Buried Without His Regret Chapter 04
He snatched the paper and ripped it apart without a second thought.
“I don’t believe it!”
The scraps fell like snow, scattering across the floor.
“Shannon is hiding somewhere, watching us like this is a joke! Search everywhere! Smash that urn too! Let’s see if she comes out!”
Mom clutched the urn tightly to her chest. It was the last piece of me she had left.
Nicholas struggled on the ground, trying to crawl over, but a bodyguard stepped on him and pinned him down.
Bruised and bloodied, he shouted at Frederick, “Shanny’s ashes are in there! Are you really going to deny her peace even after she’s dead?”
Frederick’s smile twisted into something cruel. “Peace? She made Evie and me miserable for three years! Smash it!”
The bodyguards stepped forward and tried to rip the urn from Mom’s arms.
She refused to let go. She used every bit of strength she had, like a mother protecting her child.
The bodyguards lost patience and shoved her hard.
Mom’s frail body hit the ground, and the urn slipped from her hands.
It hit with a dull crack.
The lid flew open.
Fine gray ash mixed with splintered black wood was scattered across the cold tile floor.
Mom broke.
She screamed and crawled forward, using her trembling hands to try to gather the ashes back together, even though it was impossible.
“It’s okay, Shanny… I’m here… I’ll protect you…”
Her tears fell into the ashes, darkening them in uneven patches.
Frederick looked at the mess on the floor, then at Mom, who looked completely unhinged, and for a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Then, Evangeline tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and coaxing. “Freddie, ashes can be faked, too. She’s probably watching from somewhere. She just wants to see you panic.”
The hesitation in Frederick’s eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by something hard and ruthless. “You’re right! She has to be nearby!”
He scanned the rundown room, his voice sharp as he said, “Shannon, if you don’t come out now, I’ll burn this place to the ground with your mother in it!”
A sudden burst of laughter broke through the tension.
Nicholas, slumped against the wall, was laughing, even as tears streaked down his bloodied face.
“Frederick, go check the internal archives from the U.S. Coast Guard three years ago! Go check the Coast Guard records your company buried!”
Frederick froze. “What did you just say?”
“Don’t listen to him, Freddie. He’s lying,” Evangeline said quickly, grabbing his arm.
Frederick shoved her away and stared at Nicholas, each word forced out through clenched teeth. “Take me there.”
The archive room at the U.S. Coast Guard was cold, the air cutting like a blade.
A staff member pulled out a sealed file that had been sitting untouched for years.
Dust burst into the air.
Inside were rows of names, packed tightly together.
Frederick’s hand trembled as he reached out, only to stop halfway.
Then, like he had made up his mind, he grabbed the file and opened the Coast Guard records from three years ago.
The handwriting was messy, but my name was still there.
At the same time, his phone started ringing, loud and frantic.
It was his head of public relations, Robert Dotson, whose voice was filled with panic. “Mr. Mueller, we’ve got a crisis! The files Ms. Ortega scheduled three years ago just went live! The entire internet is flooded with proof that Evangeline plagiarized her work, and there’s also a recording of you threatening her to drop the lawsuit!”