Inside Aaron"s car, Katrina sobs in Aaron"s arms. Carl is one of the few people in the world who treats Katrina well. His sudden death hits her hard. "Honey, it"s okay! Don"t be sad, and I will always be with you! I understand your grief, but you can"t stay like this," Aaron gently patted her back.
"Seeing you in this state makes me feel sad, too," He added.
I will never forget his kindness to me. I only had him from now on. Even though he had an overbearing att.i.tude, he makes me feel important mostly at this moment, Hearing Aaron"s words, she vows to herself.
"Thank you, Aaron!" She said in a soft voice.
"Cheer up! Life is often too harsh, but it is up to us how we are going to respond to it," He stares at her and gradually bends then kisses her lips. Katrina feels the warmth of Aaron"s kiss. This is the first time she felt moved by his gentleness.
Three days later, the day of Carl"s memorial service arrives.
Katrina wears a plain black dress and buys a white bouquet before she attends the service, with Aaron a comforting presence with her the entire time. After they go to the flower shop, he takes Katrina to the memorial service.
Everyone in the hall is either a relative or a friend of the deceased. Because Aaron doesn"t have a relations.h.i.+p with Carl, it"s inappropriate for him to attend the occasion.
Aaron stops at the entrance and whispers, "I"ll wait for you outside. If anything happens, call me immediately." He feels helpless for not being able to accompany Katrina and make sure that she won"t be bullied.
Katrina nods. "Okay. Thank you for accompanying me here,"
Knowing she"s unwelcome, she doesn"t plan to stay long. She just wants to give Carl some flowers and say goodbye to him one last time before the burial.
When Katrina walks into the memorial hall, the first thing she sees is a portrait of Carl. He looks healthy and dignified in the picture, a snapshot of him at his prime. Behind the portrait lies his coffin and a variety of flowers left by visitors. A sudden pain crossed in Katrina"s heart.
All the visitors come up in front of his portrait to pay their respects, while Winnie, Samuel, and Sophie stand by and thank everyone for their visit.
Instead of her usual bright attire, Sophie wears a black dress and keeps her fingernails plain. Winnie and Samuel are also dressed in grieving clothes. There is hardly any color in the entire hall. Everyone looks somber, and the atmosphere inside is very solemn.
As the person in front of her leaves, Katrina grips the bouquet in her hands and walks towards Carl"s coffin.
At the sight of Katrina, Winnie and Sophie immediately look defensive.
Before they could throw her out, Katrina says in a firm tone, "I"m just here to say goodbye to Uncle Anderson. I don"t want to quarrel with you."
The two women have no choice but to restrain themselves and let Katrina go. At such a solemn occasion, it"s inappropriate for them to cause trouble and throw Katrina out.
Katrina approaches Carl"s portrait and stares at him in silence as she mourns with a heavy heart.
"Uncle Carl, I will surely miss you. Thank you for raising me and providing all my needs. I will never forget your kindness," she whispered.
Not wanting to stay too long, she bends down and places the bouquet in front of the portrait along with the rest of the flowers. Then she turns around and prepares to leave.
But before she leaves, Winnie steps forward and s.n.a.t.c.hes the bouquet Katrina had just left. She throws it directly into the trash bin nearby, the white bouquet contrasting heavily against the black garbage can.
Katrina gets a sharp pain in her chest at the action. I just wanted to say goodbye to Uncle Anderson. Is that too much to ask? Why did she have to do that in front of me?
Despite her dejection, Katrina can"t do anything about it. She bites her bottom lip and endures the pain she feels.
Uncle Anderson will understand. I"m here for him, not for anyone else. Even if they don"t welcome me, it doesn"t matter.
She turns around and moves towards the exit when she hears a familiar voice.
"Melvin?" Samuel asks in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Katrina looks up and sees Melvin swaggering in like he owns the place. From his casual attire to the haughty expression on his face, he looks completely out of place.
Melvin replies, "I heard your father pa.s.sed away, so I"m here."
Samuel doesn"t expect Melvin"s visit. Despite Melvin"s informal attire, he can"t turn him away for paying respects to his deceased father. "Thank you for coming. This way, please."
Melvin takes a look at Carl"s portrait and throws the flowers on top of the pile. The obvious disrespect makes Samuel very angry.
Despite his anger, Samuel says nothing as he seethes in silence. He can"t afford to offend Melvin in any way.
After Melvin turns around, he shoots Samuel a playful expression and whispers in a low voice, "Do you like my gift? Wouldn"t you feel insulted the way I pay respect to your father?"
Samuel is confused. He doesn"t understand Melvin"s words. "What are you talking about? What"s wrong, Melvin?"
Melvin grabs his arm and says with a grim face, "You should"ve expected this when you hired someone to get back at me! Mark my words, I"ll ruin all of you! I won"t let anyone in your family go!"
Samuel"s eyes widen at the revelation. He can"t believe that this man had ill intentions towards them. His nasty words make Samuel furious, but he doesn"t understand why this man was so angry. He never offended him even once.
No wonder Dad died so suddenly! I knew something was strange when he went into critical condition! This b.a.s.t.a.r.d did something to him! This devil must"ve done something to my father!