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홈 / Emotional Realism / Ashes of Longing / Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

작가: Just Northbound
Before I could even react, several police officers rushed in and grabbed my wrists!

"Bentley Cooke, you are suspected of murdering Sebastian Wilson. You are now under arrest according to the law!"

The moment the cold handcuffs snapped around my wrists, my entire mind went blank.

"That’s impossible!" I struggled and shouted. "I just got back from Ashford Hollow. I haven’t even stepped into the hospital room! How could I have killed anyone?!

"Tell me, when did Sebastian Wilson die?!"

The memory of my past life’s tragedy surged back, and I demanded the answer at the top of my lungs.

Seeing my reaction, the lead officer, Detective Lewis Taylor, the same man who had led my arrest in my previous life, looked at me with clear confusion in his eyes.

Another younger officer sneered. "Arguing is useless. We have solid evidence."

I struggled wildly.

Detective Taylor watched me. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Sebastian Wilson died in his hospital room at 3.00 a.m. last night."

By now, the hospital hallway was packed with people. They were the same netizens who had donated online earlier.

"It’s him!" a young woman holding a selfie stick screamed, pointing straight at me. "I said it during the fundraiser. Any doctor who refuses to save someone must have something wrong with them!"

The phone in her hand streamed a live broadcast, comments flooding the screen.

"Trash like this deserves to be a doctor?"

"He should be executed on the spot!"

"I heard he even takes bribes from patients!"

The hallway erupted with overlapping shouts.

"Heartless doctor!"

"Murderer!"

A young man in a baseball cap suddenly rushed forward. "Ptui!"

A mouthful of spit landed directly on my face. "That girl got on her knees begging you, and not only did you refuse to save him, but you killed him? You animal!!"

Through the chaos, I saw my mother standing in the crowd. Her face was pale.

"Mom…" My voice caught in my throat. "Please believe me. I didn’t do anything."

"You’ve disappointed me so much." Her voice trembled. "How could you do something like this?"

The hospital deputy director, Dr. Victor Langford, stared at me coldly. "Bentley, the hospital spent years training you, gave you the best resources, and this is what you’ve done?"

"Director!" I struggled forward. The handcuffs clanged sharply. "I was in Ashford Hollow yesterday. I just got back today. How could I possibly—"

"Enough!" Dr. Langford cut me off sharply, his voice echoing through the hall.

"First, you took leave to avoid responsibility, and now you’re standing here making excuses! You’ve completely ruined the hospital’s reputation!"

Around me, my colleagues gathered in small groups, their whispers drilling into my ears.

"He always acted so decent…"

"I heard he takes bribes from patients all the time…"

"I even saw him harassing a nurse once…"

My heart sank, little by little. Things I had never done were now being treated as the undeniable truth.

"Dr. Cooke, I never expected you to be this kind of person."

I turned my head. Dr. Corey Brown from my department was looking at me with open contempt.

"Earlier, that girl knelt and begged you to save her father, and you said she couldn’t afford it. Then, when she finally raised the money, you took leave and disappeared." He shook his head. "And now look, you’ve caused someone’s death."

"You said I took leave," I raised my voice, locking my eyes onto him, "then how could I have killed anyone?"

"The police arrested you. Of course, they have evidence!" He let out a cold laugh. "Did you forget?

"The hospital has surveillance cameras."
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  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 9

    "That’s right. It was me."Aidan Cooke’s voice cut through the dead silence of the courtroom like a blade. He walked slowly toward the witness stand, his dress shoes striking the marble floor in a rhythm that made people’s hearts pound.On that face identical to mine, there was a chilling smile."After I went with that piece-of-trash father of ours, do you know what kind of life I lived?" His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a chest covered in grotesque scars. "That woman he married… she found new ways to torture me every day. Cigarette burns, belts… even boiling water—"My mother let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed from her seat. The judge’s gavel froze midair. Even the bailiffs stood stunned.Aidan’s voice suddenly rose, exploding through the courtroom, "And when I had a fever of 104 degrees, my dearest father threw me out onto the street in the middle of winter like I was garbage!"Soft sobs began rippling through the gallery. Ellie was already

