Chapter 387 True or False
Mike didn't even think twice. "I'll do whatever you say."
Luann looked at him, eyes full of mockery. Mike was desperate to save his own skin.
"You still owe my mom an apology. Will you go to her grave and atone?"
Mike hesitated for a moment. "Okay!"
When they got to the cemetery, it was pitch black.
Luann walked towards the tombstone like she knew the place well. Clearly, she came here often.
Mike followed, feeling uneasy. The cemetery felt creepy, like someone was watching him, making his skin crawl.
Soon, they reached three adjacent tombstones: Kenneth, Debra, and Shirley.
The photo on Shirley's tombstone showed her with a bright smile. She was stunning, like a movie star.
Mike hadn't seen that face in years. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked away.
"Kneel," Luann said, her voice cold.
Mike stiffened but eventually knelt in front of Shirley's grave. He didn't even know Luann had moved their graves here.
"Shirley," he said, memories flooding back to twenty-four years ago when he first met her.
She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, like someone from a TV screen, so dazzling.
When he carried her down the stairs, his heart pounded so hard it hurt his eardrums. He couldn't sleep all night from the excitement.
If Shirley hadn't used him, he wouldn't have wanted to kill her. Her family background was too good for him to handle.
In front of the Wright family, he felt deeply inferior. Even with Shirley's help, he couldn't hold a good position in the company and got scolded every day.
Seeing Shirley protect him made him feel disgusted. He was a man; how could he need a petite woman to stand up for him?
Mike couldn't stand it. Eventually, the Wright family disappeared from his life.
He met Brianna, a woman just as beautiful and gentle as Shirley. Brianna understood him, cared for him, and looked after him. Unlike Shirley, who was also exhausted from work, Brianna made him feel like the center of her world. This restored his dignity and confidence. So, he married Brianna without hesitation.
"I'm sorry," Mike said, closing his eyes, unsure how much he meant it.
Luann stood beside him, head lowered, her long hair partially hiding her expression.
Luann's voice was soft, like a whisper in the wind. "You must be wondering why my mom and grandma never came back to find you, right?"
Mike tensed up. "She wouldn't still be...?"
Luann understood his question. Sometimes she wished Shirley was still around .
She lifted her pant leg, showing off a gnarly, winding scar on her calf.
Twenty-three years ago, in some rugged forest halfway up a mountain, smoke was rising from a pitch-black car, all messed up from a crash, its front end totally caved in.
The car had flipped over completely. It looked impossible to open.
Wet liquid dripped into her eyes. Shirley woke up, her vision all blood-red.
She stared in disbelief, dazed for a full minute before remembering what had gone down.
"Dad. Mom?" Shirley called out, panicking.
Debra, was holding her tight. Kenneth, in his last moments, had jumped to protect them both. His back was pierced by the shattered car door, stabbing right into his heart. He was already gone.
"Dad?" Her vision blurred with tears, making it hard to see the person in front of her.
Shirley grabbed Kenneth's shoulder, pushing him over and over. Her voice trembled with disbelief. "Dad? Wake up, Dad."
She didn't dare check Kenneth's breath. She was too scared.
Debra woke up to Shirley's painful cries. Seeing the scene, her heart twisted in agony. "Shirley, call the cops, quick!"
Shirley shakily took out her phone, trying to dial. But there was no signal, not even for a text.
"I can't." Shirley sobbed.
The prolonged upside-down position of the car made their heads feel congested. Shirley wiped away her tears, knowing now wasn't the time to cry. Otherwise, she and Debra would die there, too.
So Shirley kicked at the car door with all her might. They were somewhat lucky. When the brakes failed and they crashed into the sharp turn's rock, one side of the car door was crushed, and the driver died instantly in the driver's seat.
Kenneth's position had him completely trapped, with no room to struggle.
"I can't kick it open." Shirley decisively took off her high heels, using them to hit the car window's corners.
She didn't know how many times she hit it, her arms going numb. Finally, a piece of the window shattered.
Quickly, Shirley broke the rest of the glass and crawled out with great effort. Once outside, it was easier to pull the door open.
The car door opened. Shirley reached out to Debra. "Mom, come out quickly!"
Debra leaned there, not moving, weakly waving Shirley away. "You go first, find someone, or get to a place with signal to call for help."
Shirley then noticed something was wrong. Clearly, Debra could walk. Why the delay? "We'll go together!"
Debra silently moved her body.
When Kenneth leaped to protect them, Debra reflexively reached out to hold him. This caused her left arm to be pinned under Kenneth. And it hurt a lot. Warm and wet, it seemed to be bleeding.
