Cynthia was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after she'd had a heart attack at a bar.When I arrived at the hospital, I happened to see a white cloth being used to cover Cynthia's head.Disregarding everything, I threw myself in front of Cynthia, trembling as I lifted the white cloth.I was engulfed in immense pain the moment I saw Cynthia's pale, lifeless face.It felt as if something in my head had collapsed, and a suffocating sensation lingered in my heart.Just two days ago, Cynthia had been playfully whining at me. Now, she lay motionless on the cold hospital bed.She was only 21. She could have had a bright future, yet her life had stopped in her prime.Heartbroken, I fainted as my vision turned dark.When I woke up, I saw over a dozen missed calls on my phone. They were all from my wife, Jenny Gardner.She must have heard about Cynthia's accident. My hands trembled as I called her back.The phone rang for a long time before it connected. However, before
I hadn't slept for three whole days. The moment I got home, I collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained.As I stared blankly at the ceiling, the pain in my heart spread.All of this felt like a nightmare.I hadn't noticed when my eyelids had grown heavy. In a half-asleep daze, I seemed to see my sister crying, begging me to save her.I ran toward her with all my might. Just as I was about to grab her hand, a splash of cold water suddenly shattered the dream. The icy water snapped me awake. There stood Jenny, one hand on her hip, the other holding the empty basin, her face twisted in anger."Wow, Landon, you actually have the nerve to sleep here!"Not having eaten or drunk anything for days, combined with the shock of the cold water, I was dizzy and disoriented.I wiped the water from my forehead. As I staggered to stand up, Jenny shoved me back down with a hard push.With her expression full of irritation and contempt, she wiped her hands in disgust."Where's Cynthia? Tell her
"Landon, I'm giving you one last chance." Jenny's tone was dripping with threat as she cast a cold glance at me. "Hand it over now, or you know the consequences."The consequences she meant were no more than a divorce.Whenever she was unhappy, she'd toss the word around, knowing it would bring me to my knees as I begged her to stay. She reveled in that power. I'd always been the one to back down in our arguments, but now… I wasn't going to concede again.Suddenly, I felt as if an insurmountable mountain stood between us. It was one I no longer wanted to cross.I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and replied quietly, "Jenny, I'll say it one last time. Cynthia is dead. She never took any USB drives."However, Jenny didn't believe me. "Fine." She sneered. "If you won't give it up, I'll find it myself."She began tearing through Cynthia's room, leaving her belongings in utter disarray. After she failed to find what she was looking for in the room, her gaze soon fell upon a sma
Jenny's expression froze. She opened her mouth slightly as if to say something, but no sound came out. After hanging up, she glanced at me with guilt flickering in her eyes. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking."Why didn't you tell me Cynthia had passed away?"I looked up, a mocking smile playing on my lips. "I did, but did you believe me? You knew Cynthia had a heart condition. She couldn't drink alcohol or be under stress. Why did you make her go entertain guests?""Landon… I…" Jenny stammered, utterly lost for words.I turned to look at Claude, who was standing off to the side, trying to shrink himself. My eyes, filled with rage, fixed on him as I stepped closer."You lost your USB drive, didn't you? Tell me! My sister is dead; how could she have taken it? Or did you see her ghost?"Claude shrank further, cornered and unable to escape, finally falling to the floor.Seeing this, I sneered and headed over to the liquor cabinet. Grabbing a bottle of vodka, I tw
I moved into an apartment near the office and threw myself into work, hoping that keeping busy would help me forget the pain of losing my sister.While I hadn't contacted Jenny at all, she messaged me on WhatsApp every day, sometimes ten or more times.Sometimes it was a reminder to wear warmer clothes, sometimes to bring an umbrella, or even to avoid staying up too late.I only glanced at them, without replying to a single one.Eventually, I removed her from my pinned chats and set her messages to "Do Not Disturb."A week later, I ran into a furious Jenny outside my office building. Her voice was filled with anger as she demanded, "Landon, are you serious? What's the meaning of these divorce papers?"I was confused. Wasn't this what she wanted?"It means exactly what it says: divorce. Isn't it clear? I'm stepping aside for you two. I'm giving you and your true love a way to be together. Isn't that what you wanted?"Jenny's expression changed as if she hadn't expected to hear
