My Husband Rose from Death

Silence pervaded in the room, and Jason held his breath as tension thickened the air. I blinked my big eyes and looked at Carroll pleadingly. "Just one piece?" He didn't die, so I thought that he didn't care about these offerings, did he? After a while, Carroll shifted his sharp gaze away from me. "Do you know who I am?" I nodded in a daze. "Carroll Brown." After a second thought, I realized that it was inappropriate to call Carroll by name. Therefore, I added, "Mr. Carroll." "Aren't you scared of me?" Carroll furrowed his eyebrows slightly, seeming intrigued by my lack of fear. "No. You're not a ghost, so why should I?" I replied, feeling emboldened. Instantly, a faint smile appeared on Carroll's face.  Carroll pointed to the offerings on the table and said, "Take these and come with me." "Where are we going?" I asked, puzzled but unable to resist the lure of the delicious food. I picked up two trays of offerings and slowly followed behind Carroll. This villa was spacious.  The living room was bigger than the playground in my primary school in the countryside.  The decoration seemed simple, but every detail showed the taste of its owner. I lived in the countryside, and this was the first time seeing such a luxurious house. Therefore, I couldn't help looking around.  After a muffled sound, I bumped into Carroll's back with an "Ah!" "Like the house?" Carroll helped steady the trays, which almost fell for the collision, in my hand and pulled me into the elevator. I smiled awkwardly. "This is the kind of house I've only seen in books." "Is this how the Smith family treats their own daughter?" Carroll asked, sounding more sarcastic toward the Smith family than toward me. "Well..." I didn't know what to say for a while. The elevator stopped on the third floor right then, so our conversation ended.  There was only one large bedroom on the third floor. Carroll pointed to a sofa beside the bed and said, "This is the bedroom. You can sleep here." What a good surprise for me! I had slept in my uncle's warehouse, so a bedroom was something beyond my reach.  This would be the first time I spent my night in a bedroom. Soon, I remembered what Joey had said. Mr. Carroll was the owner of this villa. Was this Carroll's bedroom? Did Carroll want to sleep with me tonight?  I clutched my collar instinctively. "Well, you..." Carroll shot one glance at my chest and then teased, "I'm not interested in a child." "A child? Am I?" I followed Carroll's gaze and looked down. The loose T-shirt made me look like a child who had snuck into their parent's clothes.  Well, I did look like a child now.  "Mr. Carroll." There came a knock on the door, and Jason's voice called out. Jason stood at the door with a food tray. After a signal from Carroll, Jason placed the tray on a small table next to the sofa and then said respectfully, "The things you asked for, Mr. Carroll." "Great." Carroll nodded and said to me, "You may eat now." Carroll sounded cold, but I felt moved.  All the time, my aunt and grandma called me an illegitimate child. In their opinion, it would be a waste of food to feed me.  According to their plan, I would marry the fool next door in the end.  What Carroll had said were the warmest words I had ever heard over the past nineteen years. Carroll had led Jason to the door. I summoned up my courage and said, "Thank you." Hearing this, Carroll paused, turned around, and asked me, "What did you say?" "I said, thank you." I raised my voice and said, "Thank you for your pastries and bedroom." Carroll walked back to me and then asked with a frown, "Did the Smith family abuse you?" "No. A mistake happened in the hospital after I was born. Therefore, I didn't grow up in the Smith family. If the Smith family didn't get me out of my village with 200 thousand dollars, I would marry the fool next door. A dead man is a better choice than a fool..." I spoke my mind accidentally. When I came to my senses, I found that Carroll looked sullen. Instantly, I shut up. Carroll took a blanket from the bed and draped it over me. With a long look, he left the bedroom. Looking at the empty room, I took one piece of cake and put it into my mouth. It was so delicious. I didn't know why Carroll got angry, but he was good to me anyway.  He had given me cakes and draped a blanket over me.  He even gave me a home! With this thought in mind, I ate slowly.  Did I have a home? It had nothing to do with the countryside or the Smith family. I had a home where Carroll was.  I clutched the blanket around me and felt the warmth the blanket brought me. It seemed not a bad idea to marry Carroll. It was a long day for me, so I wrapped myself in the blanket and fell asleep on the sofa. I found myself on the bed when I woke up.  Did Carroll carry me onto the bed? Looking at the quilt above me, I was a bit touched. I saw a few words in my palm when I put on my shoes. "Put on a good show." I didn't feel touched anymore. That feeling disappeared in a second. Only then did I remember the deal with Carroll about the pastry.  I don't know what to do next.  Alas, I would improvise.  There was a lot of noise downstairs.  What happened? I didn't spend much time on this question. I found the elevator and quickly went downstairs. The living room was in a mess. The offerings and broken trays were scattered on the ground.  Well... Did Mr. Carroll rise from death? My mind was in a whirl.  Was this plot part of Carroll's show? What was I supposed to do now? Before I had an answer, Joey appeared with the well-dressed Old Madame Brown. "Madam, where have you been? What happened here? Did a robber break in?" Joey reproached me.  "I..." Before I finished my speech, Joey continued, "This is Old Madame Brown, Mr. Carroll's grandmother." Old Madame Brown raised her chin slightly and squinted at me aloofly. I greeted with a sweet smile. "Good morning, Old Madame Brown." "Didn't you hear Joey?" The shrill female voice reminded me of my grandmother, who was mean, in the countryside. I quickly lowered my head and said nervously, "I... I don't know what happened. I fell asleep last night. Suddenly, I saw a man sitting up in the coffin, and he said he was my husband..."