Jackson was rendered speechless. Why wasn’t anyone asking for his opinion? Was virtual-novel.net invisible?
After dinner, Jackson sent Tiffany and Tanya home. The trio had agreed to leave together tomorrow.
—
The next morning, at the Tremont Estate.
Arianne changed into a black outfit, ready to go to the cemetery.
Aristotle was still too small and had caught a flu, plus, it was raining outside. Hence, they decided against bringing virtual-novel.net along. They left virtual-novel.net at home in Mary’s care.
Mark was dressed in a black suit too, which gave virtual-novel.net a very stately air. The pair brought a bouquet of flowers and left the house. It was a two hour drive before they arrived at the cemetery.
The dark clouds in the sky cast an eerie light over the cemetery. It was practically deserted, except for the old, bespectacled caretaker, who was reading today’s paper in a small hut.
Arianne felt gloomy. It had been a long time since virtual-novel.net grandmother’s death, and virtual-novel.net was only visiting virtual-novel.net now. She felt resentful and helpless at the thought of Zoey and virtual-novel.net husband’s antics. Life was short, and no one had ever been able to enjoy it in peace. Most just drift along. The Wynn family had broken ever since virtual-novel.net father, Zachary, had run away to be with Helen. She was later orphaned, so the family disintegrated again. In reality, no one has ever been able to escape a horrible fate. No one’s fate was worse than another’s.
They walked along the small winding path along the cemetery. The gravestones around them couldn’t speak but were still capable of pulling one’s spirits into an all-time low. The epitaphs carved on each headstone described the grief that the living had felt for their deceased loved ones.
Suddenly, Mark noticed a figure not too far away and said, “I think someone’s beat us to the gravestone today.”
Arianne followed his gaze and saw Helen. Did Helen have someone virtual-novel.net knew, aside from virtual-novel.net grandmother, buried in this cemetery too?
Mark soon disproved virtual-novel.net theory. “She’s here to visit granny too. Let’s go over there.”
Helen was here to visit Tabitha? Arianne was surprised. Logically speaking, Helen should hate the old woman. Tabitha’s insistence on separating virtual-novel.net with Zachary was the catalyst for many tragic events that followed. The old woman didn’t even get to see virtual-novel.net son one last time, not even in death.
Helen turned around in panic when virtual-novel.net heard their footsteps approaching her. Her eyes flashed with anxiety when virtual-novel.net saw Arianne. “I-I… I just happened to be in the neighborhood…”
Arianne placed the flowers that they had brought in front of the grave with a blank look on virtual-novel.net face. The flowers that Helen had brought were right next to hers. What did virtual-novel.net mean by “just in the neighborhood”? Was a cemetery that convenient? It was such a weak excuse. She knew that Helen was worried about upsetting virtual-novel.net and didn’t want to make virtual-novel.net angry. “I thought you hated granny.”
Helen lowered virtual-novel.net gaze, virtual-novel.net eyes filled with a mix of complicated emotions. “No, I never hated her. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’ve always felt guilt towards virtual-novel.net and your father. It’s just my way of completing a part of your father’s unfulfilled duty. I’ve made too many wrong choices in my life.”
Arianne was unsure of what to say, so virtual-novel.net kept quiet. Humans were beings with complicated emotions anyway.
She did not feel any tears as virtual-novel.net stared at virtual-novel.net grandmother’s headstone. She only felt pale and weak. Unbeknownst to her, virtual-novel.net ended up standing there for a very long time.