LOGINThird-Person POVJordan slammed a fist straight into Ivan's face. The two tumbled onto the ground, locked in a violent brawl."Get lost." Abbie finally raised her head, her gaze cold as ice.Clutching his bruised cheek, Ivan looked at her in absolute disbelief."I said get lost!" Abbie pointed toward the exit, her voice breaking with pain. "Don't ruin his funeral!"Returning to the hollow workshop, Abbie found an ice-cold USB drive tucked right beneath Zac's pillow.As she plugged it into the laptop, she found it packed with videos of Zac's daily luthier craftsmanship from over the past five years.The very last clip was recorded on the day Zac died.In the video, even his hands were trembling violently as he tried to hold the wood plane."Today is my birthday, and I was diagnosed with ALS. I won't be able to grow old with her anymore. I want to finish this dulcimer as my final gift to her."Abbie shook uncontrollably, as if struck by lightning, What was she doing that very
As Abbie stared dead at the white sheet, her fingernails dug deep into her palms."What do you mean?" She gritted her teeth, her eyes rimmed bright red."An accident? He barely ever dares to step outside. What kind of accident could he possibly have?""Your husband had an accident in the luthier workshop two days ago. He was struck by falling load-bearing timber and died on the spot—""That's impossible!" Abbie snapped, her voice spiking as if trying to bolster her courage."That's absolutely impossible! He was so afraid of dying!"She dragged her feet toward the gurney step by step, her fingertips trembling violently. Several times, she almost touched the sheet, only to pull back as if shocked by electricity.After a long pause, she squeezed her eyes shut and whipped the white sheet off all at once.Beneath the sheet lay my face—pale, purplish, and noticeably deformed from the crushing blow.Abbie froze in place.She stared dead at the man before her, who looked so familiar
Abbie suppressed her inner turmoil and finished processing the last document. Just as she stood up, her private phone at the edge of the desk vibrated.She looked at the unlisted number on the screen, hesitated for a couple of seconds, and picked up anyway.The voice on the other end was cold as ice. "Abbie, it's Jordan. Get down to Fenwick Police Department right now."Abbie frowned slightly, her tone distant. "What is this about?"After all, there was zero connection outside of me between her and Jordan."We need to handle Zac's funeral arrangements. The paperwork needs your signature as his only legal family member."Abbie's pupils shrank instantly, and her breath hitched for a fraction of a second.Funeral arrangements? Signature?She subconsciously tightened her grip on her phone, then a sneer of deep cynicism curved at the edge of her lips."Jordan, do you find this fun? He vanished for two days just to come up with such a childish trick to force me to give in?"Jordan
Abbie froze at Olivia's words."Mr. Elliott was afraid you'd throw it away if you knew he made it, so he explicitly told me to transfer everything into takeout containers and never tell a soul…"Olivia's voice trembled with tears. "I'm sorry, Ms. Johnson. I shouldn't have kept it from you."Dead silence fell over the entire office.As I looked at that standard box of takeout, a prickling pain washed over my chest.Every single lunch box I used to make for her was carefully put together with all her favorite dishes, and I'd even carve the presentation into subtle dulcimer patterns. I didn't ask for her to love me back. I only wanted to ease her chronic stomach pain.Abbie had probably grown so accustomed to my cooking over the years that her stomach simply couldn't handle the sudden change.She stared fixedly at the boxed lunch, complex emotions churning in the depths of her eyes. After a long pause, she waved her hand in irritation, telling Olivia to leave.She picked up her ph
Abbie stood right where she was, her face pale as paper and her breathing completely thrown out of rhythm.When my personal attorney, Jimmy Randolph, caught sight of Abbie and Ivan walking out, side by side, a trace of undisguised mockery flashed in his eyes.He stood up and strode forward.Ignoring Ivan's outstretched hand for a handshake, he held out a heavy manila envelope right in front of Abbie."Ms. Johnson, these are the equity transfer documents for all Johnson Folk Music shares under Mr. Elliott's name, along with an itemized accounting of all resources provided over the past five years." Jimmy pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses with cold professionalism."Mr. Elliott requested that from this moment on, he wants nothing more to do with you or Johnson Folk Music. He wishes you and Mr. Cobb a long and happy life together."The color drained from Abbie's face in an instant.She didn't take the envelope. Her fingers curled up slightly. "Why didn't he come himself?""Mr. Ell
Abbie's face was drained of color. Her instinct drove her to shrug Ivan's hand off her shoulder.However, he tightened his grip around her and stepped in front of her like a protective shield."Jordan, this is between the three of us. It's none of your business as an outsider to lecture us."He raised his voice, oozing righteous indignation. "Five years ago, Zac used his family's intangible cultural heritage connections to force me out of the principal spot and send me abroad!"He forced Abbie into that partnership. If it weren't for him, Abbie and I would never have been kept apart for five long years!"Ivan sounded more and more aggrieved. His eyes were full of pure contempt. "Zac is nothing more than a brainless woodworker who makes dulcimers now. What real support can he offer Abbie? He's just living off handouts from the Johnson family's resources!""Living off handouts from the Johnson family?"Jordan looked as if he had just heard the most absurd joke in the world. His ey







