I looked up in shock.

I met his merciless gaze and saw the threat in his eyes.

His features remained gentle, but they no longer resembled the face of the deeply affectionate man I remembered from the past.

I stared at him stubbornly, my eyes bloodshot.

"I won't!"

To my surprise, when I said that, he pulled out a remote control from his pocket.

"There's a bomb buried beneath the cemetery, Jodi. Don't force me."

He called my name, but it sounded more like the devil's whisper.

So he was prepared all along. To protect Summer, he was always ready to threaten me with the one thing I truly cared about.

That cemetery was the only thing I had left in this world. I couldn't bear to watch my mother's soul scatter.

I swallowed the blood in my throat and pushed him away, then knelt in front of Summer.

"Summer, my mother and I have done you wrong. I. AM. SORRY!"

I looked up at Summer's triumphant face, then at Cade.

"Is this apology good enough?"

Cade's chest rose and fell heavily for a while, then he cleared his throat.

"I'm glad you've repented. Go mourn your mother for me."

After saying those superficial words, he wrapped his arm around Summer's slender waist and turned back to continue the celebration.

Amidst laughter and chatter, guests whispered amongst themselves.

"No wonder Mr. Finley wouldn't touch her. Her heart is foul. That's why intimate photos of her leaked the other day."

"She and her mother are both bullies. She must have used dirty tricks to steal her sister's man. She's the homewrecker!"

"They're married for five years and she's still a virgin. Maybe she has an STD."

-

I knelt on the ground, defeated, numb to what I was hearing.

The once-promised forever, through thick and thin, was no longer something I wanted to salvage.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a piercing beep.

Not far away, Summer waved the remote control in her hand at me at an angle no one else could see.

Watching the countdown get closer to zero, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end!

I stood up with difficulty and staggered out of the banquet hall.

Cade followed me with his eyes and was about to call out to me but was stopped by Summer.

"Come talk to the guests with me."

He smiled and redirected his attention back to Summer.

-

In the cemetery.

I frantically tried to dig out the tombstone with my hands. My fingers were covered in blood and bent at weird angles.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Rocks and debris flew everywhere. My mother's tombstone shattered into pieces.

The urn buried deep underground also exploded.

Watching the ashes flying everywhere, my heart died.

Then, a sudden wave of heat hit me, and darkness engulfed my vision...

-

Cade didn't stay to eat Summer's birthday cake. Instead, he went to the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers.

The moment he stepped into the cemetery, his eyes widened!