My finger hovered over the 'end call' button for a long while, yet it never quite fell. In the end, I still answered the phone.
"What are you doing?" August demanded bluntly.
"Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Why didn't you reply to my messages? What trick are you trying to pull now?"
He was used to me being available 24/7—instantly replying, instantly answering, always on call. That was why this single abnormality prompted him to call me and demand an explanation. Still, I had no time for him now.
I stared at the slowly closing incinerator, unable to hold back my sobs.
"Eleanor, what's wrong?" August's tone was urgent. "Speak!"
Right at that moment, a staff member pressed the ignition button. Flames leaped up, instantly engulfing the small body.
Simultaneously, Wanda's excited shriek came through from the other end of the phone. "She gave birth! August, Bella gave birth!"
The next second, the call was ruthlessly disconnected.
Not long after, August posted a rare update. The accompanying picture was of a puppy wearing a longevity lock. [A new life has arrived. Hope you like this gift.]
I stared at the message, speechless for a long time.
While my child was being cremated, he was accompanying Wanda, welcoming a new life. He prepared a longevity lock for her dog, yet he never once thought to give our own child a name.
Actually, I felt no anger or pain as I had imagined. Five years of hardship had long since exhausted all my expectations of him.
When I returned home carrying the small urn of ashes, August was already back. He sat on the sofa without looking up. "Where did you go?"
"The crematorium," I said hoarsely.
That man quickly frowned and stood up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He had clearly misunderstood, thinking it was my mother who was being cremated today. But I didn't explain, my gaze falling on the suitcase beside the sofa.
August noticed my gaze and suddenly became somewhat uneasy. "Wanda just had her nails done and isn't feeling well, so I brought her and the puppy over. Could you help look after them?"
A wave of pent-up exhaustion washed over me.
Just as I was about to refuse, the nursery door suddenly opened. Wanda came out carrying a small white puppy. "The little guy's sleeping so soundly in there!"
She stopped beside August, acting every inch the lady of the house.
I stared at August and asked, "You let her dog stay in the nursery?"
His eyes shifted away momentarily. "Well, since the baby is over at Grandma's place, the room was just sitting empty anyway."
I watched him in silence for a while. In the end, I uttered only one word: "Whatever."
August pursed her lips. "Bella's baby was born just a few days apart from that child. They can grow up together."
Unfortunately, my child would not have the chance to grow up.
Just then, Bella suddenly barked wildly at me.
"Oh dear!" Wanda looked at August in a panic. "Bella never barks without reason! It's the most sensitive dog. Dr. Yager must have brought back something dirty from the crematorium and scared her!"
My heart suddenly clenched and I instinctively hugged the urn tighter.
"Dr. Yager!" Wanda suddenly knelt. "I know you're very unhappy about me staying here without your permission and I know you hate me because August favors me. But Bella is like family to me. Please, let her go!"
"Wanda!" August immediately pulled her up, turning to glare at me. "Eleanor, how could you be so vicious?"
I looked at them coldly, finding it all absurd. "I didn't even know she would move in. How could I harm her dog?"
August sneered, "Then what are you holding in your hand?"
