A Lost Love: No More Us

"This is the body donation agreement, Mr. Lewis. Please sign here." Amy Hanks, a staff member of the body donation department, handed the agreement over.

Joel Lewis stared at the thin paper placed before him. His hand trembled slightly around the pen he was gripping.

Amy noticed his hesitation and said kindly, "It's normal to have second thoughts—after all, body donation is a big decision. You can take some time to talk it over with your family before deciding on it."

Joel could tell that Amy was giving him an out, allowing him to back out if he wanted. However, he only smiled and signed his name in the bottom right corner. "It's done."

Amy thanked him sincerely. "Thank you for your contribution to the medical field, Mr. Lewis. This is your body donation certificate."

…

The house was empty by the time Joel returned. On the table lay the breakfast he had prepared before leaving that morning. It remained untouched.

There was an unread text message on his phone. It was a text from "darling" which read: "I'm working late tonight. I won't be coming back."

Joel chuckled bitterly. Rachel Harrison had been "working late" more frequently lately.

He knew that she was likely spending time with Christopher again.

Christopher Scott was Rachel's secretary. He was suffering from depression.

He fell in love with Rachel but was torn between his feelings and the guilt of betraying his conscience. Unable to accept being a homewrecker, he eventually succumbed to the emotional conflict, leading to depression.

As such, Rachel took all the responsibility upon herself.

She had often told Joel that the reason behind Christopher's condition was due to her marriage with him.

Rachel felt guilty toward him, so she took even more care of him and indulged him. Eventually, her pity gradually turned into love.

Joel wasn't sure what sparked their love. He only knew that the woman who once loved him so deeply and clung to him eventually fell in love with someone else.

He lay on the couch, bored out of his wits as he scrolled through his phone. Big data was impressive—it showed him just exactly what happened last night without needing him to search for it.

The video began with Christopher, wearing nothing but thin white pajamas. He was standing on the rooftop of a landmark building in the city center.

His pajamas stood out even more under the dark night sky. Countless people noticed him, causing quite a stir in the city center.

"What happened to him?" someone asked.

Another replied, "I heard it's because of love troubles."

Someone else said, "How pitiful! Which woman is foolish enough to take such a good man for granted?"

Christopher looked thin and frail. He was dressed plainly in white, and he looked lonely and pitiable.

Everyone sighed for a moment, then a burst of chatter suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"Someone finally went up!" someone yelled.

Another person exclaimed, "Oh my, they're kissing now!"

Someone said, "What a romantic scene. It's just like something straight out of a movie!"

Joel enlarged the video and carefully observed the kissing couple on the screen. The man was handsome while the woman looked delicate. It truly was romantic.

The woman seemed to love the man deeply. She hugged him tight and cupped his face before giving him a passionate kiss.

In the end, they embraced each other and faded away from everyone's sight. The whole city witnessed their beautiful love that night.

Joel turned his phone off, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. It slid down his cheeks and eventually landed on the couch.

This was the couch he'd picked out with Rachel when they first got married.

When they were still madly in love, she would hug him as soon as she returned home. She would take in the scent of his hair and close her eyes while holding him quietly.

Rachel would hug Joel tightly and sweetly say, "Just let me hold you a little longer, Joel. I feel at ease in your embrace."

But now, the person in her arms was no longer him.

…

Rachel brought back breakfast when she returned.

When she saw Joel, she asked, "Why are you up this early? It's perfect though, since I bought you breakfast."

She was evidently surprised when she saw the breakfast spread on the table.

Joel mustered a forced smile and said, "You must be tired after working the entire night. Do you want to lie down on the couch for a bit?"

Rachel replied awkwardly, "It's alright, I'm not too tired."

Joel asked, "Do you want to cuddle then?"

"No need," Rachel declined as she walked past him to the dining room.

It was unusually quiet at the dining table.

After eight years of knowing each other and five years of marriage, they had finally reached a point where there was nothing left to say.

Rachel's phone buzzed. She took it out and glanced at it while mumbling, "It's a spam call."

She then ended the call immediately. However, the other person was insistent and called her again.

Joel softly said, "Just take the call. I can't take responsibility if Christopher tries to kill himself again."