8
and m
Lucas Ryan sat quietly for a long time before finally standing up. He casually picked up shard of broken glass from the floor and made his way to the bathroom.
I followed him, confused by his actions.
Inside the bathroom, he calmly turned on the faucet and began filling the tub with water. Once it was full, he stepped in, fully clothed, and lay
back against the edge.
Then, without hesitation, he raised the shard of glass and slashed it across his wrist.
Bright red blood immediately spilled into the water, swirling and staining it. Yet, Lucas’s face showed no pain–none at all.
Instead, he closed his eyes, leaning his head back with the faintest trace of a smile on his lips.
“Claire,” he whispered, his voice soft and almost content, “since you won’t come to see me, I’ll come to you.”
I froze, staring at him in disbelief.
The crimson blood mixed with the water, wrapping around him like a shroud. His face grew paler by the second, his life slowly draining away.
I turned my head and sighed deeply, exasperated.
But before I could react further, there was a loud, urgent pounding on the bathroom door.
“Dr. Ryan! Open the door!” Mason’s voice boomed from the other side.
“I know you’re heartbroken over Claire, but you can’t let her death be in vain!”
“Dr. Ryan! You need to seek justice for her!”
The sound of thunder cracked outside, echoing through the house. And just like that, Lucas’s eyes shot open.
He turned his head toward the door, his expression suddenly sharp and alert.
A moment later, he stood up, stepped out of the tub, and walked to the door, blood dripping from his wrist as he moved.
In the living room, Mason and Lucas sat across from each other.
1:06
18
C
<
For someone who had been ready to die only moments ago, Lucas now seemed eerily composed. He had even found a first aid kit and wrapped his wrist with bandages, though the makeshift dressing was already beginning to soak through with blood.
Mason sat in silence, struggling to find the right words.
Lucas, his face pale and emotionless, finally broke the silence.
“You said Claire’s death wasn’t in vain. That I need to seek justice for her.”
“Was she murdered?”
Mason shook his head, his breath hitching as he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Lucas.
H
15
“Dr. Ryan, please forgive me!” Mason’s voice cracked, and he refused to get up. His hands trembled as he clasped them together in desperation.
www.
a
“When Claire’s body was brought to the hospital, I… I listened to Evelyn Snow. I didn’t verify her identity with the proper authorities. I sent her straight to the OR on the fifth floor.”
“I took Evelyn’s money. I-” Mason’s voice broke as tears streamed down his face.
“I let you cut out Claire’s heart without even knowing it was hers. It’s all my fault…”
By the end, Mason was sobbing uncontrollably, his hands covering his face.
“Ever since I found out it was her… I haven’t had a single night of peace. She was so kind to me, and I…” Mason’s voice cracked as he began slapping himself hard across the face. The sharp sound echoed through the room, and within moments, his face had swollen red from the force of his own blows.
Lucas stared at him, tears silently streaming down his own face.
“If Claire knew I was the one who cut out her heart and gave it to Evelyn Snow…” Lucas’s voice faltered, his hands trembling. “She’d hate me. She’d hate me more than anything.”
“That’s why she hasn’t come to me in my dreams,” he murmured bitterly.
And then, as if punishing himself, Lucas raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.
“For days, I’ve been asking myself,” he said, his voice heavy with despair, “Claire was an orphan. Who would’ve given consent for her be donated?”
“Now I know the truth.”
Mason broke down again, his sobs growing louder as he clung to Lucas’s arm.
“Dr. Ryan,” Mason pleaded, “you and Claire were so good to me… I can’t bear to live with what I’ve done. I’ve already decided
“It’s the only way I can apologize to her.”
Lucas nodded slowly, his expression hollow and lifeless. “I should atone too,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
He glanced at his blood–soaked bandages, his gaze distant.
“If I die like this, she’ll never forgive me.”
“I just… I just want to see her again. I want to see her so badly…”
organs to
to
turn
myself in.”
The next morning, Lucas Ryan seemed like a completely different person. He appeared at the hospital, clean–shaven and neatly dressed, a stark contrast to the broken man he’d been just the day before.
No one dared to question him about the days he’d been absent from work. But as soon as he arrived, Evelyn Snow, her eyes red and puffy,
