The unwanted wife’s unexpected comeback

Chapter 1129:

At that moment, the sound of a key turning in the door echoed through the room. Scarlette’s eyes brightened, and she immediately began crawling toward the door, knowing her father was home. Caden entered and scooped Scarlette up with a smile.

Alicia walked over, pretending to complain. “Scarlette’s become a little rascal. Look at the mess she’s made of the house.”

Caden chuckled, pressing a kiss to Scarlette’s cheek. “I’ll take the afternoon off to stay home with both of you.”

He went to wash his hands, but Alicia noticed something was off. He seemed distracted, using the wrong towel to dry his hands.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Alicia asked, concern creeping into her voice. “Why do you look so upset?”

Caden hesitated, meeting her gaze before responding slowly, “I got a call from Corey’s lawyer today. Apparently, Corey made a will last month. All of his clean assets… They’re for you.”

The word “will” caused Alicia’s heart to skip a beat. She looked closely at Caden, trying to read his face. “Corey’s always been impulsive. You shouldn’t read too much into it,” she said, trying to ease the tension.

But Caden’s gaze darkened, and he sighed deeply. “There’s more.” He paused for a moment before finally speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. “Alicia… Corey’s dead.”

Every journey starts at gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․c𝗈𝗆

On the day of Gemma’s funeral, Corey had entrusted Alicia with a simple yet somber request: to bury him quietly after his death.

Corey acknowledged that he had committed countless wrongs in his life, and a grand funeral felt undeserved. His only wish was for his ashes to be scattered somewhere after cremation. At the time, Alicia had brushed off his words as an emotional outburst, a fleeting moment of grief. He was only in his thirties—how could a man who had worked so hard to build his career suddenly let it all go?

But when Alicia saw Corey’s lifeless body, she realized he had longed for death for some time. He looked like a shadow of the man he once was. His body was gaunt, his face hollow and sunken, almost unrecognizable. The once-dignified man, who had cared so deeply about appearances, now lay in wrinkled clothes, his face unshaven and rugged. Needle marks marred his arms, darkened by bruises from severe malnutrition.

Corey’s fists were tightly clenched, stiff with rigor mortis. It took some effort to pry them open, and when they did, a small photograph was found crumpled in his palm. It was a two-inch picture of a younger Corey and Gemma, their faces shy but hopeful, their bright eyes radiating joy and dreams of a better future.

It was taken the year they left the orphanage—the year Corey had made a promise to himself: to rise above their circumstances, to cure Gemma’s illness, and to make her the happiest woman in the world. Now, Alicia wondered if Corey had ever received the forgiveness he sought from Gemma.

Alicia’s eyelashes fluttered as she fought back the bitterness swelling in her chest. She whispered, “Let Corey keep it. Let him take it with him.” Corey had always blamed himself for not being a good brother, saying he didn’t want to meet Gemma in the next life. But Alicia knew better. Corey could never let go of Gemma, not even in death.

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