Being Pursued By Ex-husband

It was very quiet at the funeral parlor, only the sound of the billowing wind could be heard. Rose's nephews and nieces were all held back by Claudius at the hospital, leaving only Sophia and several others at the funeral parlor in the early morning. That was the third time Sophia came face-to-face with death.

As Rose's body was sent into the chamber for cremation, her family members waited outside.

Madeline was the only one sobbing softly in the long and empty hallway.

Sophia turned sideways and took a glance at Claudius. The latter stood still, his gaze fixed ahead, seemingly in a daze. No one knew what was on his mind.

It was a bit chilly, so Sophia decided to hold his hand again.

Just then, Claudius lowered his head and looked at her, asking, "Are you feeling cold?"

Sophia shook her head and said, "Nope."

Then, silence ensued again after a brief conversation between them.

Time ticked by slowly. Forty minutes later, all that was left of Rose was her cremains.

Claudius then took Rose's ashes with him and drove back to her mansion.

When Rose was still alive, she expressed her desire to have a simple funeral. The only thing that she wanted was to be buried with her husband, Jeff.

At that time, almost all of Rose's housekeepers at her mansion had been dismissed. The only one left was Agatha, the lady who traveled with her from Chanaea.

When Agatha saw Claudius carrying an urn home, she rose to her feet and stared at it blankly. After a while, she finally came to her senses and uttered, "Mr. Claudius, please place Mdm. Rose here."

Even though Rose had requested for everything to be kept simple, there was a need to light at least a candle when the ashes of the newly deceased was brought home before the burial ceremony. That was a customary practice in Chanaea.

Thankfully, Agatha had prepared everything, and Rose had had her obituary photo taken two months ago. The black and white photo showed Rose curling her lips into a smile, displaying no hint of sadness on her face.

Claudius placed Rose's urn in front of her photo. Meanwhile, Agatha lit a candle and passed it to him. "Mr. Claudius, please offer your prayers to Mdm. Rose."

Lusterg was still pitch dark at five in the morning. After getting changed, Sophia realized that Claudius was not on the second floor.

She pressed her lips, strode down the stairs immediately, and found him standing perfectly still in front of the altar.

Initially, Sophia wanted to approach him, but she came to a stop at the very last step. In the end, she did not go over to him.

Claudius might not be close to Rose, but she was his biological mother after all. In fact, Rose did not really abandon him.

Unfortunately, fate worked in mysterious ways. Sometimes, an accidental mistake would hurt one more than having the person totally abandoned by his parent. At that moment, Claudius found himself in a dilemma.

If only he had regained his memory, he would keep vigil for Rose.

Soon, the sky above the mansion gradually became brighter past seven in the morning.

It was then that Sophia woke up with a start, only to realize that she was sleeping on her bed.

Last night, she saw Claudius keeping vigil alone for Rose and decided not to disturb him. Instead, she sat by the stairwell and accompanied him quietly.

She had no idea when she fell asleep. She was even more startled to find herself waking up on her bed.

Sophia gave her temple a quick massage and then found her phone, only to realize it was already past eight in the morning.

They were supposed to depart for the cemetery at nine and conduct a ceremony there to have Rose buried alongside Jeff.

Hence, Sophia quickly washed up and got herself ready. By the time she walked out of the room, Agatha had already prepared breakfast.

It was not easy for her to have the chance to eat an authentic Chanaean-style breakfast in Moranta. Yet, not only did Agatha make her oatmeal and beef pie, but there was milk too.

"Good morning, Ms. Yarrow."

"Good morning, Agatha."

Claudius strode down the stairs just after the ladies had exchanged their morning greetings.

He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The stubble on his chin grew even more obvious, whereas his eyes were bloodshot. One would know that he stayed up all night without even having to ask.

Claudius stared at Sophia for a while. "Eat first," he said while walking toward the room.

Fifteen minutes later, he came out clean-shaven. He had also changed into a new suit and looked much better even though his eyes were still bloodshot.

As Rose said before, it was inevitable for all human beings to go through the cycle of life. Though she did not live long, she felt contented spending sixty-two years on earth. Thus, the last thing she ever wanted was for her family to cry as they bade her farewell forever.

Rose was a social butterfly who had many good friends. However, she had indicated her wish to be buried alongside Jeff in a simple way, and there was no need for a grand funeral.

Therefore, her funeral included the basics and nothing more. Madeline only notified Rose's best friends. Everyone present watched the pastor place the ashes of Rose and Jeff together. Subsequently, they closed their eyes and said their final goodbyes. Lastly, the tomb was sealed and the funeral was over.

The entire process took less than thirty minutes. Soon, only Claudius and Sophia were left standing in front of the tombstone that was full of people earlier.

Rose had been a big fan of roses her entire life. Another request she made was to have a bouquet of red roses placed at her tomb.

Right above the scarlet red flowers were the pictures of Rose and Jeff; one was beaming with delight, whereas the other looked gentle and elegant. The fiery red bouquet seemed to represent their intense love for each other, which lasted forever.