Mourning

The woman couldn't hear the last words, as she collapsed to the ground.

After a few failed attempts to contact his friend, Lu Ye Ze, grabbed his coat and went out the door. He planned to go to his apartment and look for him. When he passed by the emergency room, he noticed from the corner of his eye, a pale man sitting on the cold floor, holding a woman's fur coat in his arms. He was Pei Yaohua, Lightian's father.

Lu Ye Ze's face had a deep frown, the dark circles around his eyes, were now part of his aesthetic. He approached the man slowly.

"Uncle?" He called.

The man didn't manage to reply, as the doctor came out of the operating theatre, with his face mask on and in full protective gear.

"Mr. Pei, we are very sorry, we have tried our best!". Said the doctor with sorrow in his voice.

The man, who was still sitting on the floor, looked up at the doctor with a pair of desperate eyes. His news was another blow to his heart. In a matter of minutes, he had lost his family, his dear son and his beloved wife. He didn't know how to react. His head was spinning, while his chest constricted so tight, that he could barely breathe. The knot in his neck didn't allow him to scream out his pain. He started chocking severely. A nurse helped him with a glass of water.

Lu Ye Ze was unable to move or say anything. The sudden chain of events, had left him speechless.

The news of the three deaths spread very fast. The Lu's and the Pei's were in mourning. The funeral for the women was held the second morning, while Pei Lightian's was delayed, as his body had to be retrieved from Sweden.

Lu Ye Ze, moved back at Hebei's Garden Estate, at the request of his mother. This move provided a very good opportunity for Ele to get close to her target. The stupid act of that silly dead girl, saved her from a lot of thinking and planning on how to repair her ties, with her future mother in law.

Although the man had always avoided her, she still managed to stay around him and his family. Lin Yan was in tremendous pain and her mind was cloudy. The loss of her daughter, made her forget about the previous events, so she didn't pay much attention to Ele's constant presence in her house. In fact her sight was somehow comforting, as the two girls were of the same age and similar build.

It was evening and after Ele accompanied the mourning Lin Yan the whole afternoon, she lead the tiered woman to her bedroom to rest. Today she came prepared. The young girl rushed into a guest bedroom and changed. Lu Ye Ze, had just returned from the office and was taking a shower.

Ele opened his bedroom door and tiptoed inside. She could hear the water running in the bathroom, so she removed her silk robe and prepared to go inside, but with the corner of her eye, she noticed, that his phone was flashing on the nightstand.

The flashing stopped as she approached it, but soon after a text came in. It was from Ri-El.

"Ye Ze, I have heard the news of your sister passing away. I am deeply and sincerely sorry. She will still be loved and cared for. If you need me, please let me know".

When Ele read her text, her face suddenly darkened. She deleted the text and her latest calls, then she went to the contact information and blocked her number. He had a Samsung S9 and you couldn't notice if a number is blocked at first sight.

Ele, placed the phone back on the nightstand in the same position and then entered the bathroom.