grave, âWere
you the one who told her that weâd be here today?â
âNo!â After he answered my query, he approached her and asked indifferently, âWhy are you here?â
âWhy canât I be here? I have been missing Parker because he has been showing up in my dreams
recently. I decided to drop by to visit Old Mr. Fuller after I paid Parker a visit.â
She glanced in my direction and greeted me with a faint smile after she explained the goal of her visit.
âI didnât expect to run into both of you here! What a coincidence!â
Truthfully, I felt awful all of a sudden. I had forgotten that Parker was buried in the same cemetery.
I took a few steps forward and placed the bouquet that Ashton had prepared in front of Grandpaâs
grave. Since I was heavily pregnant, I couldnât bow to pay tribute to him. Instead, I nodded to show my
respect to him.
Staring at me with his abysmal pair of eyes, Ashton grasped my hand firmly as he wiped my tears dry.
âDonât cry. Otherwise, our child will be sad as well.â
I nodded as I told my beloved grandfather, âGrandpa, Ashton and I will start a family soon. Perhaps
weâll come as a family of three, the next time we drop by to pay you a visit. You can finally rest in
peace.â
Halfway through my speech, I turned to look at Ashton with an intimate gaze before orating, âYou donât
have to worry about me anymore because weâre on good terms! He has been taking great care of me,
and I believe that heâll be a great husband and a doting father!â
Truth be told, my words were not intended for my grandfather at allâit was intended for Rebecca who
was there.
Her face puckered in response as she tugged at the hem of Ashtonâs shirt and urged, âAsh, can you
please drop by and pay Parker a visit as well? It has been quite some time since youâve last visited.â
I lowered my gaze because I was aware of Rebeccaâs petty scheme in leveraging the deceased to her
favor in order to win Ashton over by reminding him of the good old days they had spent together.
Ashton looked at me in the eyes as though it was an attempt to acquire my consent to pay Parker a
visit.
I peered at Grandpaâs grave with a smile and offered, âLetâs drop by and pay him a visit together! After
all, he was one of your best friends, wasnât he? You should introduce us to one another!â
Rebecca had a grim expression on her face because I insisted on tagging along, yet she did a great job
of suppressing her emotions.
Ashton grasped my hand as he asserted, âYouâre right! Letâs go!â
The aforementioned grave was merely a short distance away because the cemetery wasnât a huge
one. As soon as we arrived at Parkerâs grave, I saw the photo of a handsome young man inscribed. In
spite of his attractive-looking face, it was evident that he had been having it tough, enduring a series of
treatments.
As soon as we arrived at her brotherâs grave, Rebeccaâs eyes began to brim with tears. Eventually, it
morphed into an intense wail. âParker, I have brought Ash along with me!â
Thankfully, Ashton had another bouquet with him. He placed it in front of Parkerâs grave as he bowed to
show his respect. After he was done, he stared at the photo on the grave.
I stood by Ashtonâs side and bowed to show my respect. In an attempt to figure out if Rebecca had put
on another show in front of us, I peered at her the entire time we were there.
After a few minutes, Ashton suggested, âI believe that itâs time to leave.â
Rebecca couldnât snap out of her intense wailing session. She held on to Ashtonâs hand as she cried
out in a husky voice, âAsh, Parker is no longer around to keep me safe! Youâre the only one whom I can
rely on! Although Iâm a member of the renowned Moore family, I didnât grow up alongside them! I was
merely the long-lost daughter of the family. No matter how much they love me, I canât possibly
reciprocate the affection because we arenât close at all!â