Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO

Chapter 281

Astrid’s POV

Me, CEU

In these three days, James, Ethan and I completed Audrey’s funeral while dodging Blake’s search teams.

Following her wishes, we took her ashes to the coastal village where she grew up, to NYU, to Pinehaven Village where she met Blake and Rachel, to the nursing home where she cared for William, even past Lunar Mansion.

Half a day’s journey covered her entire twenty-something years of life. After our pilgrimage, we laid her to rest in a cemetery overlooking the coast.

When Blake found me, I was burning Audrey’s journals in an empty lot.

He grabbed my arm hard. “Where is Audrey?”

I looked him over

unshaven, dark circles under bloodshot eyes, that perfect suit rumpled. Not so polished now.

I shook free and kept tossing notebooks into the flames.

What’s the point of hating him now? Audrey’s gone. She made it clear she didn’t want his tears afterward.

He seized my arm again, fingers digging in. “Where is Audrey? Three days ago, I had Michael call you to check on her. Where did you take her?”

I tried pulling away but couldn’t break his grip. Instead, I grabbed the remaining journals and dumped them all into the fire at once.

The flames leaped higher, lighting my face as I smiled coldly. “Who are you asking about?”

His grip tightened, desperation creeping into his voice. “Stop playing games. I need to see her. I have something important to tell her.”

“You won’t find her,” I laughed, the sound harsh even to my ears. “Whatever you wanted to say, save it. Audrey won’t hear you anymore.”

“How would you know?” he demanded. “Just tell me where she is, I’ll find her myself.”

“Where will you find her, in heaven?”

His grip went slack. “What do you mean?”

I stared directly into his eyes. “Audrey is dead.”

Thunder crashed somewhere in the distance.

hit him.

muttered. “Three days ago she

He lunged forward, grabbing

She was fine! This is just another trick because she doesn’t want to

shook me. “What kind of joke is this? You’re her best friend how could

1/4

This performance now? Where was this concern when she was alive? When he kept her locked up, refused her medicine, spent every

she really is,”

He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders. “Are

“Fine,” I said calmly.

to Blake, pointing at the fire barrel. “You want to find Audrey?

toward the flames, his face went

“Why don’t you? You never cared when she was alive. Now you’re putting on this

Blake’s POV

I stopped hearing Astrid.

elegant handwriting on one journal cover read: “There might

Audrey’s handwriting.

been so fixated on finding Audrey I hadn’t noticed

my skin, burned

tried to pull me

gathered every charred scrap, spreading them on the ground. Each page contained Audrey’s

Rachel be right that someone like him would

him again at the nursing home.

I’ll marry him, care for

after all.

word cut deeper than the burns on

I knew she wrote in her study but never looked. If I’d bothered to read these, would I have figured it out

up at Astrid, voice raw, “Where is

can’t be dead. This has to be another way

everything I need to.

turned to

2/4

Chapter 281

gave me a worried look before helping Astrid

ground, piecing together burnt fragments of Audrey’s heart, reading until my face was

fell. The lot emptied. I sat alone with the ashes of Audrey’s

up.