It was already 11 p.m. when Aurora Richardson returned home. She initially intended to sneak quietly back into her room, but as soon as she stepped through the door, she saw Frederick Richardson sitting on the sofa.
Frederick, who had been ill for several months, was noticeably thinner than before. Now, having lost his wife, his already pale face seemed even more drained of color, looking ghastly and pallid.
"Dad," Aurora cautiously called out.
"Where have you been?" Frederick's pale face darkened immediately, and he sternly asked the approaching Aurora.
"I went... I went to the funeral home to see Mum," Aurora hurriedly made up a lie, not daring to let her father know she had visited Jaylene Ziel and Joseph Thompson in the evening.
"To the funeral home?" Frederick clearly didn't believe her: "I went to the funeral home tonight as well, but I didn't see you there."
