The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 408

Autumn stood firm. "Just take it, please. And it's getting late so you'd better get some rest." Then she stood up and headed towards the kitchen, which was her original plan.

Nancy wondered why Autumn really came down. "What do you need, Mrs. Lu?" she asked. Autumn's generosity made her feel somewhat guilty.

"Oh, I was just going to heat some milk, " Autumn replied. She turned to look at Nancy and said, "We are family, Nancy. So, if you're ever in any kind of trouble, we'd like to know. Charles and I will do all we can to help you."

Nancy nodded and said, "All right." She put the red envelop inside her pocket, bowed and thought, 'While this money is not nearly enough, it is still better than nothing.' Nancy decided to assist Autumn.

"Mrs. Lu, let me heat the milk for you, " she offered. She hurried to the kitchen. Then she secretly took out a small packet of powder from her pocket. Hesitating for several seconds, she then sprinkled it into Autumn's milk.

'Autumn, I didn't do it on purpose, ' she thought to herself.

'I need money to pay that man, otherwise…' Nancy frowned slightly.

Autumn took over the milk and said, "Thank you." She smiled and told Nancy, "Why don't you get some rest now. Good night."

Nancy bid Autumn good night as well. But as she watched Autumn going up the stairs, she called out, "Mrs. Lu…"

Autumn turned around. "Did you need something?" From where she stood, Autumn thought Nancy was saying something but she couldn't quite hear it because of the sound of firecrackers exploding outside. Then Nancy simply smiled and said, "Oh nothing. Thank you again."

Autumn brought the milk to the bedroom, and after drinking, soon fell asleep.

Children loved the Spring Festival because it meant a visit to their friends' families, and they could wear beautiful clothes and eat lots of delicious food. But the thrill ended once they grew up. For adults, it was just a common festival with firecrackers, and signaled they would add another year to their age. And the sense of happiness that the festival brought quickly waned as the festivities came to an end.

It was the end of January when Autumn was informed that Wendy's execution had been carried out. It was death by shooting. And since Yvonne was locked up in jail, Autumn, as Wendy's only other relative, had the task of arranging her funeral.

Although she knew that Wendy would be executed, Autumn was still stunned after receiving the call from the police. After a long pause, she answered, "Okay, I will be there."

She sat down in disbelief that Wendy died without her being aware of any sign that her mother was gone. Then everything that happened came back clearly to her, as if they just happened yesterday.

Charles noticed the change in Autumn's face. "Are you okay?" He looked at her with concern, wondering why she still held the phone.

She sighed and turned to Charles. "I'm fine." Autumn hung up the phone and told Charles what the call was about. "The police asked me to take care of Wendy's remains. Her execution was carried out today."

Charles hugged Autumn for a while, and said, "I'll go with you." The couple left shortly, and headed to the prison facility where Wendy's remains awaited. It was snowing hard and there were cracks on the road, which made it difficult to walk on their way in. After waiting for all the paperwork to be completed, the police turned over the cinerary with Wendy's ashes to Autumn.

It was warm inside the prison facility but Autumn couldn't help shuddering as she held on to the cinerary.

"Are you all right?" Charles gently asked. She shook off the feeling of dread, and replied, "I'm fine. Let's go."

Autumn arranged a small funeral for her mother. Since she and Yvonne were Wendy's only surviving relatives and Yvonne was unable to attend, it was Autumn who took care of all the preparations. Looking at Wendy's smiling photo on her tombstone, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of sadness.