The sound was too loud and woke up Aria. She walked out wearing a thin nightgown, her silhouette barely visible through the fabric. Elias couldn't take his eyes off her.
So he ignored the knocking at the door and carried Aria back to the bedroom. A while later, they both emerged freshly washed and dressed. Only then did he have time to ask me about the situation.
"Aria, did Melody say anything when she left yesterday?"
Aria tensed up slightly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. But she had rehearsed the lie a thousand times, so she replied with a straight face, "Melody seemed pretty upset. She kept muttering that you were a heartless jerk and that she'd never come back."
As soon as she finished speaking, Elias slammed his fist into the wall. "Looks like the fridge wasn't cold enough to knock some sense into Melody's head."
"If she's got any guts, she'll stay gone for good. But if she dares show her face here again, she'll see what's coming to her."
He spoke through gritted teeth, a far cry from the emotionless demeanor I'd known for the past five years. Now he was so animated, and terrifying!
I stared at the Elias before me, feeling like I hardly knew him. Once upon a time, when he'd stood up for me, he'd seemed like a hero bathed in sunlight. Now, he was more like a rat in the gutter.Elias claimed he didn't believe the ashes were mine, but he was clearly distracted all day. I couldn't tell if he hoped I was dead or alive.
Three days after my disappearance, Elias finally couldn't sit still any longer. He grabbed his jacket from the couch and said to Aria, "Aria, I'm going out for a bit."
Then he drove straight to the crematorium.
When he arrived, Elias was shocked as soon as he entered. From the main entrance to his office, everyone was looking at him with sympathetic eyes.
Finally back in his office with the door closed, Elias let out a long sigh of relief. He vented to Chase, "You have no idea how they were looking at me. I've told them the deceased isn't Melody, but they refuse to believe me."
To his surprise, he found Chase looking at him with the same sympathy.
Elias got angry.
"Chase, I can understand the others making a fuss over nothing, but why are you acting like this too?"
"Don't they know what you don't know? Aria already said Melody is fine at home. If you keep this up, I'm going to get mad."
In the ten years I've known Elias, five of which we've been married, I've never heard him talk so much at once. This was the first time. He probably didn't even notice that his tone was becoming increasingly frantic.Chase approached him, patting his shoulder with a heavy tone. "Elias, don't be like this. I know you're hurting, but you need to pull yourself together. There are still arrangements to be made for your wife's funeral."
"Shut up!"
Elias shoved Chase's hand away, his voice stern. "Don't think that just because we're friends, you can spout nonsense. This joke isn't funny at all."
"Every body sent to the crematorium passes through your hands and mine. But have you seen Melody's body during this time? You're claiming she's dead without any proof."
Seeing Elias so stubborn, Chase got a bit angry too. He covered his face, reminding Elias, "Do you remember that body from that night? The one you said looked familiar."
Elias sank into memories as Chase dropped another bombshell.
"At the time, you said your wife was at home, so I thought it was just a coincidence. But after the cremation, they found that charm."
"Your wife always brought that charm when she came here. She said it was to keep you safe. Everyone in our department knows about it..."