Chapter 4

"You want to leave?" George seemed surprised. Then, he thought about how keeping Mason around would be an eyesore anyway, now that Landon was gone. So, he readily agreed. "Consider it done."

"I'm taking Landon's ashes with me," Mason said.

George shot him a look. "You do realize they've already been placed in the Statham family's memorial hall, right? It's not that easy to take them away."

Mason's voice was low and steady. "I know. According to the family's rules, whoever wants to do that must kneel in the memorial hall for seven days and nights and go without food. I can do that."

George snorted. "Fine, then. If you really can do it, I'll let you take the ashes when you leave."

Just like that, Mason was taken to the Statham family's memorial hall. He dropped to his knees without hesitation as the maids watched.

He stayed like that for seven days and nights. Bruises formed on his knees, and he was weak with hunger. But he stuck it out, only collapsing when the maids told him the seven days were up.

Right before he passed out, he vaguely heard someone kicking the door to the memorial hall open. Whoever that person was helped him up, their hand trembling slightly as it wrapped around his torso.

When Mason opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was Lindsay sitting by his bedside, prominent dark circles under her eyes.

"You're awake." She helped him up and gave him a glass of water. Her gaze carried hints of resignation as she looked at him. "If Grandpa ever punishes you again in the future, have someone send word to me. I'll come to your rescue. Worse comes to worst, I'll take the punishment on your behalf."

Her gaze turned bewildered. "And why didn't you say anything when those maids made things harder for you? They swapped out the cushion you were supposed to kneel on for a hard mat. Don't forget that you're my husband. Couldn't you have thrown your weight around a little?"

Her tone was contemptuous as she mentioned the maids. All Mason did was lower his gaze, his lips curving in a mocking smile.

Throw his weight around?

In all his years living at Statham Manor, Lindsay had forced him to stay in a room meant for the hired help. She'd refused to acknowledge his identity as her husband, and she'd even made him compensate tenfold for a plate that he'd accidentally broken.

Yet now, here she was, talking to him about throwing his weight around. Didn't she think it was too late for that?

Mason had long stopped caring about these things. But when he was discharged from the hospital and taken back to Statham Manor, Lindsay still ordered the butler to gather all the maids around so she could berate them.

"Mason Lakeworth is my husband. From now on, whatever he says represents me, too. I've already fired two of the maids who dared disrespect him, and I don't want to see a repeat of that."

Mason just stood quietly off to one side as he listened and watched. He only found the situation beyond mocking.

Once Lindsay finished reprimanding the maids and they scattered, Mason picked up the medication he'd brought back from the hospital and headed toward the servants' quarters. For five years, he and Landon had shared that remote, cold room in the darkest corner of the house, where sunlight never reached.

Lindsay frowned and followed him. As she looked around the cramped, dark room piled high with random objects, she finally seemed to remember that she was the one who'd casually given the order to make Mason stay there.

"There are plenty of empty rooms upstairs; you can move into any of them whenever you want. I'm sorry. I… I didn't know you were still staying here," she said.

He shook his head. "I'm fine here."

He would soon be gone, anyway. At least this room had memories of his life with Landon.

"If you really do feel sorry, don't forget that you promised to visit Landon's grave tomorrow. It's Remembrance Day." Remembrance Day was a local holiday when the people of Heronvale would pay respects to the dead.

With that, Mason pushed Lindsay out of the room and shut the door.

The following day, Mason left the house bright and early to buy all of Landon's favorite toy cars. He also got a fresh bouquet of sunflowers.

After taking a cab to the graveyard with his hands full of things, he noticed that Lindsay was nowhere in sight. She'd already been out of the house when he'd left that morning.

He curled his lips. He couldn't believe he'd been foolish enough to think that she'd come early to the graveyard.

He pulled out his phone and called her, but no one answered after a few tries. Then, he received a few photos from a number he didn't recognize. They were of Lindsay with her sleeves rolled up as she sliced vegetables in the kitchen. From the reflection on the glass, Mason clearly saw that Harry was the one who'd taken the photos.

"My stomach was acting up, so Lindsay came over first thing in the morning to care for me. And remember the seven days you spent on your knees in the Statham family's memorial hall? She was with me the whole time, too. If you had even the slightest bit of dignity, you'd stop humiliating yourself like this."