5
I followed quietly behind them, watching everything unfold with a detached calm.
I couldn’t quite understand why Lucas Ryan seemed so shaken after hearing the news of my death.
Was he thrilled that his nagging wife was finally gone? Maybe his excitement was just overwhelming him.
Lucas stopped abruptly in front of the morgue doors. His earlier frenzy disappeared, replaced by an eerie calm. He took slow, deliberate steps toward the rows of cold metal drawers and came to a halt.
Mason, who had caught up with him, hesitated for a long moment, glancing at Lucas several times before finally pointing to one of the drawers in the middle row.
“Dr. Ryan… Claire’s… Claire’s body is in here.”
I floated silently beside Lucas, watching him lower his gaze to the drawer handle. His hand shook violently as he reached for it, fingers trembling against the cold steel.
But he didn’t pull it open right away. He just stood there, staring, unmoving.
I looked at his pale, bloodless face and couldn’t help but mutter sarcastically,“What’s wrong, Lucas? Are you so happy I died that you’re too overwhelmed to react?”
After all, with me gone, he wouldn’t have to deal with my “annoying” presence anymore. Nothing stood in the way of him and Evelyn Snow now.
☺
1:06 PM
<
After all, with me gone, he wouldn’t have to deal with my “annoying” presence anymore. Nothing stood in the way of him and Evelyn Snow now.
True love conquers all, right?
P
The thought made me want to scream.
“Lucas Ryan! I was your wife for five years. You weren’t with Evelyn for even half that long!”
“If you don’t shed at least one fake tear when you see me, I swear I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life!”
I yelled at him, as loudly as I could, but of course, he couldn’t hear me.
With a soft click, the drawer slid open.
A wave of cold mist escaped, revealing the broken, mangled body that had once been mine.
Even Mason couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.
Lucas seemed to lose all strength. He dropped to his knees, staring at my disfigured body. His entire frame began trembling uncontrollably, and then, like a dam breaking, tears streamed down his face in torrents.
I froze, stunned.
Was this… real? Was this the same Lucas Ryan I had known? Or was this some kind of ridiculous performance? Was he putting on a show, even now, to maintain his image as the “tragic, devoted husband“?
Before I could make sense of it, Lucas reached out a trembling hand toward my head, but he stopped just inches away, unable to go any
further.
I sighed softly as I looked at him.
It made sense. My skull had been shattered in the accident, and even though it had been pieced back together, the surface was uneven and grotesque. I couldn’t blame him for hesitating.
But then, out of nowhere, his anguished scream shattered the silence of the morgue.
“CLAIRE!!!”
Lucas shouted my name and lunged forward, wrapping my corpse in his arms.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” he sobbed over and over, his voice breaking with every word.
For a moment, I didn’t know how to react. My chest tightened, and tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
“What an actor,” I muttered bitterly to myself. “How did I never realize he was this good at pretending?”
Mason, visibly alarmed, crouched down and grabbed Lucas, trying to pry him away.
“Dr. Ryan! Stop! Claire’s body took hours to repair–please don’t touch her!”
It took all of Mason’s strength to pull Lucas away. But as expected, the moment Lucas let go, my body–barely held together–fell apart,
Lucas froze, staring at the disassembled remains in the drawer. His tear–filled eyes were wide with disbelief as he whispered, “This isn’t real… This can’t be real.”
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” His voice cracked, filled with desperation. “Claire, I know you love playing these little tricks to get my attention. But this… this isn’t funny.”
“Get up.” His voice rose into a plea. “Claire, get up!”
Lucas’s sobs grew louder, his entire body trembling as he clung to Mason, gripping his shirt like a lifeline. It looked like he might pass out at any second.
Mason’s own eves were red with unshed tears, but he managed to keep his composure.
1:06 PM
<
“Dr. Ryan… Claire is gone,” Mason said softly but firmly. “She’s… she’s dead.”
“No!” Lucas roared, shoving Mason away with surprising strength. “She loved me. She wouldn’t leave me like this!”
“She can’t be dead… This is just a nightmare. It has to be.”
He collapsed to his knees in front of my drawer, his movements slow and reverent as he reached for my left hand.
He grasped it gently, clutching it in both of his trembling hands.
“Claire,” he whispered, his voice raw, “please wake up.”
“I won’t bring up divorce again. I swear, we’ll fix everything. We’ll start over.”
“Please… I’m begging you…”
