Chapter 9
Shane immediately dialed the number for the sky burial reservation. As expected, Valerie had indeed booked it two weeks ago.
An unsettling feeling crept into his chest. He realized that Valerie had too many secrets. Perhaps she wasn’t as vicious as she had always seemed.
He gathered his thoughts and went to meet with the sky burial organizers.
Upon learning that the process was highly intricate and required traveling to Eleyburn, Shane fell into deep contemplation.
Sky burial was Valerie’s final wish, after all. If he didn’t go along, there was a risk that news of her death might spread.
After much deliberation, he hurried to the hospital. He was ready to request a leave of absence from Fabian.
At the hospital, he found Sasha awake. She was nestled against Fabian’s chest like a child.
“Fab, once I’m discharged, I want to try that new Solmarian restaurant. Will you take me there?” Her voice was sweet and coy.
Fabian chuckled and pinched her cheek affectionately. “Of course. I’ll take you anywhere you want.”
Standing at the doorway, Shane watched the two of them bask in their affection. A wave of complicated emotions surged in his chest.
He thought of the now lifeless Valerie, and a sharp pang of bitterness rose in his chest.
“Mr. Porter, I need to take some time off,” Shane said after stepping forward.
Frowning, Fabian looked up. “Time off? My wedding is right around the corner. There’s so much to do. How could you ask for leave now?”
Shane lowered his gaze and gave a vague excuse. “It’s a family emergency. I have to go back to my hometown to take care of it.”
Fabian’s expression darkened. He clearly wasn’t pleased.
Before he could refuse, Sasha chimed in sweetly, “Fab, we can delay the wedding a few days. Since Valerie’s gone now, your body and soul all belong to me. The wedding is just a formality. I want it to be perfect. A good omen for our future.”
Fabian hesitated. It was as if something in Sasha’s words had struck a chord.
After a moment of silence, he nodded. “Fine. Handle your emergency quickly and come back soon.”
Shane let out a quiet breath of relief and turned to leave the hospital.
Before leaving, he cast one last glance at Fabian and Sasha. They were still entwined in each other’s arms, as if nothing in the world could ever come between them.
A dull ache settled in his chest. Maybe this was the best ending.
With Valerie’s body in tow, Shane set off for Eleyburn.
The entire way, Valerie’s image kept flashing through his mind. The woman who had once been so radiant and full of life was now nothing more than a cold, lifeless body.
Upon arrival, Shane followed the sky burial ritual, handing Valerie’s remains over to the sky burial specialist.
The specialist followed religious rites and tradition, making the first incision along Valerie’s spine before systematically dismembering her limbs. Her bones were crushed with stones to attract vultures to feed.
The birds first devoured her internal organs, then stripped her bones bare, and finally, consumed every last trace of flesh,
If the vultures left nothing behind, it was seen as a blessing–a sign that the departed carried no great sins and that their soul was free to ascend to heaven.
Shane stood to the side, watching as the vultures tore eagerly into Valerie’s remains. A storm of emotions surged within him.
He had never imagined that Valerie would be sent off like this.
Yet what shocked him more was that the vultures devoured her completely. Not a single remnant remained.
The sky burial specialist nodded in approval. His voice was laced with reverence as he said, “The deceased was pure in life. Her soul will find peace.”
Shane froze, and shock coursed through him.
Everything Valerie had done was unforgivable. She betrayed Fabian, ran down Amelia, and even tangled with other men while in prison.
How could a woman like that possibly be pure?
A sudden unease gripped Shane’s heart. Was there more to Valerie running over Amelia than they had always believed?
Standing on the sky burial platform, he gazed at the distant snow–capped peaks. His mind was a chaotic tangle of doubts.
Should he tell Fabian?
But Fabian had moved on. He had Sasha now, and their wedding was fast approaching. Perhaps Valerie’s death was something that should no longer disturb their lives. “What were you hiding, Valerie? Why did you book your own sky burial two weeks ago? Did you know you were going to die?”
But there was no answer.
Valerie was gone, and so were her secrets. Valerie had vanished into nothingness.
