Lucas and Evelyn eventually broke up. I wasn’t sure why, and it wasn’t my place to ask.
One sunny afternoon, I happened to be delivering custom cufflinks to one of Lucas’s friends. Lucas was there, standing by the window, bathed in golden light.
He looked up at me, his gaze calm and detached, and asked a question that would change everything:
“Do you want to marry me?”
“Claire still isn’t answering her phone?”
In the hospital room, Evelyn Snow’s pale face grew even more ashen. Her eyes reddened, and tears spilled over as she looked at Lucas Ryan, her voice trembling.
“Lucas, in the five years you were married to her… did you really never feel anything for her? Not even once?”
Her voice cracked as she continued, her emotions unraveling.
“Is she really missing, or are you lying to me? Was this all a trick because… you never actually wanted to marry me? Because you never forgave me for leaving you back then?”
By the time she finished, Evelyn burst into heart–wrenching sobs.
I stood by the window, quietly leaning against the frame, watching them. My emotions had oddly settled over the past few days. I wasn’t even angry anymore. I had expected this.
I guessed Lucas would pull her into his arms, soothing her like he always did.
And sure enough, a second later, he frowned, stood, and wrapped the trembling Evelyn in a comforting embrace.
See? I guessed right.
“Claire agreed to the divorce,” he said calmly, patting Evelyn’s back as if to reassure her. “I don’t know why she suddenly disappeared, but don’t worry. I’ll go through with the divorce.”
“And then I’ll marry you.”
Just as those words left his mouth, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Before Lucas could react, two uniformed police officers walked into the room.
Lucas froze, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Officers, is there a problem?”
Before the police could respond, the door burst open again.
Mason stumbled in, panting heavily, his face pale as he stammered, “Dr. Ryan… C–Claire… Claire is dead.”
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The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Lucas stared at Mason, his expression blank as if he hadn’t heard correctly. “What did you just say? Who’s dead?”
One of the officers stepped forward, sighing deeply as he pulled out his phone. He unlocked it and handed it to Lucas, a video already playing.
“We’re here to inform you officially, Mr. Ryan,” the officer said gravely. “A week ago, your wife, Claire, was in a car accident. Her car collided with a bus on the highway.”
“The crash was devastating. She died at the scene.”
“To ensure accountability, her body was taken to your hospital. But no one ever came to claim it…”
1:06 PM
H
<
Lucas’s hands trembled as he held the phone, his eyes glued to the screen. The video showed the scene of the accident–twisted metal, shattered glass, and blood.
For the first time, I saw something on his face I had never seen before: shock.
The room fell silent. The kind of silence so heavy it felt like the air itself had stopped moving.
You could hear a pin drop.
Mason broke the stillness, stepping closer to Lucas. His hand pressed down on Lucas’s shoulder as if steadying him.
“Dr. Ryan,” Mason said softly, his voice filled with guilt, “the body you operated on last week… that was Claire.”
“She was pregnant. Two months along.”
“And now…” Mason hesitated, his voice cracking, “her body is still in the morgue.”
A sharp thud broke the silence as Lucas’s phone slipped from his hand, hitting the floor.
His pupils dilated, his face a mask of disbelief as he stared at Mason. “You’re telling me… that person was Claire?”
Mason didn’t respond this time. His eyes were red, his expression conflicted.
I could tell he didn’t know what to say. After all, it was him and Evelyn who had taken my heart without anyone’s consent.
And to think, I used to be kind to Mason.
Lucas didn’t wait for an answer. He bolted out of the room like a man possessed. Mason snapped out of his daze and rushed after him, leaving Evelyn frozen in place, her face filled with confusion and panic.
The elevator was stuck on the top floor, refusing to come down. In his desperation, Lucas took the stairs, racing down from the sixteenth floor. His pace was reckless, and he missed a step, tumbling down the staircase.
“Dr. Ryan!” Mason shouted, running to help him.
Lucas shoved him away, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. He staggered to his feet, ignoring the injury, and continued his mad dash to the basement morgue.
