I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

The next day, Audrey took Grandma Sterling to the cemetery. They bought flowers from a roadside shop and took a taxi there. The cemetery was usually deserted, with almost no one around.

It was Grandma Sterling’s first time standing before the tombstone. When Audrey said, “This is it,” the old lady choked up before she could speak, tears streaming down her face. “Meredith, Meredith,” she cried, unable to suppress her grief any longer, trembling as she clung to the tombstone.

Audrey worried about Grandma Sterling’s health and tried to comfort her, “Grandma, don’t cry. If Meredith knew you were this sad and hurt yourself, she wouldn’t be at peace.”

“Meredith, why is heaven so cruel? Meredith was so young. Why didn’t it take my life instead?” Grandma Sterling was heartbroken and couldn’t forgive herself, feeling that life was unfair.

Seeing the tombstone made her sorrow uncontrollable. It took a long time for her emotions to settle down. Audrey helped Grandma Sterling sit by the tombstone; the old lady refused to leave, wanting to spend more time with her granddaughter-in-law.

“Grandma, if you are this heartbroken and in pain, how much more would he be if he knew?” Audrey said, deeply concerned about Terrence’s feelings for Meredith.

Wiping her tears, Grandma Sterling replied, “Yes, how could Terry accept this?”

She looked at the nameless tombstone and felt even more guilty. This was their family’s granddaughter-in-law buried in a foreign land without even a proper inscription.

“Audrey,” Grandma Sterling said, “I want to move Meredith’s grave. I want to bring her ashes back to Auroraville. That’s where she grew up; that’s her home.”

“Of course,” Audrey agreed. “Grandma, you can move the grave anytime you want. I also hope Meredith’s ashes can return to Auroraville. We believe in returning to one’s roots; it’s too cruel for Meredith to die in a foreign land.”

“Thank you,” Grandma Sterling said, holding Audrey’s hand. She had always wished Audrey were Meredith.

Moving the grave would take time, so Grandma Sterling needed to stay here for a few more days. After nearly two hours at the cemetery, she finally agreed to leave. As they departed, she touched the tombstone and said, “Meredith, Grandma is going back now. Once everything is arranged, I’ll take you home. Don’t worry about Rowan; he’s doing well. I’m sorry for everything; our family owes too much to yours.”

Her voice choked up again as she spoke.

Grandma Sterling loved Meredith not just because she was her granddaughter-in-law but also because she was the descendant of someone she loved dearly-Meredith was Grandpa Chaucer’s granddaughter.

Seeing that all of her loved one’s descendants were gone left Grandma Sterling deeply saddened. Now only Chloe remained from the Chaucer family, but she was in a vegetative state; Joy had been executed by firing squad; Bianca had been murdered; and Meredith had died in an accident.

Thinking of this made Grandma Sterling’s heart ache even more.

“Grandma, let’s go home,” Audrey urged gently as she supported her.

On the way back, Grandma Sterling seemed listless and sickly. She didn’t say a word and occasionally shed tears thinking about Meredith.

Once home, Audrey urged the old lady to rest immediately, fearing any mishap.

Meanwhile…

Selene and Harvey had also arrived at Blue Ridge. Selene didn’t go directly to the Flack family’s residence; she had gathered information beforehand and went straight to their neighbor’s house instead.

Investigating from an outsider’s perspective often yields more genuine insights.

Selene didn’t recklessly approach the neighbor but posed as a community worker gathering information while bringing a bag of rice and a barrel of oil as gifts.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

The neighbor was a middle-aged man living alone who made his living by fishing.

Harvey was new at this kind of work and remained silent, acting as Selene’s assistant while she calmly engaged the man in conversation.

“How long have you lived here?” Selene asked. “Do you have any suggestions or needs? Feel free to share them with us.”

“I’ve been here for almost five years,” the man replied with a smile. “The city government is really good now, caring so much about us common folks. I don’t have any suggestions; everything is fine.”

Selene then steered the conversation towards her real purpose: “By the way, do you know where your neighbors went? I knocked on their door earlier but no one answered. How many people live there?”

“You mean Spencer’s family? Spencer can go out to sea now. There are just two people in his family left-him and his daughter-I haven’t seen his daughter for over half a year,” the man said. “His daughter used to rarely go out and was often hospitalized due to heart problems. Their financial situation is tough; otherwise, Spencer wouldn’t work so hard to earn money. Last year he even borrowed several thousand dollars from me for his daughter’s surgery.”

Hearing this news, Harvey and Selene exchanged glances.