Chapter 3

Adeline's dad's condition was for me to remarry within a week!

I was furious: "What nonsense are you talking? Adeline's not even buried, and you want me to marry someone else?"

He looked up, eerily calm, "It's just a woman, gone is gone."

Suddenly, he became agitated, veins bulging on his forehead, gripping my arm—

"Marrying and having children, continuing the family line is what matters!"

"Tomorrow, we'll get the death certificate, so you can find a wife sooner."

His words left me frozen, chills running down my spine. I shook off his grip, stumbling out the door.

Behind me, Adeline's dad shouted hoarsely—

"You must have a child soon, or it'll be too late!"

When I returned home late at night, Adeline's parents were still there.

They'd taken down our wedding photos.

Not only that, they'd cleared out everything of Adeline's: clothes, shoes, even her drinking cup.

The house had no trace of Adeline left.

On the coffee table were business cards from a dating agency, next to sheets detailing many girls' basic information.

That eerie feeling crept back into my heart.

All night, I lay anxiously in bed, a shadow of fear looming over me.

Around dawn, the bedroom door creaked open, and two figures sneaked in.

It was Adeline's parents.

My scalp tingled, I held my breath, not daring to move.

In the silence, Adeline's mom took my jacket from the bedside, inhaling deeply.

She sat by the bed, her cold hand stroking my hair, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement.

"Honey, do you think there's still time?"

Adeline's dad sighed, repeating the words: "That's why he must marry and have a child quickly."

"Whatever it takes, even forcing him, he must have a child within a year."

"Otherwise, it'll be too late!"