The 13th Call to My Husband at the Crematorium novel Chapter 5

Caleb exploded with rage, storming up to me and slapping me across the face.

The force of the slap sent me flying, and I crashed to the ground.

But that wasn't enough for him—he grabbed me by the collar, seething with anger:

"Madison, let me tell you, no matter how much you throw a fit, I'll put up with it!"

"If you want a divorce and to run off with your lover, I'll let you have it!"

"But how dare you curse my parents? They're your actual parents!"

Yeah, Caleb.

How could I ever curse my own parents?

I loved them so much.

I lay there, limp, the sting from the slap and my aching body making my head spin.

I thought I saw my mom and dad.

I felt like I was really going to die.

Just then, a familiar ringtone snapped me out of my thoughts and broke Caleb's fury.

It was the ringtone Caleb had set specifically for Sophia.

Caleb slowly calmed down and answered the call.

On the other end, Sophia was hysterical, almost crying:

"Caleb, what should I do? Max's hurt!"

Max was the stray dog that she and Caleb had adopted together.

Whenever Caleb and I spent more than a day alone, Sophia would always use Max as an excuse to drag him back.

I saw the flicker of panic in Caleb's eyes, and a cold laugh bubbled up in my chest.

After finishing the call, he ignored me and started packing up to leave.

Just as he was about to put on his shoes and go, he turned back, eyeing me with suspicion.

I knew he was wondering why I wasn't throwing my usual tantrum.

Nobody cares about a stranger's actions—where they're going, what they're doing, who they're sleeping with.

The only thing that connects me and Caleb now is that we're still married.

I don't want to die and be remembered as Caleb Hayes's wife.

"Your family didn't have enough money, so your parents borrowed $10,000 from us to send her off, making sure she didn't break up with you right away."

Caleb stood frozen, shocked, not believing what he was hearing.

He seemed to doubt whether I had conspired with them to slander Sophia.

But Mrs. Aiden didn't care about his confusion, and continued:

"Who knew that ungrateful girl would break up with you as soon as she got the money?"

"Thank god Madison was there to help you get back on your feet."

She took Caleb's hand and patted it firmly:

"Caleb, you need to take good care of Madison."

"That's the only way you'll ever truly honor your father's memory."

Caleb's mind seemed to short-circuit.

After a few seconds, he looked at her in disbelief and stammered:

"Wha… What?"

"Did you just say 'honor his memory'?"