Christian refused to believe Minnie was dead. He used every connection he had, desperately searching for any trace of her and me. Unexpectedly, luck was on his side. Someone claimed to have seen me board a plane, and he followed that lead straight to Eloise.
“Hand over Rachel and my daughter!” he demanded the moment he saw her. “Is this some kind of sick game? Do you think I won’t fight for Minnie’s custody just because I thought she was dead? How ridiculous!”
Eloise stared at him, utterly speechless. “You’re such a fool!” She threw a stack of papers at him. “That’s the cremation certificate from the crematorium, along with their death certificates! If you think I faked these, then I have nothing else to say. Rachel and Minnie are gone. Dead. And you? You were never fit to be a husband or a father! Now you show up, demanding answers? Where the hell were you before? Burying yourself in sh*t? I never understood why Rachel divorced you, but now I do.
Even in death, being tied to you is disgusting!”
Christian stood frozen, his brain struggling to process the words. ‘They’re dead?‘
Eloise disappeared into another room and returned with two small urns. “These are the ones you’re looking for. Say whatever you
need to say.”
Christian lunged forward, reaching for them, but Eloise yanked them back, her grip tight. “Christian, listen carefully. I’m already betraying Rachel’s last wishes by bringing them to you. How dare you try to take them? Do you even know what her final words to
me were?”
His voice was hoarse. “What did she say?”
Eloise’s eyes burned with fury. “Rachel said meeting you was the worst mistake of her life. If she had a second chance, she’d pray
never to meet you again.”
Christian flinched. Eloise wasn’t done.
“I never approved of her marrying you. From the moment you two started dating, I knew you weren’t serious about her. But Rachel was stubborn. Once she made a decision, she stuck with it. I thought, at worst, she’d be heartbroken. That she’d just learn a painful lesson. Never did I think she’d lose her life because of you.”
Christian grabbed Eloise’s arm, his eyes pleading. “Don’t lie to me! She was fine half a month ago! Everything you’re saying… it’s
all a lie, isn’t it?”
Eloise yanked herself free, her patience gone. “Get lost! Pretend everything I said was nonsense! Go look for them yourself. I’d love to see how you plan to bring two dead people back to life!” She laughed coldly. “If you are that good and can bring Rachel
back, I’ll even thank you.”
Later, Eloise took my ashes and Minnie’s to the ocean and scattered them in the water. As the waves carried us away, I felt at peace. It was what I had written in my will–I wanted to be free, to let the sea take me to every corner of the world.
