I called Alexander Griffin a week after our fight, which resulted in us not speaking to each other. "Come home tonight. We need to talk."I heard his breath hitch on the other end, followed by an impassive word, "Sure. I'll get off work early tonight."I nodded and said nothing before hanging up. It was 5:30 pm, and Alexander wouldn't get off work for another hour.After some thought, I left the suitcase I'd packed by the staircase and headed out on a grocery run. I figured I would cook tonight; it would be my last dinner with Alexander.I had planned on going home to cool off after my recent fight with Alexander, but he beat me to it. It had been a week since he'd moved out to stay in his office.Now that I had packed my suitcase, I could make a clean exit.On my way to the supermarket, I ran into some of Alexander's friends. They dragged me to a bar against my protest and attempted to hold an intervention."Come on, Isabelle. We grew up with Sasha. She and Alex are just childh
Next to the Caleb, Felix Jennings drawled, "Yeah. We tried to tell Alexander that dating you was a bad idea, but he was all game. I can't believe you thought you meant something to him."Where are you rushing off to anyway? Let me guess, we're not good enough for you to hang out with?"I hardly ever hung out with any of Alexander's friends even though we had been dating for years. From what I heard, they frequently took jabs at me, saying I was prissy and that I thought myself better than them.They didn't like me because I couldn't go all out like Sasha. Alexander had told them the reason. "Her health's pretty delicate. I can't let her join in on your idea of fun."Needless to say, they didn't buy it and thought Alexander was being protective of me and speaking up for me. However, my health truly was delicate. I was asthmatic; under serious circumstances, I could die.Alexander's friends were from the underworld. They had grown up together and been friends for over a decade. Ciga
I had left home so hurriedly today that I'd forgotten my inhaler. Furious that Caleb and his buddies were laughing at me and holding me hostage, I called Alexander for help.Alexander was a doctor working in the ER. He was normally too tied up to answer his phone, but he had promised me that he would never reject my calls.Out of consideration for his busy schedule, I never called him. I would usually text him to give him a heads-up, and I'd only call if he was free to answer. This time, I called him without texting him first.The beeping on the other line went on for so long that the call ended on its own. Undeterred, I called him again and again.I had lost count of the calls I'd made when Felix suddenly cried, "Caleb! Someone crashed into Sasha's car from behind. She's now in the hospital. Call her and ask if she's okay!"I froze. Sasha got into a car accident?However, Caleb dismissed Felix's concern with a nonchalant flick of his hand. He pulled up his Instagram and showed i
Alexander had wasted precious time reprimanding me and missed the golden hour. I was suffocating so badly by the time he hung up the call that I could not utter a single word. I toppled to the ground, convulsing as I gasped for air.Felix jumped at the sight of me struggling to breathe. He looked to Caleb and the other man on the couch, seeking help. "Caleb, she's… She'll be fine, right?"Before Caleb could answer, Liam Carter spoke up beside him, sounding nonchalant. "Of course. She's probably jealous that Alex and Sasha are getting close."This is probably just an act to get his attention. Leave her alone; I'd like to see what other acts she has up her sleeve."Liam had a thing for Sasha, and this was his way of helping her get back at me.In the end, I died in the lounge.The three men didn't notice something was amiss until I had laid stiffly and lifelessly on the ground for ten whole minutes. They blanched when they realized I truly wasn't breathing.They were at a complete
Alexander always accused me of not trusting him. He would get angry whenever I questioned his love for me. But was I supposed to believe that nothing was going on between him and Sasha?Before Sasha returned from abroad, Alexander would text me or call me to say goodnight no matter how late he was working overtime. Most days, he would come straight home after work.He would even send me his weekly roster in the hospital so that I knew not to wait for him on the nights he worked shifts. On his days off, which were far and few in between, he would plan getaways just for the two of us.But all that changed when Sasha returned.Instead of coming straight home after work, Alexander would get a call from Sasha and head to wherever she wanted to hang out. Gone were the texts and calls he would give me whenever he was working overtime, and I would end up waiting for him to come home even after midnight.When I asked him about it, he would tell me he was hanging out with his buddies, among
Sasha's calls were always untimely, and she would hijack whatever plans Alexander and I had made. She would either say she was injured or in a foul mood and needed drinking company. In short, she would say anything to get Alexander to hang out with her.I would stop Alexander, but he would only lecture me in return."Don't be so childish, Isabelle. Sasha isn't the type to call me if she weren't in trouble.""I'm just going to make sure she's alright. I'll be back before you know it.""Come on, how could you say such mean things about Sasha? She's three years younger than you!"Sasha would also prepare dinner for Alexander and wait by the hospital entrance for him to get off work. Our recent fight had stemmed from me catching Sasha and Alexander feeding each other and chatting away while I was dropping off a late-night snack for him to help him get through his night shift.He told me it was a game they used to play as children, but I was disgusted. He was so openly close to Sasha,
