4 Leaf Clover - ᴹˣᴹˣᴹˣᴹ

38.

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3 weeks had passed since Clover had heard about the rumour. At first, he was discreet about it, not really choosing to acknowledge it until he discovered that one of his aunties often visited their family cemetery. Every other Sunday, Clover and his parents visited one of his mother's sisters, and they would all eat a Sunday roast. On one particular Sunday, his mother wanted to show him the plot of land they operated to bury their ancestors. Michelle, his auntie, was headstrong about coming along and she had purchased her own flowers to place at a certain gravestone.

The gravestone stood out amongst the others in the cemetery. It was made of polished white marble, gleaming in the sunlight, creating a stark contrast to the surrounding headstones. While the rest of the headstones were weathered and derelict, constructed from rough stone with names that had become indiscernible due to the passage of time, this particular gravestone was impeccably maintained. The intricate engravings and lettering on the other headstones were almost entirely obscured by encroaching vines, but this one remained untouched, standing out as a solitary testament to pristine remembrance amidst the encroaching wilderness of the cemetery.

"I don't know why you keep bringing flowers Michelle, she doesn't deserve it," Clover remembered his mother saying.

"She's my daughter, Katherine," Michelle had gently replied, her countenance sombre.

Clover took a spy at the name on the gravestone, Ivy Volvic. Clover learned that Sunday that he had an older cousin and that she had passed a few years ago. After that strange encounter, he couldn't help but wonder why he had never encountered his older cousin, he never learned of her existence despite his family harbouring each other closely. It felt like every trace of her presence had been wiped away, as if she had vanished from the face of the earth, leaving only her immediate family to remember her. 

Then, the rumours from work had sneaked its way back into his mind.

'There were rumours she was murdered by her family'

His cousin, Ivy, was there a possibility she was massacred? Clover didn't want to consider it but could his family go to such extremes? They were a affluent family, they had the money to mute the media if they wished, but they wouldn't sin so bad as to murder their own. Clover shook his head at the possibility, his family worshipped god, and to them, god meant doing good. Even if he didn't believe it, his family did and Clover understood to them, that doing a wickedness as bad as murder would make god turn his back on them.

In those 3 weeks, Clover had heard no information from the outside. There were no messages from his lovers. At first, Clover found it incredibly disheartening. He assumed that his lovers might have forgotten about him, or that they must've wanted him gone and were now revelling his disappearance from their relationship. Then, he began envisioning how Yuki would stay at work overnight to find a resolution, and how distraught Elio had been when he vanished and left only a note. He began thinking of how secretly protective Finley was and how he always cared about Clover's happiness.

They hadn't forgotten about him, they were just working hard to find a solution.

Remembering his lovers had kept him smart and attentive, he recorded every little thing. He took the phone down to family dinners, he even began taking it to work in hopes of catching those gossiping girls again. He took photographs, he recorded audio, and he did all he could. Since the first morning, Clover hadn't been beaten up but he had been smacked a few times. Clover had been making improvements to fit in and become this excellent son again, and he got along absolutely with his father. Yet, his mother was still...furious.

At any given moment, she would mention girls and betrothal. She would say how Clover was ready, but each time he declined. She would get infuriated and slap him. Clover took pictures each time and eventually, over the 3 weeks, he had gotten used to the sting and burn.