Chapter 9

Vanessa trembled violently and immediately crouched down to pick up the ashes. Just then, the water sprinkler beside her turned on. A stream of water gushed out, flushing the scattered soil away. "No!" Vanessa tried desperately to scoop it up. She grabbed at the soil again and again, but the white powder mixed with water slipped through her fingers, disappearing into the soil along with her tears. And just like that, her mother's ashes were gone. "You—!" Vanessa glared at Tabitha with burning fury. She stood up and was about to strangle Tabitha when her hand was suddenly yanked back. It was Baxter. He held onto her wrist and snapped, "You just got back, and you're already acting crazy?" But Vanessa couldn't hear a word he was saying. All she wanted to do was tear Tabitha apart, to bring justice for Sonya. But the difference in strength was too great. Eyes blazing with fury, she shouted at Baxter, "Let go of me!" She looked hysterical and unhinged. Baxter had never seen Vanessa like this before. He couldn't help but turn to Tabitha, eyes filled with confusion as he asked her what happened. "I-I don't know either," Tabitha stammered, looking startled. "I just wanted to move the flowers into the greenhouse before heading out. But as soon as Vanessa came in, she shoved me, causing me to accidentally drop the pot. I guess she got upset because I touched her plants." With just a few words, she had shifted the blame to Vanessa. Baxter instantly flew into a rage. He shoved Vanessa to the ground and looked down at her with contempt. "It's just a pot of flowers. Did you really have to go crazy over it? Looks like last time wasn't enough for you." It was just a pot of flowers? Vanessa's face turned pale, and her lips twisted into a bitter smile. The thought of her being the reason that Sonya suffered and still unable to find peace even in death tore her apart. The pain was like a vice grip on her heart, suffocating her. She fell to the ground and broke down in tears. Seeing this, Baxter felt an inexplicable ache rise in his chest. For a moment, he had the urge to go over and comfort her. But the next second, Tabitha's words snapped him out of it. "Forget it, Baxter," Tabitha said gently, still putting on her kind and understanding act. "Vanessa's probably just tired, so it's understandable for her to lose her temper. I won't hold it against her. We're running late anyway. Let's head to the exhibition and give her some space to cool off." Baxter had nothing more to say after that. He simply sighed as he looked at Vanessa on the ground and. For once, softened his tone as he spoke to her, "Stop crying and go back to your room. Take a shower and get some rest. Tabby and I are heading to the gallery for a bit. I'll bring you that strawberry cake you like when I get back." With that, he left the villa with Tabitha. Did he seriously think she was going to wait for him to get back? No, she wasn't waiting anymore, not every again. Vanessa let out a cold laugh and wiped the tears on her cheek. Then, she shakily stood up and walked into the living room. When she found her phone, there were a few WhatsApp messages from the company that she bought the realistic corpse model from, asking for the delivery address. She immediately sent the address. Then, she returned to her bedroom and took a shower. When the corpse model arrived, she shut off all the surveillance cameras and carried it to the greenhouse. The greenhouse was something Baxter had built just for her. They had once promised to spend time there for a lifetime, and even agreed to be buried together in this very place. But he had probably forgotten all of that by now. Thus, she would "die" here, so that he would remember her forever. Vanessa took one final, parting look before pouring gasoline over every inch of the flower beds. As she walked out, she tossed the lighter behind her. In an instant, flames engulfed the greenhouse, and she disappeared in the blaze. "Goodbye, Baxter."