Alexander did not see the suitcase I had left by the stairwell.He went to work, as usual, the next few days, and he resumed texting me, too. "I'm off work the day after tomorrow. Why don't we go to the beach? You've been wanting to go, right?""Where did you put the new toothbrush? I can't find it. Just text me.""How's your mom's lumbar hernia? Maybe you could bring your mom over to the hospital for an assessment. I could put in a word with Dr. Olsen for you.""It's been days. I've already apologized, and I told you Sasha is nothing more than a sister to me. Why won't you believe me?"Sasha had left the hospital the day after she was brought into the ER for her scrapes and scratches. She could have been discharged on the day itself, but when Alexander mentioned he did not plan on going home that night, she insisted on keeping him company.After leaving the hospital, she did not leave Alexander alone and called to pester him to go drinking with her. However, he turned her down w
Naturally, I couldn't reply to any of Alexander's messages that night. At that point, he started to panic. He even swallowed his pride and called me.All he got from the other end of the phone was a mechanical female voice telling him the same old line. "Hello, the number you dialed cannot be reached. Please leave a message after the beep."My phone remained switched off. Three calls later, Alexander gave up and found my parents' numbers instead. He called them, and my mom answered.The poor woman was blissfully unaware of my death as she asked Alexander if I was adjusting to life in the city or whether I had lost weight. He asked anxiously, "Laura, isn't Izzy there with you?"My mom replied, "No. She said she was going back to the city to do some shopping for the wedding. Why would she be back? Wait, shouldn't she be home at this hour?"Alexander quickly softened his tone to keep her from worrying. "Oh, she must have gone out to shop for candy for the goodie bags. I'll go pick he
Caleb and the others did not hold back. "It's not like we're blind to what Sasha feels for you. We grew up together, and it's part of our brotherly obligation to help set her up with you!""Besides, you never brought Isabelle to any of our hangouts, and you expected us to believe things you were serious about her? We were trying to help you out, but you turned on us!""We didn't want her to die. She called you that night, didn't she? You brushed her off and said she was being jealous. We heard it loud and clear, too! Why should we be the only ones responsible for her death? You are equally guilty!"Alexander did not interject or cut them off. When they were done speaking, he broke his silence. "You're right. I am guilty. I shouldn't have given off mixed signals and let you guys believe I wasn't serious about Isabelle… And I shouldn't have dismissed her last call for help."But what I'd like to know is how the three of you saw her struggling in her last moments and did nothing to he
The police retrieved the footage 20 minutes later and immediately told Alexander to see it for himself.In the footage, I got to my feet twice to leave and, in no uncertain words, told Caleb and his buddies that I couldn't stand the smell of smoke.After that, I called Alexander for help. When I fell to the floor, convulsing and gasping for air, they thought I was acting and did not bother to try and save me. The security footage showed me clawing at the door to open it while the despicable trio watched and laughed.It wasn't until I had stopped breathing that they panicked. The footage showed them discussing among themselves and deciding to dump my body into the ocean.The audio from the footage gave clear and irrebuttable evidence that Caleb and his friends had caused my death. As Sasha had said, they weren't trying to intimidate or warn me.So, this was the long-awaited moment of truth.After watching the footage, Alexander was unusually calm. The officers in the lounge approa
Alexander was like a man possessed after reading my diary. He left home that night and asked around for my whereabouts. Not that he could find me; I was already dead and swallowed up by the ocean.He probably had a feeling that something terrible had happened to me, but denial had him holding onto false hope. He stopped going to work at the hospital and huddled up at home, waiting for me to return.When his so-called friends found him in such a reclusive state, they told him not to get so depressed over a woman. Infuriated, he threw them out of the house.Sasha seized the chance to shower Alexander with concern. She told him to cheer up and said I probably ran off with another guy.Alexander roared at her to shut up.About two weeks after my disappearance, the police got a call about a body found floating at sea. The caller had been swimming at the beach when they stumbled upon the corpse.When the police informed Alexander about this, they were taken aback by his pale, gaunt fac
