Chapter 5
Wyatt’s fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white.
“NO! NO WAY! My wife’s HERE! She’s on the balcony!”
His eyes turned bloodshot, but he kept them locked on the floor. Wouldn’t even glance toward the balcony.
Wyatt couldn’t wrap his head around it. I’d survived eight years of hell in that wheelchair–why would I jump now?
Jax started shaking all over, tears suddenly pouring down his face as he choked out, “That’s NOT my mom! She’s strong! She promised she’d never leave me! You’re WRONG!”
The building manager frowned, irritation creeping into his voice.
“We checked her ID, medical records, everything. It’s Delilah. She alive over there or what?”
That sentence hit them both like a whip cracking across their backs.
Wyatt’s head snapped up. Step by step, he dragged himself toward the balcony, each movement like lifting a thousand pounds.
The closer he got, the clearer it became.
The wheelchair sat empty.
That same wheelchair I’d been trapped in, now covered in a thin layer of dust.
Wyatt’s brain went completely blank. His heart felt like someone had it in a chokehold, squeezing until he couldn’t breathe.
“No… this can’t be real.”
Jax stumbled after him. The second he saw the empty wheelchair, his crying turned into this raw, broken wail.
“MOM!”
“No no no–she PROMISED! She wouldn’t leave! She WOULDN’T!”
He collapsed onto the floor, gripping the wheelchair wheels so hard his fingers started bleeding.
“I killed her… I killed Mom…”
The building manager watched them fall apart and didn’t even try to hide his disgust. His voice turned ice–cold.
“You gotta come ID the body. Been in our lobby two days now.”
“Your wife and
you
didn’t even KNOW. That’s fucking pathetic.”
So You Wanted Me Gone? The Comedy Show from My Ghost Perch Is Savage!
2.7%
Chapter 5
Then he turned and slammed the door behind him, leaving nothing but suffocating silence.
I floated beside them, feeling lost.
Why were they crying?
Didn’t they want me gone? Didn’t they think I was dead weight holding them back?
Now that I was actually gone and they were free, shouldn’t they be relieved?
Wyatt’s red–rimmed eyes, Jax’s gut–wrenching sobs–I didn’t recognize this version of them.
They were actually sad… because of me?
Suddenly, Wyatt’s phone buzzed. The lawyer’s name lit up the screen.
He answered with trembling hands.
“Mr. Reid, sent the prenup to Ms. Blake. She’s got issues with the split. We redoing this or what?”
Wyatt squeezed his eyes shut. Tears soaked into his collar. He bit out each word.
“No. Rip it up. Don’t send her shit.”
He hung up and wiped his face roughly.
Turning to Jax, his voice came out choked and broken.
“Jax, stay here. Gonna bring Mom home.”
He was scared Jax would be traumatized seeing the body, so he didn’t let him come along.
Wyatt rushed downstairs. I followed him, watching his straight, strong back slowly crumble.
When he reached the lobby and saw the gurney with the white sheet draped over it, he couldn’t hold it together anymore. He dropped to his knees and just… broke.
I let out a quiet sigh, then drifted back to check on Jax.
Jax was alone in the apartment. He wanted to find his dad. Wanted to see me one last time.
He stumbled out of the building in a daze–and then a van came out of nowhere and yanked him inside.
♡ (0)
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
