My Dad's Ashes and Her Darn Dog

Layla noticed the name Ethan flashing on my phone screen. She grabbed the phone from my hand and pressed the speaker button without hesitation.

Ethan’s gentle voice came through the line. “Nora, why have you not come home yet…”

Layla heard the affectionate way he addressed me, and her face twisted. Her sharp voice cut through the air. “Ethan! Tell me who this woman named Nora is. You had better explain yourself!”

There was sudden silence on the other end.

A few seconds later, Ethan spoke in a shocked and panicked voice. “Lay… Layla? How are you… with her? Do not do anything rash. I will be there soon!”

Before he could finish, Layla smashed my phone against my face.

“Bitch! How did you get my husband’s number? You still dare to say you are not a homewrecker? I will tear your mouth apart today!”

Pain shot through my head, and dizziness washed over me.

She pounced on me, grabbed my hair, and slapped me again and again.

I lay pinned to the ground, my face and body burning with pain. None of it compared to the pain in my chest.

Ethan really knew Layla. There really was another woman between us. The marriage certificate probably was not fake.

It took him seven years to rise from a penniless nobody to the heir of the Stanford Group.

I had used my father’s connections to help him reach that position. The thought of it now felt painfully ironic.

I held the cold urn tightly against my chest. Its icy surface felt like the only thing keeping me steady. I thought, Alright, Ethan. I will wait for you here. I will wait. Let us see how you explain this to me and to my father.

“Nora, do not worry. If Ethan dares to treat you like this, the Summer family will punish him first!” Vanessa shouted, even though the bodyguards held her down.

Layla burst into loud laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke. “You will punish the Stanford family? Who do you think you are? Two useless women who deserve each other. I will show you what death feels like today.”

She pulled out a fruit knife. Her eyes turned fierce as she stabbed toward my abdomen without hesitation.

Pain shot through me, and I curled up. My will to survive and the strength I gained from my father’s training kept me from collapsing.

I struck her jaw with my elbow, used her moment of pain to push her down, and fought back.

“What are all of you waiting for? Get her!” Layla screamed.

The bodyguards rushed forward.

Vanessa, despite her pain, grabbed one bodyguard’s leg to slow him down. “Who dares touch us? I am from the Summer family of Capital City. My dad is…”

She did not finish before a bodyguard punched her in the face.

My strength faded, and I collapsed to the ground. Pain spread through my limbs, and a metallic taste filled my mouth.

Layla snatched the urn from my arms. She weighed it in her hand with a mocking smile. “The Summer family of Capital City? You think I believe they would come to a place like this? At least this urn is made of expensive material.”

She raised it high, ready to smash it.

“No!” I cried out and lunged forward.

The heavy urn struck my back. A sweet taste rose in my throat, and blood spilled from my mouth.

“Nora! Nora, are you alright?” Vanessa crawled toward me, her eyes red. “I texted my dad. He is in a meeting at the nearby military base. He will come with reinforcements soon!”

Layla leaned close to Vanessa’s face and spoke in a cold voice. “A meeting at the military base? What a joke. Who do you think your dad is? By the time he gets here, both of you will be dead.”

She stomped on my hand and glared down at me. “As for you, I will make your father’s bones turn to dust to pay for what you did to my dog. Remember to apologize to my precious dog on his behalf. Some people are born low. I cannot imagine what kind of coward your father was to raise a shameless homewrecker like you.”

Hearing her insult my father, a man who had given his life for the country, made my chest burn with rage. I bit my lip, my nails digging into my palm. Hatred and despair surged through me. I did not know where the strength came from, but I forced myself to stand and punched her.

A commanding shout came from the doorway. “Stop!”

Two officers in police uniforms rushed inside.