Chapter 19
Chapter 19
He couldn’t connect her with that word at all, immediately protesting: “That’s impossible! She must be mad at me for not visiting her in the hospital. Just tell me where she is–I’ll apologize right now!”
The nurse looked at him with pity, like he was in denial and couldn’t accept reality. She sighed helplessly: “Mr. Thompson, maybe you should check the hospital records.”
As the family member who’d originally handled Claire’s admission, Ethan had access to those records.
It dawned on him suddenly. He dropped the flowers he was holding and stumbled toward the hospital’s records department, immediately identifying himself and demanding to see Claire’s file.
The records clerk, seeing Ethan’s clearly distressed state, verified his identity and showed him what he’d requested.
His hands were shaking as he turned the pages.
After what felt like an eternity, Ethan asked in a hoarse voice: “Is this real? Claire is… dead?”
Just connecting her name with the word “death” made it impossible for him to breathe, his heart feeling like it was being
crushed in someone’s fist.
The clerk saw him swaying, looking like he might collapse at any moment, and didn’t dare upset him further. She carefully explained what was in the records.
“Mr. Thompson, please accept my condolences. Your wife Claire already died a week ago from cardiac arrest caused by sedative overdose. Her body was transferred to the funeral home three days ago with family consent, and the services should be completed by now. You need to try to accept this reality.”
The implication was that she suspected Ethan was in denial, which was why he’d come to the hospital demanding to take his wife home. The truth was far more brutal than that.
Ethan had been completely oblivious to everything that had happened to Claire in the hospital. His vision went black and he nearly collapsed, but he gripped the desk to stay upright, desperate to verify the truth.
The clerk was worried he might pass out right there: “Mr. Thompson, why don’t you go upstairs and rest for a bit?”
“That’s not necessary. Just tell me which funeral home Claire was taken to.”
Once Ethan had recovered slightly, he rushed out of the hospital at full speed and drove straight to the funeral home.
He drove like a maniac, running red lights left and right, but none of that mattered anymore.
Ethan stormed into the funeral home office and grabbed the director by the collar: “Who gave you permission to cremate Claire? I’m her husband–how dare you something like that without family consent?!”
The director initially thought he was just some troublemaker, but when he caught the name, it clicked: “You’re Ms. Thompson’s husband–Mr. Ethan Thompson, right?”
Ethan answered through gritted teeth: “That’s me!”
He desperately hoped the director would say there had been some mistake, but instead the man looked just as confused as the hospital nurse: “Didn’t you already approve the cremation? We have it on recording.”
22:04 C
Two Chances, One Bullet: How His “Next Life” Promise Failed
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Thapes 16.
He pulled out his phime and played an sudio file.
The next second. Tiffany’s voice came through the phone’s speaker.
I claire’s dead, she’s dead. You don’t need to notify us. Ethan’s in the shower–I’m his fiance. As for Claire’s affairs, he doesn’t want to hear about it and neither do 1.”
Don’t you get it? Her funeral arrangements have nothing to do with us. All her family is dead anyway, so just handle her body however you deal with unclaimed remains. Cremate her and bury the ashes or scatter them–whatever, we don’t care…
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22:04
