Selene and Harper were out for the whole night.
Carter opened the bedroom door only to see the empty living room the next day.
The phone in his hand vibrated just then. When be unlocked it, a message from Selene popped up on the screen.
“Honey, I have to attend a meeting at work. So, I left home early. I’m dropping Harper at the kindergarten too. Breakfast is on the table. Remember to eat it.”
Carter didn’t try to point out the flaws in Selene’s poor acting and excuses. He merely replied with an “OK” before heading out. He had no time to go along with this pretense since he had things to do.
He took a cab to a crematorium to make a reservation. While the staff member was registering the relevant information on a computer, she asked him who the reservation was for.
Carter replied flatly, “Me.”
The staff member stopped typing and glanced at him sympathetically..
“He’s so young. What a shame… Does he have some kind of incurable disease?” she wondered.
Carter ignored her gaze and continued, “Please come over to Villa No. 9 at Crescent Bay on the 22nd of October and transport my body here for the cremation.”
The staff member looked at Carter in shock. She couldn’t understand how the man knew precisely the exact time of his death.
“How do
you prefer we proceed with the ashes, then? Should we call and inform your family or
Carter shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. Once you’ve cremated my body, I’ll pay extra. to scatter my ashes into the river or the sea.
When it was time for him to leave this world, Carter’s soul would be extracted, and the body he had in this world would die. However, he wanted to wipe out his existence entirely. He didn’t want to give Selene and Harper a place or memento they could remember him by.
After settling the payment, Carter took his phone and left the building. Soon enough, he spotted three people sitting somewhere in the distance.
Selene had her arm around Adrian’s shoulders as she comforted him. Meanwhile, the thoughtful Harper was wiping Adrian’s tears with a handkerchief.
The three of them looked like a tight–knit family. If only Carter hadn’t called out to them….
“What are you guys doing here?”
Both Selene and Harper were flustered when they saw him.
Selene immediately pulled away from Adrian while Harper followed Selene and stood with her back straight. The two of them kept their distance from Adrian almost instantly.
Carter walked up to them and gazed at Selene. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
Then, he lowered his head and glanced at Harper “Shouldn’t you be at the kindergarten?”
Selene hurried toward him. She sounded a little anxious. “Carter, I hope you won’t misunderstand, While I was taking Harper to the kindergarten, I saw Adrian crying miserably by the sidewalk.
“We asked him and found out that he had just lost a close family member. I brought him to the crematorium since he was devastated and didn’t know what to do. We were just consoling
him.”
Harper walked over and tugged at his shirt. She explained with a crestfallen look on her face,” That’s right, Daddy. Mommy took Uncle Adrian here because she pitied him. Please don’t be mad, Daddy.”
Adrian had stopped crying. He looked at Carter a little nervously and came forward to apologize.
“It was my fault, Mr. Grant. I shouldn’t have interfered with Ms. Selene’s work and Ms. Harper’s studies. I was devastated by the passing of a loved one. They were just trying to console me earlier. I hope you’re not upset.”
His explanation was sound and reasonable. Yet, just as Adrian finished saying that, a staff member carrying a small urn went up to him.
“Mr. Jennings, we’ve finished collecting your pet dog’s ashes.”
Carter glanced at the urn and asked, “That’s the close family member you mentioned earlier?”
Adrian tightened his grip on the urn that he had received from the staff. The expression on his face turned a little stiff.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Selene spoke before he did. “Carter, Adrian had the dog for over ten years. It’s just like family to him.”
Carter merely looked at Selene for a while without saying anything.
After they had the urn buried in a plot of land within the cemetery, the four of them got in the car and headed to a restaurant for lunch.
Halfway through the journey, Selene finally thought of something and looked at Carter, who sat beside her.
“Carter, why were you at the crematorium today
“You’ve finally thought about asking that now?” Carter snickered inwardly.
He turned his eyes toward Adrian, who sat in front. “My friend’s dog died too,” he said calmly. “She couldn’t stop crying, so I had to come in her stead.”
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