Chapter 12
“Mr. Merrick, the homeowner has explained the situation, and we’ll destroy your spare key. You can leave now, but remember–no more
trespassing”
Isaiah kept his head down, squeezing out a “Thank you” from his throat. He was about to leave when the officer called him back []
“Wait a minute.“]
The officer flipped through his logbook. “You’re Genesis’s boyfriend, right? You didn’t come by this morning when we called. Well, you’re here now–come with us to take care of her Social Security stuff and pick up her ashes.“]
The moment those words left his mouth, Isaiah’s head snapped up, his face twisting into a smile]
“What ashes? Wasn’t that a scam call? Genesis hired someone to put on an act, right?“||
His voice was steady, but his eyes darted around frantically, not daring to meet the officer’s gaze ||
The younger cop couldn’t help but smirk: “Good to be cautious–gotta give you credit for that. But this time it’s not a scam.”
The older officer patted his shoulder, his tone growing serious.
“The dead can’t come back. I’m sorry for your loss. Come with us,”
-0
Isaiah didn’t know how he’d managed to cut up Genesis’s ID card with his own hands, or how he’d taken that stamped death certificate and the heavy black urn.
By the time he came to his senses, he was sitting in the ruins of the villa ||
Charred wood splinters dug into his palms, but he felt nothing. He just kept stroking the photo on the urn over and over.
It was Genesis’s ID photo–hair neatly pinned back, a slightly reluctant smile on her lips. He’d forced her to take that picture years ago||
As he stared at it, his body began to shake violently.
All the emotions he’d bottled up for a night crashed over him like a broken dam
He clutched the urn to his chest, sobs caught in his throat, unable to make a sound.
Everyone knew Isaiah Merrick was the most put–together doctor at the city hospital–his white coat always pristine.[]
But now he just curled up in the blackened debris, letting ash and soot stain his shirt, completely broken inside
How could this happen? How could she be dead?
Just last week she’d been talking to him, saying she wanted to go to Bali with him next time
He’d already bought the tickets, booked the hotel, even bought her clothes []
But now it was all gone.
“Gen, you’re still lying to me, aren’t you?”
But even he didn’t believe those words anymore.
Because when they’d processed the death certificate, the police had given him two other things.
One was the ring from Genesis’s finger–a one–of–a–kind piece she never took off
The other was the lucky charm she always wore, the one he’d gotten blessed for her. He’d recognize it anywhere]
Isaiah gripped that charm tight, his heart ready to shatter like glass.
He couldn’t bear to think how desperate Genesis must have been, handcuffed to the bed, watching the flames close in with no way to
no way to escape
“Ahhh!”
It was all his fault. He never should have locked her up, never should have chained her to the bed
d with noch
no chance to run.[]
If he’d been home that day, the villa wouldn’t have caught fire. Even if it had, he could have saved her.|]
He was the one who’d killed her.[]
Guilt ate him alive from the inside,
The slapped himself over and over, hoping to ease oven a fraction of that crushing remorse.
When he finally ran out of strength, he crawled to what was left of the bed Genesis had slept in–now just charred wreckage[]
He collapsed onto it, imagining Genesis lying beside him, and quietly made his decision.
Come morning, he’d turn himself in.]
If it wasn’t the death penalty, he’d kill himself to be with her
Isaiah fell asleep clutching the urn
The moment dawn broke, he opened his bloodshot eyes.
He hadn’t slept all night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Genesis–Laughing, crying angry–but when he reached for her, she’d vanish.]
He sat quietly for a while, then got in his car to drive to the police station:
But just as he left the complex, his phone rang.
He hung up without thinking, but the caller kept trying again and again
He was about to turn off his phone when he saw a text message]