I sat in the passenger seat and heard Alexander mutter to himself, "Please, Isabelle. Please be alright."I couldn't help snorting. Oh, so now he decided to pray that I was alive and well. And yet, this was the same guy who left me for dead when I called him to save me the other day. How ironic.At that moment, Alexander's phone rang with a call from an unknown number. Thinking there was an update on my case, he put it through. "Hi, is this about Isabelle—""Hello? Is this Mr. Griffin from Apartment 609? I'm calling from management, and we've received complaints about a suitcase in your apartment stairwell that's been there for days. Is there a reason why you haven't brought it home?"Alexander returned to the apartment and froze at the sight of the forgotten pink suitcase. He couldn't have known what I felt when I packed the suitcase, and he certainly wouldn't understand why I had left it on the stairwell.He brought the suitcase home and turned the numbers on the combination loc
Naturally, I couldn't reply to any of Alexander's messages that night. At that point, he started to panic. He even swallowed his pride and called me.All he got from the other end of the phone was a mechanical female voice telling him the same old line. "Hello, the number you dialed cannot be reached. Please leave a message after the beep."My phone remained switched off. Three calls later, Alexander gave up and found my parents' numbers instead. He called them, and my mom answered.The poor woman was blissfully unaware of my death as she asked Alexander if I was adjusting to life in the city or whether I had lost weight. He asked anxiously, "Laura, isn't Izzy there with you?"My mom replied, "No. She said she was going back to the city to do some shopping for the wedding. Why would she be back? Wait, shouldn't she be home at this hour?"Alexander quickly softened his tone to keep her from worrying. "Oh, she must have gone out to shop for candy for the goodie bags. I'll go pick he
Alexander did not see the suitcase I had left by the stairwell.He went to work, as usual, the next few days, and he resumed texting me, too. "I'm off work the day after tomorrow. Why don't we go to the beach? You've been wanting to go, right?""Where did you put the new toothbrush? I can't find it. Just text me.""How's your mom's lumbar hernia? Maybe you could bring your mom over to the hospital for an assessment. I could put in a word with Dr. Olsen for you.""It's been days. I've already apologized, and I told you Sasha is nothing more than a sister to me. Why won't you believe me?"Sasha had left the hospital the day after she was brought into the ER for her scrapes and scratches. She could have been discharged on the day itself, but when Alexander mentioned he did not plan on going home that night, she insisted on keeping him company.After leaving the hospital, she did not leave Alexander alone and called to pester him to go drinking with her. However, he turned her down w
Sasha's calls were always untimely, and she would hijack whatever plans Alexander and I had made. She would either say she was injured or in a foul mood and needed drinking company. In short, she would say anything to get Alexander to hang out with her.I would stop Alexander, but he would only lecture me in return."Don't be so childish, Isabelle. Sasha isn't the type to call me if she weren't in trouble.""I'm just going to make sure she's alright. I'll be back before you know it.""Come on, how could you say such mean things about Sasha? She's three years younger than you!"Sasha would also prepare dinner for Alexander and wait by the hospital entrance for him to get off work. Our recent fight had stemmed from me catching Sasha and Alexander feeding each other and chatting away while I was dropping off a late-night snack for him to help him get through his night shift.He told me it was a game they used to play as children, but I was disgusted. He was so openly close to Sasha,
Alexander always accused me of not trusting him. He would get angry whenever I questioned his love for me. But was I supposed to believe that nothing was going on between him and Sasha?Before Sasha returned from abroad, Alexander would text me or call me to say goodnight no matter how late he was working overtime. Most days, he would come straight home after work.He would even send me his weekly roster in the hospital so that I knew not to wait for him on the nights he worked shifts. On his days off, which were far and few in between, he would plan getaways just for the two of us.But all that changed when Sasha returned.Instead of coming straight home after work, Alexander would get a call from Sasha and head to wherever she wanted to hang out. Gone were the texts and calls he would give me whenever he was working overtime, and I would end up waiting for him to come home even after midnight.When I asked him about it, he would tell me he was hanging out with his buddies, among
Alexander had wasted precious time reprimanding me and missed the golden hour. I was suffocating so badly by the time he hung up the call that I could not utter a single word. I toppled to the ground, convulsing as I gasped for air.Felix jumped at the sight of me struggling to breathe. He looked to Caleb and the other man on the couch, seeking help. "Caleb, she's… She'll be fine, right?"Before Caleb could answer, Liam Carter spoke up beside him, sounding nonchalant. "Of course. She's probably jealous that Alex and Sasha are getting close."This is probably just an act to get his attention. Leave her alone; I'd like to see what other acts she has up her sleeve."Liam had a thing for Sasha, and this was his way of helping her get back at me.In the end, I died in the lounge.The three men didn't notice something was amiss until I had laid stiffly and lifelessly on the ground for ten whole minutes. They blanched when they realized I truly wasn't breathing.They were at a complete