Alma narrowed her eyes as she looked at the name on the gravestone.
'Vanya Hayes'
Shortly after, Eric sent a message with the location of the cemetery.
After thanking Eric, Alma put her phone on the bed.
Alma's face turned sad as she remembered something strange that had happened a few months ago. Davin had gone abroad for a week. David said he wanted to visit his younger brother, who rarely came home because he was studying abroad, and at the same time take care of business matters as his company was opening a branch there. But after returning from the northern country, Davin seemed to be constantly gloomy and quiet.
When Alma asked, Davin said he had a lot of work to take care of, and Alma believed him.
Thinking about it, Alma tried to connect the various events that might have happened.
"I'd better ask Billy, wasn't he the one who went with Davin to the northern country?"
Alma immediately called Billy, hoping that he could give her some information about the mystery of Vanya's death.
"Hello, what's up, Mrs. Alma?"
Billy's voice on the other end sounded a little nervous. He seemed surprised to receive a call from Alma.
"There's something I want to ask you, Billy."
"It's about the late Vanya, Davin's sister. Can you tell me anything about the cause of Vanya's death?"
Billy was stunned to hear his boss's wife's question, his throat suddenly feeling dry.
"Ma'am, I'm confused about how to explain this because it's confidential and concerns Mr. Davin's interests."
Alma sighed deeply, she had expected that Billy would not give her an answer so easily.
"At least give me a hint, even if it's just a little, Billy."
Alma continued to press him in a soft and pleading tone, making Billy feel sorry for her as he heard her begging voice.
"I know this will be difficult for you, but I have no other choice."
"Davin won't say anything. My father just had surgery and is still unconscious. Now my family's condition has deteriorated to this point. All clues are untraceable. Even if I die, I just want to die in peace. That's better than being tortured by him day and night."
Her voice was full of despair, and that was exactly what was happening. Alma was very frustrated.
"Ma'am, Mr. Davin forbade me from discussing this matter, so we don't know much either."
Billy seemed to realize that Alma would continue to beg him, so he immediately wrote down a series of clues in the form of addresses, which he sent via WhatsApp message.
"Ma'am, we've known each other for a long time and are friends. I can only help you this far."
Billy immediately ended the call with Alma. He saw Davin waving at him from a distance.
"I hope nothing happens to Mrs. Alma. All I know is that Mr. Davin started to change when he went abroad and identified the body," Billy muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Alma was stunned to read the message Billy sent. Apparently, the location of the funeral was the same as the one Eric had informed her about.
It was almost noon and Alma had arrived at the cemetery. It was a luxurious family cemetery where the people buried there were rich and influential, including Liana, Davin's grandmother. Alma bought Liana's favorite frangipani flowers.
A few moments later, Alma found a new grave surrounded by plumeria trees that were already in bloom and would soon be in full bloom.
The cold tombstone was engraved with a name Alma was familiar with, "The Grave of Vanya Hayes."
She knew that Davin loved his sister very much. But since Davin returned from abroad, he had made his sister a taboo subject.
Alma crouched down and looked at the photo on the gravestone. It seemed to be a photo of Vanya when she was a teenager, around 15 years old, her face still bright and cute.
Alma then placed the frangipani flowers she had originally bought for Liana, knelt in front of Vanya's gravestone, and said.
"Vanya, my name is Alma. If you were still alive, you would call me your sister-in-law. Oh no, I don't know how long my marriage to your brother will last. I'm sorry I had to meet you this way. I'm sure I'll find the real person who killed you..."
Alma didn't realize that on the way to the cemetery, Davin was in the car with a bouquet of flowers, intending to visit his sister's grave.
Liana's grave was not far from there. Liana's photo looked friendly and loving, her smile unchanged from before.
Alma swept away some dust from the gravestone, cleaning it with a small handkerchief, then said.
"Grandma, I've come to visit you now that winter has come again. I remember you used to make me red ginger soup to ward off the cold. But now, even the taste of that soup no longer means anything to me."
Feeling a bit tired after standing for too long, she sat down beside the tombstone. Alma treated Liana as if she were still alive and reminisced.
"Davin and I just got married, but he's changed. He's not the person I used to know. He always said he would protect me from storms and rain."
"But now all the storms I face are storms brought by him. If Grandma were still alive, she would never let him treat me like this."
Alma forced a smile and said, "Grandma, it seems Davin married me not out of love, but out of revenge against me and my family. Grandma once said that if he dared to oppress me, she would crawl out of her coffin and blow his head off even though she was already dead."
"I now feel that life is no longer as beautiful as it used to be. Maybe I just want to die. How about we blow his head off together?"
"Grandma, I miss you!"
Alma kept rambling without realizing there was a tall, large shadow standing behind her, but the sound of a broken branch being stepped on snapped her out of her reverie.
Alma looked up and was startled to see that Davin was standing behind her. The man's gaze was cold, and his face exuded a dark, terrifying aura.
Suddenly, Alma felt extremely dizzy and her head spun, almost causing her to fall forward onto Davin's grandmother's grave.
"What are you doing here, trying to cause trouble or looking for a new problem with me?!"
"You have no right to come here and visit Vanya's grave."
Apparently, Davin had been watching what his wife was doing.
"If you want to cause a commotion here, believe it or not, I will have someone pull out Riky's oxygen tube."
Davin's heavy and intimidating voice sounded like thunder in Alma's ears. Alma turned and looked at her husband's expressionless face, which showed no sign of guilt.
Alma tried to stand up and walk towards Davin.
"You've really changed, Davin."
Alma couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Alma's hands clutched Davin's clothes tightly, her tears soaking Davin's shirt. He had clearly said that he would never let Alma cry again, but now he was clearly the reason Alma was crying.
"I just want to pray in front of your sister's grave because you never told me clearly what happened. Her letter gave me the chance to prove that my sister was innocent."
Davin snorted in annoyance, but he let Alma's arms continue to hold his shirt, a pang of sadness in Davin's heart as he saw Alma's haggard and puffy face. But after remembering Vanya's pitiful condition when he found her, Davin's heart hardened again.
Davin pushed Alma's body hard, causing the girl to stagger backwards. Alma felt so dizzy that she wanted to vomit. She crouched down and held her head.
Davin narrowed his eyes, surprised by Alma's behavior.
"Don't act in front of me, Alma. I know you're a girl with a strong physique. Haven't you always exercised and practiced martial arts?"
"Now, get out of here quickly, or my bodyguards will drag you away, Alma!"
Alma forced herself to get up. Her vision was blurry, and she was about to take a step when her cell phone rang.
It was a call from the hospital asking for payment for Alma's father's medical expenses, because the surgery was about to begin.
Alma hung up the phone with a worried look on her face. She couldn't help but look at Davin's face and hope that she could ask for his help.
"Davin, please lend me the money to pay for my father's medical bills. I promise I'll try to pay you back."
Davin smirked coldly, seeming to enjoy all the difficulties Alma was facing, whether it was her sadness or her anxiety.