Three days later, Jenny sent me the signed divorce agreement. I wasn't surprised at all.With her pride, she wouldn't keep begging.A month later, as I walked out of the courthouse, I received a call from the police. They informed me that a drunkard who had been harassing Cynthia outside a bar had been caught. He was linked to other murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.There was a price to pay for every mistake made.Claude, it was your turn next.Finally, someone invested in Claude's project.I facilitated ten million.The day after signing the contract, Claude proudly flaunted his new car and watch on social media, responding to his own post."It's not much; just a little over a million for the car."I completed a small goal of ten million, hence I decided to treat myself to a little reward."I scoffed quietly and let him enjoy his moment for a few more days. After all, the fall from grace would be much more entertaining.Claude started frequentin
I searched online for restorers and showed them the broken ceramic doll. However, all of them said it was hopeless. Only one artisan, Sabrina Quine, replied with three words, "I can try."Following the address she provided, I arrived at a timeworn-looking courtyard. A woman in a green dress was intently working on something, her expression extremely focused. Not wanting to disturb her, I stood quietly nearby, waiting.After a long time, when my legs began to feel sore and numb, the woman finally looked up and noticed me. She seemed embarrassed as she quickly explained that when she was working, she became so engrossed that she didn't notice my presence.I shook my head and reassured her, "It's okay." Then, I walked over and handed the pieces to her. She carefully unwrapped the cloth bag. At the sight of the extent of the damage to the fragments, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.I gently asked her, "Ms. Quine, is it difficult to fix?"Sabrina took a deep breath and replied
On the anniversary of Cynthia's passing, I brought a bouquet of bird-of-paradise flowers to her grave. However, I was met with someone I wasn't expecting at the cemetery.Jenny stood there in a thin white dress. She was barefaced.I recognized the dress; it was the same dress she wore on the day we got our marriage certificate."Landon, I was wrong. I've spent the night at Cynthia's grave, repenting. I only realized how much I love you now. I thought I loved Claude, but when I truly lost you, I could finally see what was in my heart."She knelt on one knee, holding a bouquet of white roses with a sincere look in her eyes. "Landon, I'm asking for your hand in marriage at Cynthia's grave. I promise to love only you for the rest of my life."I've gotten rid of Claude. Can you forgive me?"I gently pulled Sabrina who had been watching from the side closer to me, intertwining our fingers. Turning to Jenny with a blank expression, I replied, "I'm sorry, but I have a fiancée."Sabrin
I searched online for restorers and showed them the broken ceramic doll. However, all of them said it was hopeless. Only one artisan, Sabrina Quine, replied with three words, "I can try."Following the address she provided, I arrived at a timeworn-looking courtyard. A woman in a green dress was intently working on something, her expression extremely focused. Not wanting to disturb her, I stood quietly nearby, waiting.After a long time, when my legs began to feel sore and numb, the woman finally looked up and noticed me. She seemed embarrassed as she quickly explained that when she was working, she became so engrossed that she didn't notice my presence.I shook my head and reassured her, "It's okay." Then, I walked over and handed the pieces to her. She carefully unwrapped the cloth bag. At the sight of the extent of the damage to the fragments, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.I gently asked her, "Ms. Quine, is it difficult to fix?"Sabrina took a deep breath and replied
Three days later, Jenny sent me the signed divorce agreement. I wasn't surprised at all.With her pride, she wouldn't keep begging.A month later, as I walked out of the courthouse, I received a call from the police. They informed me that a drunkard who had been harassing Cynthia outside a bar had been caught. He was linked to other murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.There was a price to pay for every mistake made.Claude, it was your turn next.Finally, someone invested in Claude's project.I facilitated ten million.The day after signing the contract, Claude proudly flaunted his new car and watch on social media, responding to his own post."It's not much; just a little over a million for the car."I completed a small goal of ten million, hence I decided to treat myself to a little reward."I scoffed quietly and let him enjoy his moment for a few more days. After all, the fall from grace would be much more entertaining.Claude started frequentin
