After saying his piece, Charles didn't stick around. He spun on his heel and practically bolted. If you looked closely, you'd swear he was running away.
Diana was floored by his words. She'd talked herself hoarse, and it was all for nothing. She lifted her leg, ready to chase after him. "Charles, get back here!"
But Tony grabbed her arm.
Diana wanted to shake him off, but seeing that Tony was an old man, she didn't want to hurt him, so she didn't use much force.
When she turned back, Charles was already gone.
Great. No way to get a cab out here in the sticks.
It was getting dark, so she figured she'd call Robert to come get her.
But when she turned on her phone, the battery was almost dead, and it shut off immediately.
"Damn it, Charles," Diana muttered.
Tony, standing beside her, spoke up, "Miss, you're all banged up. Don't stay out here. I've got a first aid kit at my place; you can patch yourself up."
Diana didn't expect Tony to ignore Charles's orders and offer to help her.
In this desolate place, it was kinda creepy to stay with an old man. Still, he was just an old man. She couldn't take Charles, but she could definitely handle Tony.
Just then, a loud female voice rang out. "Tony! Where are you? Dinner's ready. It's getting dark, and you're out here chatting with ghosts?"
The voice got closer. It was a middle-aged woman, Dione Saunders. When she saw Tony and Diana together, she screamed, "Ah, a ghost!"
Dione turned to run, but Tony quickly grabbed his wife. "Not a ghost, not a ghost. Mr. Percy came by earlier and left her here. I recognized her and was about to bring her home."
Dione took a closer look and realized it was indeed a living person. She patted her chest in relief. "You scared me to death. She's wearing a white dress and covered in blood. I thought it was a ghost."
Then Dione walked up and took Diana's hand. "How did you end up like this? Come on, let's go back and bandage you up. You can't let it get infected," Dione spoke with a bit of an accent, but it was kinda charming.
Diana relaxed a bit. Staying with living people was way better than spending the night with tombstones. So she followed Tony and Dione back to their place.
Dione was tall and looked younger than Tony. Her skin was tan, and as soon as they got inside, she gestured for Diana to take a seat anywhere. She then fetched water to help clean Diana's wounds.
Dione was curious about Diana but didn't push for answers.
Since Juniper's death, Charles would sometimes come to the cemetery but never brought a woman. Today was a first.
Diana was also curious about Tony and Dione.
They didn't seem fazed by Charles's behavior and even ignored his orders to help her.
Diana thought tonight would be rough, but it turned out differently. So she asked, "Aren't you afraid Charles will get mad at you for not listening to him?"
Tony was holding some medicine and smiled. "If we keep it between us, who's going to find out? You wouldn't rat us out, would you?"
Diana was taken aback for a moment and then honestly said, "No, I wouldn't."
On the way here, Dione had already gotten the gist from Tony.
As Dione bandaged Diana, she winced just looking at those wounds.
Besides the scrapes, Diana had bruises all over from being tossed around. She looked pretty beat up.
Dione muttered under her breath, but her hands were gentle. "That Charles, the older he gets, the more of a jerk he becomes. If Mrs. Juniper Percy were around, she'd definitely give him a piece of her mind."
Tony handed over the bandages and explained to Diana, "We used to work for Mr. Percy's parents. After they passed, we served Mrs. Percy. When she passed away, we came here to look after the cemetery."
No wonder they could ignore Charles's orders; these two had some history.
Dione handed over a towel for Diana to wipe her face.
When she cleaned her face, both of them gasped in surprise.
Dione slapped her thigh and pointed at her face. "You, you're... Who is it?"
She pointed for a long time without saying anything, but Tony, with a better memory, remembered, "Diana Percy?"
Tony looked surprised, then suddenly understood, muttering to himself, "No wonder he brought you to see Juniper."
Dione pressed further, "Mrs. Percy, did you have a fight with Mr. Percy? How did it get so bad that you even got beaten? Tony, call a car tomorrow to take Mrs. Percy back. I'll go with you to talk to him."
Diana's head hurt from Tony and Dione's chatter. She raised her hand and said, "Stop!"
Seeing the two of them looking at her anxiously, Diana slowly explained, "I've already divorced him. Don't call me Mrs. Percy, just call me Diana."
Tony and Dione looked at each other and then calmed down.
Dione continued to bandage Diana, thinking Diana was upset because of the divorce and had fought with Charles.
She comforted her, "Divorce is normal. Don't be sad. Mr. Percy, with his personality, won't be getting married again anytime soon. No one can stand him. You're young and beautiful; you won't have trouble finding someone else."
Tony couldn't help but defend Charles, "You can't say that. Mr. Percy has good qualities."
Dione shot back, "Good qualities aren't enough! Look at how he beat her and left her alone in the cemetery. It's terrifying. If you were a woman, would you marry him?"
Tony guiltily touched his nose. He had watched Charles grow up and didn't know how Charles had turned out this way. When Charles's parents were alive, he was a mischievous but cute little boy.
"Actually, I hit him too," Diana interrupted. She wasn't trying to defend Charles, just stating the facts.
But Charles didn't know how to hold back; he would either choke her or pinch her jaw and even throw her to the ground.
Diana hated that she wasn't tall and strong; otherwise, she could definitely fight Charles to a draw.
Dione laughed when she heard this and asked, "How did you hit him?"
Diana extended a hand and made a slapping gesture. "Like this, I slapped him."
"Good hit!" Dione laughed out loud, genuinely cheering for her.
Tony also thought Diana was brave. No wonder Charles was so angry that he left her in the cemetery for a day.
The wounds were almost bandaged, and Dione found her a dress, made of cotton and linen, very simple and elegant.
"Don't mind it. This dress was too small when I bought it. I couldn't wear it, so it's just right for you." Dione said.
Diana thanked her. She was very grateful that Tony and Dione took her in.
Since her rebirth, besides Robert and Evelyn, she felt warm again.