His Perfect Wife Strikes Back

197 The Dark Sky

According to Vickie's will, her body will be transported back to Italy for burial. So Frade decided to hold a simple farewell ceremony for Vickie in the manor. After the ceremony, he would be in charge of sending Vickie's body back home with Mark.

Vickie was right that no Sicilian would refuse the dying wish to return home. This time, they offered to open their arms to the Logan family to show their deepest sorrow.

The place of the farewell ceremony was chosen in the hall of the manor, and all the participants were dressed in black as a sign of mourning. Black-and-white photographs of Vickie's life were placed in the centre of the hall. As her body was temporarily placed in the hospital morgue, guests had to mourn over her picture in silence.

Each of the guests held a white chrysanthemum in their hands and placed it in front of the tablet. In the photo, she looked at everyone with a smile on her face, her eyes looking at everything indifferently.

Frade greets guests who have come to pay their respects. The gloomy atmosphere in the hall made me feel depressed, so I made an excuse to go to the garden for some fresh air.

"Want a cigarette?" Liv came up to me at some point and handed me a cigarette.

"Thank you." I lit my cigarette with her lighter and we sat on a steel swing in the garden watching the sunset.

"I'm sorry about Vickie," Liv said as she let out a puff of white smoke. "I don't know much about her, but I think she must have been a strong woman."

"Everyone dies," I said indifferently.

"I heard from Mark that they're sending Vickie's body back to Italy," Liv said with a hint of sadness. "He asked me if I wanted to go back with him."

"And what is your answer?"

"What he means is, he wants me to live in Italy with him." Liv looked at me. "Don't tell me Frade didn't mention to you that they're going back to Italy. Mark said they might not come back."

"Do you want to go to Italy with him?" I asked.

"I don't know." Liv lowered her head. "I never thought about leaving my hometown for another strange country. But who knows, leaving might not be a new beginning."

"So you're hesitating?"

"I've been thinking about who I want to live my life for," Liv said, "When Jeff died, I felt liberated. But as I faced lonely nights alone, I wondered if I would have endured Jeff's abuse if he hadn't died. To be honest, I thought about killing myself."

"But he's dead and you're free."

"I always wondered what would have happened if I had stood up to him while he was alive." Liv smiled wryly. "Maybe I should have tried."

"Let bygones be bygones," I comforted her. "You're good with Mark now."

"You taught me how to be strong." Liv hugged me. "I knew very well that a woman's life should be in her own hands. So I made a decision. I wanted to be a warrior like you."

"Liv, you don't have to be." I looked at her. "You have to live the life you want."

I'm not a warrior. I'm just a woman reborn with a desire for revenge.

Liv smiled and shook her head, "One day I came across a housewife posting on the internet that she was being abused for help, and I got to know these people. You know what? In our country, many women experience unfair treatment, betrayal, violence, sexual harassment and so on. So I decided to help them out, and I met with a women's support group called Iron Rose. I want to devote part of the rest of my life to this association, and I want to help more women."

"Iron Roses?" I asked her. "You know them?"

"I've been in contact with this association for a while," Liv said, "But I've never told any of them that I know you, even though they sometimes talk about you."

"Have you thought this through? You and Mark might break up," I said.

"I think he'll understand," Liv said, "I'm not doing it for myself. I'm doing it for more women, and the next generation of women. If no one does it, then the cycle of injustice towards women will be endless."

"I don't know what to say," I said. "But I will respect your decision."

We sat for a long time before returning to the hall, where many mourners had already left, and today's service was finally over after Frade had seen off the last of her guests.

When Frade and I were lying in bed that night, we didn't talk about returning to Italy. I knew very well that the Italians had agreed to accept the Logan family, and I was not a Logan.

The next morning, I called Ian. After a night of reflection, I made a decision for myself and Emma.

"Good morning, Eva." Ian's voice was muffled. "If I'm not mistaken, it's six o'clock in the morning."

"I'd like to see the President."

"If you want to meet the President, you should call the secretariat. But if you want to meet your father, you can contact him directly," Ian added. "He told me that."

"Thank you for bringing this information to me now, but I'm still used to getting in touch with him through an intermediary."

"I'm on leave," Ian said.

"I thought you gave your life to your president," I said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you're suspended."

A sigh came from the other end of the line. "You guessed it. Because the president and I disagreed about something recently, he decided to let me take a break for a while."

"Unfortunately," I said sarcastically, "Do you want me to put in a good word for you with the president so you could go back to work?"

"Of course I do. But you wouldn't be so kind as to help me, would you?"

"Surely，" I said. "After all, I don't owe you anything."

"Not necessarily." Ian perked up. "Actually, my suspension has something to do with you. It has to do with your baby girl."

"My daughter?" I frowned. "You'd better not talk nonsense."

"I never lie," Ian said, "The President has hired another adviser, and he wants me to work with his new adviser to help him. But I don't like that guy, Max, and it's certainly not because he's younger than me."

"Get to the point, Ian."

"Okay. Max gave the president a bad idea. He thought your daughter was getting a lot of attention, not only in the country but also internationally. After the President made plans to start a war in the Middle East, there was a lot of opposition. But after he posted a series of posts about your baby and the president, the backlash actually went down."

"So you're using a baby?"

"Not me, Max." Ian corrected, "He's using the baby to create a better image for the president, and I have to say, it's working. Max also plans to bring your baby with him during his visit to Germany next month. So I objected. After all, I had promised you three months off. And no president has ever brought a baby on a visit."

"Screw him," I said. "I need to see you in 30 minutes."

"This is when the president should be getting ready for his morning run, and I think you should call him first," Ian said. "After all, I'm always free, but he's not."

"Okay."

This cunning man.