I moved into an apartment near the office and threw myself into work, hoping that keeping busy would help me forget the pain of losing my sister.While I hadn't contacted Jenny at all, she messaged me on WhatsApp every day, sometimes ten or more times.Sometimes it was a reminder to wear warmer clothes, sometimes to bring an umbrella, or even to avoid staying up too late.I only glanced at them, without replying to a single one.Eventually, I removed her from my pinned chats and set her messages to "Do Not Disturb."A week later, I ran into a furious Jenny outside my office building. Her voice was filled with anger as she demanded, "Landon, are you serious? What's the meaning of these divorce papers?"I was confused. Wasn't this what she wanted?"It means exactly what it says: divorce. Isn't it clear? I'm stepping aside for you two. I'm giving you and your true love a way to be together. Isn't that what you wanted?"Jenny's expression changed as if she hadn't expected to hear
Jenny's expression froze. She opened her mouth slightly as if to say something, but no sound came out. After hanging up, she glanced at me with guilt flickering in her eyes. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking."Why didn't you tell me Cynthia had passed away?"I looked up, a mocking smile playing on my lips. "I did, but did you believe me? You knew Cynthia had a heart condition. She couldn't drink alcohol or be under stress. Why did you make her go entertain guests?""Landon… I…" Jenny stammered, utterly lost for words.I turned to look at Claude, who was standing off to the side, trying to shrink himself. My eyes, filled with rage, fixed on him as I stepped closer."You lost your USB drive, didn't you? Tell me! My sister is dead; how could she have taken it? Or did you see her ghost?"Claude shrank further, cornered and unable to escape, finally falling to the floor.Seeing this, I sneered and headed over to the liquor cabinet. Grabbing a bottle of vodka, I tw
"Landon, I'm giving you one last chance." Jenny's tone was dripping with threat as she cast a cold glance at me. "Hand it over now, or you know the consequences."The consequences she meant were no more than a divorce.Whenever she was unhappy, she'd toss the word around, knowing it would bring me to my knees as I begged her to stay. She reveled in that power. I'd always been the one to back down in our arguments, but now… I wasn't going to concede again.Suddenly, I felt as if an insurmountable mountain stood between us. It was one I no longer wanted to cross.I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and replied quietly, "Jenny, I'll say it one last time. Cynthia is dead. She never took any USB drives."However, Jenny didn't believe me. "Fine." She sneered. "If you won't give it up, I'll find it myself."She began tearing through Cynthia's room, leaving her belongings in utter disarray. After she failed to find what she was looking for in the room, her gaze soon fell upon a sma
I hadn't slept for three whole days. The moment I got home, I collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained.As I stared blankly at the ceiling, the pain in my heart spread.All of this felt like a nightmare.I hadn't noticed when my eyelids had grown heavy. In a half-asleep daze, I seemed to see my sister crying, begging me to save her.I ran toward her with all my might. Just as I was about to grab her hand, a splash of cold water suddenly shattered the dream. The icy water snapped me awake. There stood Jenny, one hand on her hip, the other holding the empty basin, her face twisted in anger."Wow, Landon, you actually have the nerve to sleep here!"Not having eaten or drunk anything for days, combined with the shock of the cold water, I was dizzy and disoriented.I wiped the water from my forehead. As I staggered to stand up, Jenny shoved me back down with a hard push.With her expression full of irritation and contempt, she wiped her hands in disgust."Where's Cynthia? Tell her
Cynthia was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after she'd had a heart attack at a bar.When I arrived at the hospital, I happened to see a white cloth being used to cover Cynthia's head.Disregarding everything, I threw myself in front of Cynthia, trembling as I lifted the white cloth.I was engulfed in immense pain the moment I saw Cynthia's pale, lifeless face.It felt as if something in my head had collapsed, and a suffocating sensation lingered in my heart.Just two days ago, Cynthia had been playfully whining at me. Now, she lay motionless on the cold hospital bed.She was only 21. She could have had a bright future, yet her life had stopped in her prime.Heartbroken, I fainted as my vision turned dark.When I woke up, I saw over a dozen missed calls on my phone. They were all from my wife, Jenny Gardner.She must have heard about Cynthia's accident. My hands trembled as I called her back.The phone rang for a long time before it connected. However, before