Something in me shattered completely. My heart ached, and my eyes stung. I guess I was overcome with the urge to cry. But now,
I was nothing but a spirit. How could I cry? Why did I feel such unbearable pain even when I didn’t have a physical form?
Daniel stood frozen for a long moment, clearly stunned that Samuel had said something so cruel.
Suddenly, he exclaimed furiously, “Kristen was your wife! How can you not care about her at all?”
Samuel’s expression remained indifferent as he avoided Daniel’s piercing gaze. “Whether I care about her or not is none of your
concern, Mr. Jones.”
Daniel burst into exasperated laughter. “What a fool. To think that she gave everything for someone like you. If I’d known this
would happen, I might as well have taken her for myself. At least then she’d still be alive.”
His laughter faded, and he straightened his back. “Samuel, you’re the most heartless of them all. I’ll give you that.”
With a dismissive wave, he added, “Alright, I’m leaving. Doing business with someone as heartless as you unsettles me. I might
end up ruined and have no idea how I got there.”
Daniel sauntered out of Violet’s hospital room. As he passed where my soul lingered, he paused. It seemed as if he could see me.
Looking up, he smirked. “Are you seeing this, you foolish woman? This is the man you fought so hard for and gave your life for. If you’d chosen me back then, none of this would’ve happened.”
With that, he shrugged and walked away.
I watched his retreating figure, caught between anger and amusement. He was one of the culprits who brought about my tragedy. Yet, he was the only one who acknowledged the love and effort that I’d put in to make things work.
After Daniel left, Samuel stared at the door frame which Daniel had leaned on intently. His face darkened with each passing second. His hand gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Still, he didn’t loosen his hold.
1/2
Chapter 7
For a long time, he paced back and forth, sitting down and standing up in frustration.
Finally, he hurled his phone to the ground with a loud crash. “He’s not right in the head!”
+15 BONUS
Around 10:00 pm, Violet returned from the observation room to her regular hospital room. She was taken aback when she saw the shattered phone on the ground.
She grabbed Samuel’s hand nervously and asked, “Sam, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Samuel’s body jerked at her touch. His hollow gaze gradually focused on her delicate face. He stared at her for a long moment- long enough for Violet to blush under his scrutiny.
Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight embrace. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he closed his eyes in pain. Violet felt uneasy but didn’t know what to say.
Eventually, Samuel released her and led her to lie down on the hospital bed.
Violet held his hand tightly. “Sam, I feel like you haven’t been yourself lately. Why don’t you hire a private investigator to find Kristen? I’d feel better if you stayed here with me. I don’t know why, but I feel unsettled about my sickness this time.”
Samuel caressed her delicate face as his heart went out to her. “Okay, I’ll stay with you. I want to find her so she can quickly donate her bone marrow to you.”
Violet looked at him with gratitude in her eyes. “Sam, you promised me that you’d divorce her and marry me.”
For a moment, Samuel looked dazed. But then, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
He said apologetically, “I haven’t done a good job in giving you what you deserve all these years. I’ve decided to let Kristen go- and to let myself go too. Once I find her, I’ll divorce her. We’ll start a new life together.”
Violet wrapped her arms around his neck. Her gaze was unreadable–it was a mix of mockery and disdain. She said softly, “Sam, I chose this life myself. I don’t feel aggrieved at
all.”
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