They Cuffed Me, I Destroyed Their World

Chapter 8

The sky was gray and overcast, and a light drizzle fell on the day of Charlie's funeral.

Adele stood in a black dress in front of Charlie's memorial portrait, her eyes hollow. The funeral hall was completely silent. Xavier stood beside her in a black suit, a trace of exhaustion and guilt in his eyes. He did not dare meet her gaze.

Henry stood in the corner holding a bouquet of white lilies, his expression complicated.

The funeral dirge began, and they bowed before Charlie's portrait.

Just then, Dora, who had only suffered a scratched arm and had long been discharged from the hospital, suddenly skipped forward. She wore a bright red dress that clashed sharply with the black and white around her.

She walked straight up to the memorial portrait and yanked the frame off. "Who is this? So ugly! Let's throw it away, okay?"

"Stop!" Xavier rushed forward and grabbed her arm, his expression helpless. "Dora, don't mess around. This is Charlie's memorial portrait!"

But Dora did not seem to hear him. She broke free and ran to the table, grabbed a piece of pastry, and stuffed it into her mouth. "This is so good! Xavier, Adele, try some!"

The solemn funeral music continued. Xavier walked to Dora's side and coaxed her, "Dora, we'll buy something much tastier later, okay?"

Unexpectedly, Dora suddenly clapped her hands and sang cheerfully, "Twinkle twinkle little star..."

Her voice was unbearably jarring in that moment.

Adele stood at the front, still holding her bow, as if she had not heard anything. Only her hand, hanging at her side, betrayed her emotions. Her nails dug into her palm until blood seeped out, yet she felt nothing.

Henry stepped forward to pull Dora away. Xavier said in a low voice, "Adele..."

"I know. She doesn't know any better." Adele cut him off, her voice flat. "Proceed with the funeral."

The funeral continued step by step. Adele's face remained ashen and lifeless, mechanically completing every step: farewell, cremation. Charlie's small body was reduced to a small urn of ashes.

Only then did her fingers tremble faintly.

"I want a sea burial." Adele's voice was hoarse. "Charlie always wanted to see the ocean. Let the waves carry him away."

Xavier froze for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll go with you."

They drove to the sea burial site. Adele held the urn and walked up to the platform.

Dora had followed them, and Xavier had arranged for her to wait in the car nearby. But she slipped away and ran over. When she saw the urn, her eyes lit up, and she suddenly rushed forward. "What are you holding? Let me see!"

"Don't come closer!" Adele stepped back, clutching the urn tightly. A flicker of emotion finally appeared in her eyes.

But Dora lunged forward like a madwoman to snatch it. "I want to see it! Show me, or I'll take it!"

With a loud c***k, the urn fell to the ground. The lid broke, and ashes spilled across the platform. A gust of wind scattered most of them instantly.

Time seemed to stop.

Adele's pupils shrank sharply. She crouched down, reaching for the drifting ashes, but caught nothing.

'Charlie... my boy...'

There were still two crumpled plane tickets in her pocket, their dates long past.

'We could have left. Why did they force us to this?'

Henry stepped forward. "Adele, Dora didn't mean to..."

"Enough!"

All the grief, anger, and despair erupted.

Adele stood abruptly, her eyes bloodshot. She stared at Dora, who was still giggling, and only one thought remained: kill her.

"Dora!" Adele roared and shoved her hard.

Dora stumbled backward, slipped, and rolled down the steps with a shriek.

"Dora!"

Xavier's face turned pale. "Adele, have you gone mad?!"

He and Henry rushed down, but Adele calmly crouched down, gathered the remaining ashes, and pressed them to her chest.

Her face was empty, her eyes hollow.

"Charlie, Mommy is taking you to see the sea. We'll go far away together, and no one will ever bother us again."

She turned, jumped, and plunged into the sea.

Xavier and Henry saw it too late. They rushed forward, but the waves swallowed her instantly. Then everything returned to silence.