Gentle Ex-husband

William Blake was dressed in a black suit, holding a bouquet of pristine white lilies in the crook of his arm. The sound of his leather shoes stepping on the stairs was particularly soothing. He wore sunglasses, concealing the expression in his eyes.

Encountering William Blake completely caught Jane off guard, especially standing before her own grave. She felt a sudden unease. With William Blake's methods, if her explanation of her purpose was not reasonable enough, perhaps the next one to die would be her.

Finally, William Blake approached Jane, looking down at her from a higher position. "Excuse me, miss, who are you...?"

Of course, William Blake naturally didn't recognize her! She was just a stranger little girl now!

With this thought, Jane's heart gradually calmed down. She furrowed her brows, staring at the unseen eyes behind the black sunglasses, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

William Blake was always genteel and gentle in front of others. As expected, he smiled and said, "Miss, this is my wife's grave. Who do you think I am?"

"Oh, so you are Jane's husband," Jane tried to make herself look innocent and pure, a mix of sadness and joy on her face. She said happily, "It's wonderful to meet you." With that, she propped herself up with her hand, trying to stand up from the earlier awkward fall.

William Blake politely took off his sunglasses, revealing his deep, smiling eyes. He extended his hand towards Jane in a gentlemanly manner, helping her up and saying, "Miss, be careful... Were you so frightened when you saw me just now? I don't devour people, you know..."

Although Jane wished she could dismember William Blake into a thousand pieces, she couldn't refuse his filthy hand. Using his strength, she stood up and casually brushed off the dust from her clothes, muttering discontentedly, "There was nobody here originally, so peaceful and quiet. And suddenly, footsteps came from behind, so light and airy. If it were you, wouldn't you be scared too? Who scares people like you do?"

Perhaps due to the youthful innocence still present on her seventeen-year-old face, her voice was soft and sweet, making her complaints and scolding seem natural. William Blake's suspicious mind seemed to weaken slightly as he smiled and said, "Of course I wouldn't be scared, because my beloved wife sleeps here. I dare not make too much noise to disturb her. I didn't expect to frighten you instead."

With that, he bent down and placed the bundle of pure white lilies in front of Jane's tombstone, gently caressing Jane's smiling face on the gravestone with pity. Suddenly, he turned his head and asked, "It seems like you and my wife are quite acquainted?"

Jane's hand behind her back clenched painfully, but her face maintained a childish expression without any complaints or anger. She shook her head, sighed, and said, "Not acquainted at all. Miss Jane doesn't know me at all."

"Well, then...," William Blake raised an eyebrow and continued to smile.

William Blake, who could be terrifyingly gentle even during murder, always maintained his impeccable demeanor. If she were not Jane, but Mallory, or any other girl in the world, she would probably be confused by his current tenderness.

Jane lowered her head and hesitated, "Um...I am a high school student studying dance, but I have a greater passion for fashion design. I dream of growing up to wear Miss Jane's high-end custom wedding gown and marrying the person I love. A few months ago, I saw Jane's wedding dress collection at Paris Fashion Week in a magazine, but I never expected that she was no longer here..."

As she spoke, she pouted in distress, "And, my boyfriend...he...he got together with my close friend. I feel so devastated...especially devastated. So, I skipped class and came here, running far away, to ask Miss Jane, what is love? If I can't wear the wedding gown she designed to marry the person I love, then should I still...believe in love? My dreams are shattered...completely shattered..."

Tears welled up in her eyes, dripping down as she sobbed. Clear tear tracks marked her delicate face, while her frail body trembled. William Blake smiled and reached out, gently touching her head. He sighed, "So, that's how it is. What a silly young girl."

She turned her head and glared at him, "I'm already seventeen! I'm not a young girl!"

The innocence of the girl made William Blake let down his guard. He continued to smile like a gentleman and said, "Alright, you're not a young girl. You're a little girl, a crying little girl."

"You bad uncle!" Jane shivered and broke free from William Blake's hand. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, calling herself a term that made her sick.

"Little girl, let me tell you, in one's life, we don't just encounter one person we fancy, but many. For example, although I deeply love my wife, after she passed away, I might fall in love with another woman, remarry, and start a new life. But she will always remain in my heart, and that's enough." William Blake spoke like a love guru.

Jane's heart felt like it was being stabbed a thousand times. She was already dead, and all the words of love and affection flowed freely from William Blake's mouth. Whatever he said was whatever since the cold tombstone wouldn't hit him on the head.

She pretended to be surprised and looked at him, trying to understand the mentality and expression of a little girl. She stubbornly insisted, with disdain in her voice, "I don't believe it! If you marry someone else, it means you never loved your wife! Love should be forever!"

"Beep..." Suddenly, a car horn blared loudly on the spacious path of the cemetery, urging someone.

William Blake turned his head to look, then turned back and smiled at Jane. He reached out and patted her cheek, saying, "Little girl, we can discuss this topic when we have more time. You're timid, so go back early and don't be too sad."

With that, he put on his sunglasses, took a step, and walked down the stairs, without any hint of nostalgia.

Jane watched as he walked away, wishing she could dig up every place he had touched, disrupt the peaceful cemetery with the blaring of obnoxious horns, clearly disturbing the souls of the dead.

The car door opened, and a woman's snowy white arm reached out, grabbing onto William Blake's arm and pulling him inside. The hand had bright red nails, as vivid as blood.

Jane trembled all over, knowing that woman in the car must be Shayla.

She imagined plunging a wine bottle into Shayla's abdomen, letting the blood of her child flow out through the mouth of the bottle.

But Jane couldn't react, she couldn't cry, she couldn't touch her father's tombstone anymore, speaking to him about the miracle of his resurrection... because she wasn't sure if there were spies for William Blake in the cemetery. If she stayed any longer, she might raise suspicion.

Jane could only pretend as if nothing had happened, pretend that there was no connection between her and the deceased Jane, and leave after she had seen enough and caused enough chaos...

Leaving the cemetery, she aimlessly boarded the subway, not knowing where she was going. The crowded crowd of people gave Jane the noisy liveliness of being alive, but it didn't give her any hope. If William Blake even questioned the people who visited her grave, to ensure they had no connection, then if she were to retrieve the things from the bank vault, wouldn't she immediately fall into his trap? And perhaps the reason why William Blake spared her mother's life was mostly because of the things in the bank vault, as her mother had always managed the family's finances.

At this moment, on the large screen in the center of the street, a promotional video suddenly began to play: "The highly anticipated 17th Miss China pageant has officially started accepting registrations. The sponsors of the pageant have always been a topic of great interest. After the bidding process, sponsorship projects from dozens of companies have been properly allocated. The full title sponsor for this competition is Janes Group, co-organized by Jade Television Station, Australia Broadcasting Group, and Starlight Entertainment under 'Junlin'..."

Upon hearing those piercing words, Jane abruptly looked up at the big screen—