"What did you just say?" Jeff turned to Ida, glaring.
Ida waved Jeff's phone in front of him. "I just got a call from the insurance company. They said your mom took out a policy recently and needed confirmation."
"You tell him to keep her here! I'll go find Mom!" Jeff yelled.
I collapsed to the ground, my palms digging into sharp stones. Hearing this, I screamed in disbelief.
"No way!"
"That policy was taken out a few days ago. Maybe it just arrived at the insurance company today." I scrambled to get up, trying to explain.
"Call them and check! Ask them!"
"Enough!" Jeff shouted, losing patience. Ignoring the cameras around him, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.
Barely containing his anger, he pointed at me with tears in my eyes, "Once I bring Mom home, we're getting a divorce!"
Before he left, he glanced at the urn. In my desperate sobs, he threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces.
I stared at the scattered ashes on the floor, utterly devastated, looking at the enraged Jeff.
At that moment, the man who had once smiled so warmly at me died in my heart.
Now, we had become the most familiar strangers.