Chapter 20
Those words were cruel and vicious–completely different from the gentle, innocent act Tiffany put on in front of Ethan.
Even though Ethan knew she only loved his money, learning the truth like this was still hard to accept.
He was used to being in control, manipulating others–this was the first time he’d miscalculated so badly and been deceived.
The director’s call had been abruptly hung up by Tiffany that day, but fortunately, sensing something was off, he’d had the foresight to hit record. After the audio finished playing, he added: “Mr. Thompson, we tried calling you afterward, but couldn’t get through.”
Ethan slowly released his grip, his expression and reaction becoming quite telling.
By now, what didn’t he understand? Tiffany had definitely blocked the funeral director’s number right after hanging up that call.
The office was so quiet that even could hear a pin drop.
The director asked cautiously: “Mr. Thompson, Ms. Thompson’s ashes are still in our storage area. Since you’re here, perhaps you’d like to discuss arrangements for her final services?”
Ethan’s eyes were red as blood: “Fine, I need to see if she’s really dead!”
As long as there was even the slightest hope, he would never accept the fact that she was gone. It was impossible–everything had been fine just recently!
He ran through every possibility in his mind, even considering that this might be some kind of cruel prank, but he refused to face the truth.
Others might not know the specifics, but he knew exactly where those sedatives had come from–he’d bribed the nurse to drug Claire so he could mess around with Tiffany without worry.
But he’d only wanted her to sleep longer. He’d never meant to kill her!
Ethan stubbornly held onto his denial until the director brought out Claire’s death certificate and handed it to him with genuine regret: “Mr. Thompson, please sign here. Whatever your relationship was, it’s tragic for someone so young to pass away.”
The death certificate was covered in official seals–there was no way it could be fake. No matter how much he refused to accept reality, he had to acknowledge that Claire was dead.
Ethan couldn’t remember–or didn’t want to remember–exactly what happened next.
All he knew was that when he walked out of the funeral home carrying her ashes, the only emotion left was numbness.
Claire was dead, and with her went all his expectations. It felt like the rest of his life had lost all meaning.
Ethan didn’t dare think about who had actually killed Claire, so he shifted all the blame onto the nurse he’d bribed. If she hadn’t made a mistake with the medication, how could Claire have died?
His calculations for the dosage had been absolutely correct!
Making someone else the murderer became his lifeline for staying sane.
22:04 C
Two Chances, One Bullet: How His “Next Life” Promise Failed
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Chapter 20
Then Ethan returned to the hospital carrying the urn and stormed into the administrative office, demanding: “Get that nurse here now–the one who was taking care of my wife. My wife is dead, and she’s definitely responsible!”
The administrator had plenty of experience dealing with angry families and immediately explained: “Mr. Thompson, we understand your grief, but the person you’re looking for resigned three days ago and left in a hurry. Nobody knows where she
went.”
“You let her leave?” he accused furiously. “Don’t you realize the patient she was caring for just died from a sedative overdose? She’s the prime suspect in my wife’s murder!”
Chapter 21
