
Too Late for Forgiveness
Chapter 4
The Unwanted Visitor at the Funeral
"What?" Daisy was stunned for a moment.
Then, a displeasure flashed across her face, and she complained, "I already told you. James has no family left after losing his mother, so Caleb and I are only taking him for a family photo to comfort him."
Meanwhile, Caleb stood beside me and looked at me with the same cold expression.
"Dad, you're going to divorce Mom just because you're jealous of Mr. Benton?" he asked.
"Whatever. I won't go with you after the divorce anyway. You're useless and always nag. You can't earn any money and rely entirely on Mom. You're nowhere near as awesome as Mr. Benton."
As I listened to Caleb's words, every one of them dripping with disgust, the last shred of lingering affection in me disappeared completely.
"Fine. I don't want you anymore. Go find your new Dad," I retorted.
Upon hearing that, Caleb froze on the spot.
"That's enough. Must you make such a scene in front of Caleb?"
Daisy picked up the pen on the table and signed her name on the divorce settlement agreement.
"Hope you don't regret it!"
"Don't worry," I said, emphasizing each word. "I never will."
Staring at the divorce settlement agreement that Daisy had signed, I instantly felt a sense of relief wash over me.
From dating to marriage, I had given up my hobbies and my career for Daisy, slowly going from an elite legal professional to a homemaker.
Scenes from the past flashed through my mind.
I carefully put away the divorce settlement agreement and took one last look at Caleb.
"Caleb, you're ten years old now. Take good care of yourself from now on. I don't let you eat junk food because you're not in good health—"
"I'm not listening!!" Caleb covered his ears and interrupted me. "You talk too much. You and Mom are already divorced, so what right do you have to tell me what to do? I'll have Mr. Benton as my dad from now on!"
Looking at Caleb now, then remembering how he used to cling to my arm and call me "Dad" so affectionately, I felt a dull ache in my chest.
"Okay," I said quietly. "I won't nag you anymore."
…
After leaving home, I once again leveraged my connections to find the last bit of evidence and secretly submitted it to the criminal investigation team.
Once done, I carried my mother's ashes to the top of Windvern Cliffs alone.
This was where my father was buried. Before she passed away, my mother said that her wish was to be buried with my father after she died.
At the quiet funeral, James suddenly appeared, wearing custom-made leather shoes and a mocking smile.
"Luke, I heard you and Daisy are divorced now. Good, looks like you know when to quit."
I glared at James with hatred. "What are you doing here?"
The murderer who had killed my mother was standing so brazenly in front of her grave, yet there was still nothing I could do to put him behind bars.
"Come and see my work," he answered. "You have no idea how horribly your nom died. I even specially made sure I ran over her several times."
"James Benton!" I could no longer contain my anger and roared. Just as I was about to lunge at him, James beat me to it and threw himself to the ground.
The next second, Daisy hurried over with Caleb.
Caleb carefully helped James up and then glared at me.
"You're the bad guy! I won't let you bully Mr. Benton!"
Daisy slapped me hard across the face.
Her eyes were filled with obvious anger as she scolded, "Luke, what the hell are you doing? James came to the funeral out of kindness. Why did you have to hurt him? Apologize to him. Now!"
Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.
As I looked at Daisy and Caleb, who were protecting James, my devastated heart still ached.
"Today is the day my mom is being buried. And you want me to apologize to the murderer who killed her?"
"That has nothing to do with you hurting James," Daisy said coldly. "I already told you, the case regarding your mom's accident is closed. You injured James, so you must apologize to him."
"What if I don't?"