  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 8

    "Twenty-five years ago, my father had an affair."My voice rang out clearly in the silence.My mother’s body jerked violently. Her fingers clenched tightly around the armrest of her seat, her knuckles turning white. I noticed her nails had already dug into the flesh of her palm, yet she seemed unable to feel the pain."My mother insisted on a divorce."I turned to the jury, my gaze sweeping across each face. Some were doubtful, some curious."At the time, I had a twin brother. The court awarded him to my father."Ellie suddenly let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her voice slicing through the courtroom’s solemnity. "If you’re going to make up stories, at least make them believable. Do you think you’re writing a novel?"I ignored her ridicule and signaled to Mr. Keller.The projector lit up. A yellowed photograph appeared on the screen.A frail little boy stood at the entrance of an orphanage, dressed in oversized, worn-out clothes. His eyes were hollow, lifeless, like a puppet’s.

  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 7

    At the detention center."0637. You have a visitor."I lifted my head.Through the iron bars, I saw my mother. She looked far more worn than the last time I had seen her. The dark circles under her eyes were stark and heavy."Mom…"Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. "Bentley, just confess. I’ll find a way to get your sentence reduced."I grabbed the bars suddenly. "You don’t believe me?"Tears rolled down her face. "Of course, I believe you, but the evidence is overwhelming…"…Three days later, in the courtroom."All rise!"Dressed in an orange prison uniform, I was escorted to the defendant’s stand.The gallery was packed. There were netizens holding signs, hospital colleagues, and in the corner, Dr. Langford."The defendant, Dr. Bentley Cooke, is charged with intentional homicide…"I scanned the room.Every face seemed to carry the same word: guilty."Dr. Bentley Cooke, how do you plead?" Judge Harold Whitman’s voice echoed through the courtroom."Not gu

  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 6

    "Animal!""Rapist!""A life for a life!"The crowd surged forward like it had gone mad. The police had no choice but to block them off, forcing a path through the storm of insults.I was shoved into the police car. The door slammed shut with a bang, but the vicious curses still pierced through the glass.Detective Taylor sat in the front passenger seat. He glanced at me coldly through the rearview mirror. "Regretting it now?"I wiped the spit from my face and smiled. "I didn’t do it. What is there to regret?""Still so stubborn," he scoffed.The siren wailed as the car pulled away. Every face flashing past the window was filled with disgust.Some people held up their phones, livestreaming. Some spat at the car. A child, held in his mother’s arms, even raised a middle finger at me.The police car slowly drove off. The hospital gates faded into the distance.In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Ellie standing on the steps, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her li

  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 5

    "They’re definitely working together!"A blond-haired young man holding up his phone suddenly pushed his way to the front. He aimed the camera straight at Mr. Keller’s face and shouted, "How much did he pay you?! You’re actually helping a murderer fake evidence!"Mr. Keller’s face flushed red. "That’s nonsense! We have full surveillance footage—""Who says surveillance footage can’t be fake? Everything can be fabricated these days!" a middle-aged woman beside him chimed in, her phone nearly shoved into my face.Detective Taylor raised a hand, signaling for silence. "We will investigate this thoroughly." His sharp gaze swept over Mr. Keller and me. "Providing false testimony carries legal consequences.""I didn’t lie," Mr. Keller insisted. "The footage is real."Detective Taylor glanced at me. "If it’s just one piece of surveillance footage, it doesn’t prove much. But at the crime scene, we found a number of items connected to you, including a surgical scalpel—the kind you would u

  • Ashes of Longing   Chapter 4

    By the time the police brought me into the surveillance room, my palms were already slick with cold sweat."Take a look for yourself!"Detective Taylor tapped on the keyboard, and the footage appeared on the screen.My eyes narrowed sharply.In the video, a figure in a white coat pushed open the door to Sebastian’s hospital room. The camera angle was awkward, making it impossible to see the face clearly. By the way he walked and the slight downward tilt of his head…It looked exactly like me.Movements could be imitated. I was just about to argue that, but then I saw it.Right before leaving, the figure lifted his head and glanced straight at the camera.That single moment was clear enough to see his face.It was me."That’s… impossible…" My voice trembled.Detective Taylor looked at me. "That's you, isn’t it, Bentley Cooke?"Dr. Brown paused the video and zoomed in on the face. "See? It’s identical to you.""So what do you have to say now?" he said, arms crossed, a mockin

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