Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 318

The church was nestled in a valley, ringed by mountains.

From the dip in the hills, a cluster of red-roofed buildings with gilded domes cascaded down the slope in tiers—a breathtaking sight.

As Mila made her way up the incline, she passed groups of worshippers in crimson robes, hurrying by with purpose. The narrow lanes echoed with the steady murmur of prayers drifting from each chapel she walked past, and every so often, the faint scent of incense lingered in the air.

She glanced up just in time to spot several vultures wheeling overhead, their massive wings slicing the sky as their cries rang out, sharp and wild. They soared toward one of the distant mountain peaks.

It felt as if she were standing on the threshold between heaven and earth.

Mila paused on the slope, watching the vultures until they disappeared. She lingered for a moment longer, then turned to continue climbing—when a deep, gentle voice called out from behind, resonant enough to settle the soul.

“Miss, do you know where the vultures are flying?”

Mila started in surprise.

She turned to find, not far behind her, a priest in a crimson cassock, eyes gently closed and face turned in her direction. His expression radiated warmth and kindness.

Unsure how to answer, Mila simply shook her head, but the priest showed no reaction.

Her gaze lingered on his closed eyes, and a realization dawned. Hesitating, she offered a tentative answer.

“To the funeral platform?”

She’d read about the local traditions.

The sky burials.

At these funerals, it was the custom for the departed to be entrusted to the care of a mortuary priest, who would prepare the body for the waiting vultures. To outsiders, it might seem harsh, but to the locals, it was an act of ultimate compassion—a final good deed, the highest form of virtue.

The soul ascended.

The body returned to nature, feeding the birds—one last kindness to the world.

A unique understanding of life and death.

The priest suddenly asked, “Would you like to see it for yourself?”

Mila shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t want to disturb.”

He smiled gently and shifted topics without effort. “Then tell me, on your journey so far, have you found the answers you were seeking?”

Mila froze.

She stared at the priest, and in that instant, the world seemed to recede until only the two of them remained beneath the endless sky.