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Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand
Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand
作者: Linkon Sand

Chapter 1

作者: Linkon Sand
I, Joshua Smith, went rigid as I read those words flickering before my eyes.

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through my abdomen. It was the memory of being poisoned in my previous life, so vivid it felt as though it had just happened.

Talia Ford, my wife, saw me frozen and snapped impatiently, "Joshua, move! Get out of my way! I need to go to the hospital with Uncle Adam!"

I stared at her face, my emotions tangled beyond sorting out.

Would she really end up hating me because of Adam Ford's death? Would she hate me enough to poison me?

Talia and I had worked together at a volcano research institute for years. Day after day, side by side, we had gradually fallen in love.

But she later confessed that ever since she was young, she had been drawn to her frail, sickly uncle, Adam.

Adam was Richard Ford's adopted son, and Richard, Talia's grandfather, had made it clear that any romantic connection between them was off-limits.

Talia never dared to bring it up again, yet her feelings for Adam still went beyond family but fell short of love.

Because of that, she could never fully commit herself to our relationship.

I loved Talia deeply. I was still willing to marry her, doing everything I could for her and hoping my sincerity would earn her heart.

Not long after, she shockingly let Adam move into our home.

She even arranged for him to stay in the master bedroom and told me to move into the guest room, all because Adam was frail and required round-the-clock care.

I could only comfort myself that no matter what, they were just family.

…

"Are you even listening to me?" Talia's shrill voice cut through my thoughts.

I snapped back to reality and quickly turned on my computer.

I pulled up the volcanic eruption forecast, printed it out, and handed it to her. "Canlis Mountain will erupt tonight at midnight at a level-four intensity. The mountain is right next to Bareyard Village!"

Talia took the report, skimmed it carelessly, and then ripped it to shreds.

She slapped me hard across the face, making my cheek burn instantly. "All you care about is rushing to get our marriage certificate! Just to stop me from going to the hospital with Uncle Adam, you'd even make up a lie about a dead volcano reawakening?

"That volcano near Bareyard Village hasn't been active for thousands of years, and now you're telling me it'll erupt tonight? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

I swallowed the anger surging in my chest and explained as calmly as I could, "I'm not lying. Seismic activity beneath Canlis Mountain has intensified recently. Even a dormant volcano can reactivate—"

She cut me off with a cold laugh, her eyes full of contempt. She said, "Your data is all fake! I have to go to the hospital with Uncle Adam! If you keep spouting nonsense, we're breaking up!"

With that, she took my car and drove off unhesitatingly.
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  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 8

    The court sentenced Talia to death for murder, ruling that her murder was deliberate and carried out with extreme cruelty.I didn't attend the trial. I had no desire to see her again.The lawyer later told me she'd remained eerily calm throughout. Only during her final statement did she mention Richard and me. She said she wished time could turn back, back to the night before the volcano erupted."There's no such thing as a second chance," I said coolly to the lawyer. "Her choices led her here."A few days later, the prison contacted me. They said I could see Talia one last time.I refused—until they told me it was her dying request.I ended up agreeing.Maybe it was some twisted mix of curiosity and guilt, but I wanted to know what she might say at the very end of her life.Thick glass separated us in the visitation room. Talia sat across from me, pale, hollow-eyed, and thinner than I remembered.She looked at me, lips moving, but no words came out."Why did you ask to see m

  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 7

    Before I left, I reminded Talia, "Don’t forget to finalize the paperwork."Talia's wails followed me across the cemetery, raw and uncontrollable. I didn't look back.Richard's death and the disaster in Bareyard Village made me realize that some people were beyond saving.…Back in the city, I threw myself into work.The promotion came with crushing responsibility and endless pressure, but it was also the only way I could keep myself numb. The research institute became my refuge. Data sets, simulations, and predictive models—numbers were easier to face than memory.I worked late every night, and my colleagues acknowledged my dedication. What they didn't know was that I was afraid to go home, afraid of the silence, and afraid that the image of Richard's charred body would surface the moment I was alone.One night, exhausted to the bone, I arrived home—and froze.Talia was sprawled on my couch.She looked terrible. Her cheeks were hollow, her eyes swollen—the kind of exhaustion t

  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 6

    Adam clutched his face, incredulous. "Have you gone mad? How is this my fault? It's Joshua—"He pointed at me, but Talia cut him off with a sharp shout, "Shut up! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have missed those calls! I'll never forgive you!"With that, she stormed out, leaving Adam frozen and speechless.Later on, a call from Vincent left me no choice but to go to the cemetery. He sounded anxious when he said, "Joshua, you need to come right away! Talia's been kneeling at the grave, refusing to move. No one can talk her out of it. I know you're in a fight, but you need to come over."I hesitated.I had every reason to stay away. I was done with her, done with everything tied to her name. But if she spiraled, I knew I'd end up paying for it one way or another.I sighed and drove to the cemetery.From a distance, I saw Talia kneeling at Richard's new grave, eyes vacant, face as pale as paper.She looked as though her soul had been ripped from her, staring blankly at the name

  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 5

    Talia's face went pale, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.Adam suddenly jumped up, furious, pointing at me. "Joshua! How could you jinx her grandpa like that?"Talia swung her hand sharply, trying to hit me, but I was faster.I grabbed her wrist and uttered in an icy tone, "Don't. I'm not lying."She struggled for a moment, failing to break free, then clenched her teeth and glared at me. "How dare you say Grandpa is dead?"I released her wrist and pulled my phone from my pocket, opened a news page, and held it out to her. "See for yourself."The news headline read, "Dormant Volcano Turns Active. Bareyard Village Reduced to Ruins Overnight."Talia stared, her face turning ashen.Her hands shook as she powered on her phone. Dozens of missed messages and calls immediately popped up.The first voice message was from David. He yelled, "The volcano erupted! Didn't you say the data was all made up by Joshua? The institute even fired him

  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 4

    When I woke up again, it was already morning.I was lying in a hospital bed, my head wrapped in thick bandages. A dull ache lingered beneath them.The doctor said it was nothing serious and just superficial injuries.I transferred the agreed payment to the driver and hurried straight back to Bareyard Village.The air still reeked of sulfur. In the distance, Canlis Mountain belched thick black smoke, like a furious beast that hadn't yet calmed.The village had been completely destroyed. Homes lay collapsed, trees were scorched, and the ground was buried under layers of volcanic ash. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruin.Vincent spotted me and hurried over. "Joshua! You saved the entire village! Here, take your card back, and these too—food and drinks. It's everyone's way of thanking you."When Bareyard Village is rebuilt, this will be your home too. Anytime you come back, just let us know. I'll have the whole village throw a feast for you."As he spoke, he gri

  • Ashfall: A Wife's Forbidden Stand   Chapter 3

    I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to endure the pain in my leg, and tried once more to convince them."Grandpa, Mr. Donovan, I'm not lying. Canlis Mountain really is going to erupt tonight. I work at the volcano research institute. I've run the numbers myself. The eruption will start at midnight. I'm estimating at least level three, and it could reach level four!"Vincent hesitated when he heard how specific I was.Richard uttered, "Talia studies volcanoes, too. She said it won't erupt. Would my granddaughter lie to me? You don't want her to go to the hospital with Adam, so you made up this nonsense. Canlis Mountain has been dormant for thousands of years. What makes you think it's going to erupt?"I took a deep breath, then dropped to my knees in front of Vincent. My voice shook as I said, "Mr. Donovan, I've loved nature documentaries since I was a kid. I studied geology in college, and upon graduation, I joined the volcano research institute."I'm 30 years old, and I've spent

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