On the nearby beach, a body wrapped in white cloth lay exposed.
Liam looked at his friend, whose face was pallid. He patted Evan on the shoulder, saying, "Don't be too hard on yourself."
Evan seemed unaware of Liam’s presence as he walked towards the body, each step labored. The short distance seemed to stretch on forever.
Evan had never imagined that he would feel the fear of Avery being missing from his life .But now, it overwhelmed him, making him difficult to breathe. Each minute tormented him.
He crouched next to the body, a foul stench hitting him, repelling most but drawing him closer, eager to see her face.
His hand, trembling, reached out and touched the white cloth.
Lifting the cloth revealed a swollen, unrecognizable body, still bearing some resemblance to Avery, including burns.
Evan felt as though an invisible hand were strangling him. His legs failed, and he collapsed onto the sand.
He embraced the decaying body, his whole body shaking, his face ghastly pale. He murmured, "Avery, Avery, Avery..." as tears streamed down his face.
No one could replace Avery, the woman who had loved him wholeheartedly, who had been as radiant as the midday sun in his life.
She was gone from this world, brutally ripped from his life.
Liam wanted to intervene in his friend’s madness, but seeing Evan's tears, he couldn't move. This was the first time he had seen his friend cry.
Evan, insane with grief, held the rotting body and sat on the beach for days, talking endlessly to it, ignoring hunger and thirst. No one could sway him.
After three days and nights, his body could no longer cope, and he collapsed.Later he was sent to the hospital.
In the hospital bed, Evan's sunburned face suddenly snapped open his eyes. His intense gaze startled the nurse, causing her to miss her mark.
Evan ignored the nurse and looked urgently at Liam. "Where is she? Where’s Avery?"
Liam stood, approached the bed, and looked at Evan with a complex expression.
The phone on the table rang. Evan ignored Liam, picked it up, and answered.
Rage filled his pale face. He threw off the blankets, got out of bed, and bolted outside in his hospital gown.
Despite the pouring rain, he seemed oblivious, running down the street in his hospital attire.
"Mr. Foster..."
The police officers at the station entrance were taken aback by the sight of the drenched, disheveled Mr. Foster. Was this the same prominent businessman they knew?
Evan grabbed one of the officers. "Where is my wife?"
A person? Not a corpse? The officer, intimidated by Mr. Foster’s bloodshot eyes and throbbing veins, his wounds turning white from the rain, looked terrified. Trembling, he managed to say, "Your wife... has been... cremated."
"Who gave you the right to do that!" Evan roared, grabbing the officer's collar and shouting, "Who dared touch her?"
In that moment, Evan resembled a wild beast, radiating a dangerous aura.
"It was I who ordered it," came an elderly voice from behind the officers.
