Chapter 20
Standing in the cemetery, Courtney felt a chill that seemed to penetrate her to the core. She couldn’t believe that Austin had sold the old mansion. After the shock, her body started to tremble–shock, anger, and fear all mixed together.
“Courtney! Courtney, you need to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. You can’t trust Austin. If he doesn’t give you the money, that means he’s cutting you off for good. Lorraine warned her.
“Your parents are gone, and if he wants to leave you with nothing, there’s nothing you can do about it.” Lorraine’s voice was trembling. Tve told my husband about this, and he’s furious”
“His advice is for you to pretend you don’t know anything, go to the housing authority and check the registration, then apply for asset preservation. to freeze Austin’s assets,” she continued. “Don’t wait until he transfers the assets?
Courtney held her phone, taking a deep breath
Even if she applied for asset preservation, things would still be difficult. When her parents passed away, she was already married to Austin. As her husband, he was entitled to half of Courtney’s inheritance.
“Courtney…” Knowing that Courtney couldn’t speak, Lorraine’s voice cracked, full of sorrow, “My Courtney, why do you have to endure all of this.. Courtney’s eyes reddened, and tears started to fall uncontrollably,
She had never imagined that Austin would do this to her.
She thought that once she committed to Austin, they would be together forever
“Courtney, where are you? Are you at your parents graves? Lorraine asked anxiously.
rincy stayed silent, and Lorraine grew more worried.
Courtney
Courtney lapped her phone twice to confirm she was at the cemetery
“We’ll be there soon,” Lorraine said.
After hanging up. Courtney numbly walked forward, step by step.
Austin’s final gesture of respect for her parents was probably buying this plot of land for their graves.
The cemetery staff led Courtney to her parents‘ grave site. It was in a prime location, clearly purchased at a high price.
If Lorraine hadn’t told her that Austin sold the Edwards family’s old mansion, she might have thought that she needed to pay back Austin’s lavish burial for her parents.
ow, all she felt was cold. Cold from head to toe.
But now, all st
“Madam, is the one who visits your parents‘ graves regularly your husband?” the staff asked.
Courtney didn’t reply, her gaze lingering on the fresh flowers, still vibrant and not yet wilted. Her vision blurred.
“He comes almost every week. These flowers are replaced weekly. The others only come on holidays and special occasions, the staff whispered, before turning and walking away.
Standing in front of the gravestone, Courtney’s vision was blurred by her tears, making everything around her seem like a nightmare.
Her parents‘ voices and faces from five years ago were still vivid in her mind.
Everything had been fine. However, she just had gone on a peacekeeping medical mission, and everything had changed when she came back.
Dad, Mom, I’m back! Kneeling before the gravestone, Courtney gently wiped the photo on it
After crying until she was exhausted, she leaned her entire body against the gravestone, seeking whatever warmth she could find.
She became fully aware–her parents were really gone. She was all alone now. In Henisburg, she no longer had anyone to rely on
She remembered back in college, when Austin, as the student council president, stood out above the rest
Vera publicly confessed her feelings for him and insisted they should be together. But at that time, Courtney and Austin had already been together
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Chapter 20
for three years.
Vera was their junior, and ever since she developed feelings for Austin, she clung to him almost every day. Austin was a man of boundaries, someone who knew how to refuse and maintain distance from other women
Therefore, during that time, Courtney truly loved Austin and trusted him, believing he would never betray her.
Vera had once flaunted her family background. The Lewis family was a prominent medical family in Henisburg. Her father James, while not the hospital director at the time, had some reputation at Henisburg General Hospital. But Courtney’s background was not lacking, either
Both of Courtney’s parents were the only children in their families. Courtney’s grandfather was a high–ranking military officer, and her father was an official with a position higher than that of the hospital director at the time.
Courtney’s maternal grandmother was a professor at Henisburg University, and her maternal grandfather had been a renowned painter. Courtney was the only child in three generations, and all the wealth and education of her family had been focused on her
She had been the dazzling pearl in her parents‘ palms, the object of envy for everyone. But now, time had passed, and everything had changed The Lewis family, who had once been too afraid to openly oppose her, was now shamelessly bullying her, knowing she had no one behind her. Once a proud, untouchable flower, she was now like a broken branch, trampled into the mud. She couldn’t accept it.
“Courtney…” When Lorraine and Carl arrived, Courtney was still crying.
Carl Fraley, Lorraine’s husband, had been with her since high school. From boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife, they had been together for years
After marriage, the two of them argued almost every day, often about getting a divorce. Lorraine had applied for the peacekeeping mission to escape, to avoid her problems. But that one mission lasted five years.
Before returning to Henisburg. Lorraine had been anxious and fearful. She thought Carl would remarry and leave her, but he hadn’t. Carl had searched for her for five years, never involved with any other woman. He was certain Lorraine would return.
Meanwhile, Courtney, who had once been so sure that Austin would wait for her, now felt like a fool.
“I asked around about your family’s old mansion. It was sold at a very low price, but it wasn’t Austin who sold it. It was his wife, Vera, Carl said softly, standing beside Courtney.
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