Chapter 92 Her Bottom Line
Juniper accepted the business card, "Thank you."
The director said, "Come on, help Juniper out and call for a hearse to take them home."
Soon, Juniper and several aides were carrying Lyra's body away. As she passed by Magnus, she didn't so much as glance at him while brushing past.
Magnus reached out and grabbed her arm, but Juniper just offered a wry smile, "Mr. Blackwood, there's blood on me. I wouldn't want to stain your hands."
Between them, it was as if an invisible barrier existed, separating them into two different worlds. That barrier, transparent and intangible, though invisible, was impenetrable.
She broke free from his grasp.
Walking past him, she never looked back.
Magnus stood there, his palm icy and numb.
His heart felt as if it collapsed in an instant like it was missing a piece.
Lyra's body was first moved into the room.
Juniper closed the door behind her. She took a clean towel, soaked it in warm water, and then meticulously cleaned Lyra's body with it.
She then found a plain cotton dress embroidered with hibiscus flowers from the dresser.
It was Lyra's favorite dress, a birthday gift from Juniper.
During her life, Lyra always hesitated to wear it.
She said she'd wear it on the day Juniper got married.
But now, it was the last time she would ever wear it.
And Juniper, she would never have her wedding day.
Juniper helped her into the dress.
She combed her hair as well.
After everything was arranged, she didn't rush to leave.
Instead, she sat by the bed, softly speaking to Lyra, "Mom, I'm not taking you back home. Where I live is just a rented place, that's not our home, we haven't had a home for a long time. You go on ahead, but don't worry, you won't be alone for long. I'll be coming to join you soon."
She stayed alone in the room with Lyra for a while.
She looked up towards the window.
The evening's twilight was so beautiful.
"Mom, the sun hasn't set outside yet. I'll get an umbrella for you in a moment. Hang in there. It will all be over soon."
As the sunset faded,
A few caregivers carried a stretcher, and Juniper stood next to it, holding a black umbrella over Lyra.
After placing her in the hearse,
The driver asked, "Going home or straight to the crematorium?"
"Just the nearby crematorium," she replied.
"Alright."
Three hours later.
The night had fallen.
Juniper emerged from the crematorium holding an urn.
From start to finish, not a single tear fell.
Even the hearse driver was shocked.
He couldn't help but comfort her, "Miss, if you feel like crying, it's okay to cry."
But Juniper said, "I can't cry, and I don't want to. Life and death, it's just the way it is, I guess."
On her way home, Juniper's phone was nearly exploding with calls.
She looked at the screen to see a series of missed calls – a dozen from Ophelia, a dozen from Michael, and a dozen from William.
They probably all knew by now, and she couldn't bother to call them back to inform them.
For Lyra's funeral, she didn't want to make a big affair – she'd contact the cemetery tonight and have the burial first thing in the morning.
After all, the deceased is gone, and the funeral rituals are just for the living.
Juniper, still clutching the urn, reached the doorstep of her house.
Ophelia had been standing there waiting for a long time.
"Juniper!"
Ophelia wrapped her arms around her and burst into tears.
Juniper didn't cry. She even comforted Ophelia. "Don't cry. My mom had been bedridden before, but then she woke up and lived another three years. She used to say that those three years were bonus time. She was living on borrowed time, making the most of each day so that even if the inevitable happened, there would be no need for sorrow."
"Juniper, I know you're hurting. If you want to cry, just cry."
Ophelia looked at Juniper's overly calm face with some trepidation.
Her eyes lacked any spark of life. They were dead, desolate, and wilted.
It was said that people give off a dying aura when their end is near.
And now, that frightening sense of death enveloped Juniper completely.
Ophelia helped her open the door.
Juniper carried in an urn and carefully placed it on the table. Suddenly she asked Ophelia, "Can you help me find a cemetery? I want to bury my mom tomorrow morning."
She was remarkably calm, her mind exceptionally clear as she made her requests systematically.
Ophelia paused, "Oh, sure, I'll go ask right away."
After a while.
"I had a friend check out South Mountain Cemetery. It's nice and not too far from here. What do you think?"
"Yeah, I've heard good things about that place too."
Ophelia stared at her, finding her calmness unsettling.
She hugged Juniper tightly, "Juniper, go ahead and cry."
Juniper didn't have many relatives. In this world, she only truly had Lyra and Jennifer.
As for Alexander, he was, at best, Juniper's father in name only.
Lyra was gone.
That might as well have taken half of Juniper's life.
Her current calm, Ophelia feared, could lead to something serious.
"Juniper, don't hold it in. I know you're in pain. Ava's gone, but there's still Jennifer, and there's me."
Juniper's gaze was hollow, "Oh, right, Jennifer. But I've left Jennifer to Magnus. He should take good care of her, I think."
"What are you talking about, Juniper? You're giving up on Jennifer?"
Juniper gave a guilty smile.
"Ophelia, I feel like I've done nothing right. When I was dating Magnus, I betrayed him. I wasn't a good girlfriend."
"My mom is in a nursing home, and I don't have the time to visit her. Whenever I do, I only stay for half a day. I can't be there by her bedside to show my full devotion. I feel like I'm not a good daughter."
"I'm not a good mother either, always leaving Jennifer alone at home out of necessity. She cries and begs me not to go, but I still push her away. It's like I'm a complete failure, everything I do seems wrong. Ophelia, do I deserve to feel this terrible?"
She spoke these words with a calm demeanor.
Ophelia was sobbing, her heart aching as she said, "Who told you that? Who said you're not doing well? If they were in your shoes, living your life, they'd see that you've done enough. Remember when Alexander forced you to choose between Ava and Magnus as if choosing a boyfriend over your mom was even an option? It wasn't your fault. The blame lies squarely on Alexander!"
"You've been raising Ava on your own, trying to make ends meet. When Magnus wrecked your job, and you were out of money, you had to sing in nightclubs to survive. Juniper, who has ever sympathized with you?"
"Don't blame yourself so much. You've already done well enough, Juniper. Go ahead and cry. It hurts me to see you holding back."
Juniper reached out and gently wiped away Ophelia's tears.
She said, "Ophelia, thank you. It seems like you're the only one who's ever on my side. Don't cry, your makeup will run and you won't look pretty."
"Juniper, try to perk up a bit. Things will get better soon. it will all be okay. Haven't you always wanted to go to the beach? Let's plan a trip there in a few days. Anyway, can you try to feel better, please?"
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