Chapter 595: Epilogue (22)
Even though Nora Ainsworth had braced herself for the news, she still couldn’t accept it. The child wasn’t her own, but she felt a mix of powerlessness, guilt, and rage.
She felt powerless because, legally, as long as the biological parents were alive and their custody rights hadn’t been revoked, no one could intervene and forcibly keep their child.
She felt guilty because if Nina Young hadn’t gone back to her parents, she would still be alive.
And she felt rage because such incredibly irresponsible parents actually existed in this world—parents who could harm their own flesh and blood. Domestic violence was terrifying, a grave threat to a child’s life.
“The specific cause of death will require an autopsy, but we can basically determine that the primary cause was a blow to the head.”
“Doctor, the child has suffered enough. Please, no autopsy.”
“You’ll have to discuss that with the police.”
“You don’t need to worry about the police. We can handle it.”
After speaking, Nora Ainsworth walked into the operating room. A nurse was preparing to wheel the child’s body to the morgue.
Seeing Nora Ainsworth enter, the nurse stepped aside.
Nina Young’s face was covered in bruises. When the poor child passed away, there were still tear tracks on the corners of her eyes.
Reaching out, Nora Ainsworth caressed the girl’s tender little face, an indescribable feeling welling up inside her. ‘Rest in peace, little one,’ she prayed silently. ‘I hope there’s no pain in heaven, no beatings, no indifference—only warmth.’
“Quentin, have someone prepare a nice coffin. Don’t cremate her. Give her a proper burial.”
Quentin Grant took her hand. “Okay. We’ll do everything just as you say.”
“Now, I want to go see her parents.”
“Nora, don’t get worked up. Remember the baby.”
“I’m not angry. My anger has already vanished. I just want to see if those parents feel even an ounce of grief now that their child is dead.”
“I’ll go with you.”
The couple rushed to the police station. Standing outside the holding cell, they looked at the parents locked inside. Nora Ainsworth turned to a police officer. “Where is their son?”
“The son has been sent to his grandparents.”
Quentin Grant pulled out a chair for Nora Ainsworth to sit down.
She stared at the parents. “You two could have had a good life, but instead you tormented your child. Now you’ve finally tormented your own daughter to death. Are you satisfied?”
Nina Young’s mother stared with lifeless eyes, her voice agitated. “I didn’t want her to die! I was just fed up with her stubbornness.”
“This morning you signed a pledge at the police station, solemnly promising things you had no intention of doing, and by tonight you’d beaten your child to death. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be punished by the law? Now you two animals will pay the price for murdering your own daughter. Intentional homicide—do you have any idea what that means?”
Nina Young’s mother’s face went pale. “I didn’t kill her! Her father beat her to death!”
Nina Young’s father immediately shot back, “It was obviously you!”
The two of them started tearing into each other like a pair of snarling dogs.
Nina Young’s mother’s face flushed red. “I hit her too, but… but I only whipped her a few times with a clothes hanger! Her father was the one who kicked her into the door! I didn’t kill her!”
Her words made it obvious who the main culprit was—Nina Young’s father. However, the mother was by no means blameless.
Nora Ainsworth stood up and looked coldly at the couple. “You two can face the consequences of your actions. I will handle the funeral arrangements. I hope there is no pain in heaven, and I hope that in her next life, she is born into a loving family.”
With that, she nodded to Quentin Grant and walked out of the police station.
On the way back, Nora Ainsworth leaned against the back of her seat, her eyes closed, not saying a word.
Quentin Grant knew she was in a bad mood, so he said, “Fate must have its reasons for arranging things this way. We’re only human; we can’t predict the future. But when it comes to this child, I know you did everything you could. So please, don’t be sad.”
Nora Ainsworth let out a breath and nodded. “I know.”
The next morning, Dorothy Ellsworth came to the school and asked Nora Ainsworth where Nina Young had moved.
Nora Ainsworth wanted to tell her the truth, but ‘she’s so young,’ she thought. ‘It’s better not to say anything and spare her the worry.’
So she just said she didn’t know.
Dorothy Ellsworth didn’t ask again and skipped off to class.
Meanwhile, Chloe Marshall and Ethan Ellsworth bought fruit and fresh flowers and went to her parents’ grave. Zeke Marshall came with them.
The three of them tidied up the grave. Chloe Marshall knelt down, arranged the fruit, and poured out a few cans of beer in front of the headstone. Gazing at the photograph on it, she finally spoke. “Mom, Dad, please forgive Zeke and me for not visiting recently. I know you’re worried that I’m not doing well with the Ellsworth Family, but today, your daughter is here to tell you that I’m doing very, very well. I’m happy. Ethan Ellsworth is wonderful to me, and my mother and father-in-law treat me like their own daughter. Plus, my mother-in-law said it doesn’t matter if we have a son or a daughter—we should just let nature take its course and not force it. So please, don’t meddle anymore.”
Zeke Marshall added, “Yeah, Mom, Dad, Sis is telling the truth. Please stop making things difficult for her.”
Finally, it was Ethan Ellsworth’s turn.
He knelt on both knees and said earnestly, “Father, Mother, it’s me, your son-in-law, Ethan Ellsworth. I promise you that Chloe, now and in the future, will never suffer a single grievance. Your granddaughter will be our only child. I swear to you, I will never let Chloe suffer in the slightest. If I fail to keep even one part of this promise, may I die and join you.”
Chloe Marshall quickly covered his mouth. “Boss Ellsworth, why would you make such a terrible vow?”
“I mean what I say. What’s wrong with saying it in front of our parents? As long as it sets their minds at ease, all that matters is that they can watch over you and see you happy.”
Zeke Marshall said with a smile, “See, Mom and Dad? My brother-in-law is so good to my sister. You don’t need to worry needlessly, okay? Next time we come, we’ll bring Dorothy to see you, too. So please, rest assured. If my brother-in-law ever dares to treat my sister badly, he’ll still have me to deal with, right? Your son isn’t just a bystander.”
Chloe Marshall helped Ethan Ellsworth up, then jutted her chin at Zeke Marshall. “Come on, let’s bow.”
The three of them knelt and kowtowed three times before leaving.
On the way back from the cemetery, Chloe Marshall said, “Maybe Mom and Dad are just too lonely. We should come visit them often from now on.”
“I completely agree. Besides, Sis, a visit doesn’t take long.”
Ethan Ellsworth, who was driving, replied, “That’s right. Our company is about to launch, which makes your sister the boss’s wife. Zeke, how about your brother-in-law sends you for professional training to become a talent agent? When you come back, you can be our company’s top agent.”
Zeke Marshall asked excitedly, “Really? Brother-in-law?”
“Of course it’s real. And if you happen to find a wife while you’re training, your brother-in-law will take care of the wedding for you, too.”