Burying My Innocence

I was heading home from work like any other day when an out-of-control car suddenly hit me, throwing me off a bridge and into the river below.

It was late at night, and there wasn't a soul on the road. All around me, the river water was freezing cold.

Fully submerged in the ice-like water, I forced myself to keep one hand above the surface and managed to tap my emergency contact—just before feeling my consciousness slip from my grasp.

Please. Please answer the call.

I endured the pain and tried to stay afloat.

Falling into the water helped absorb most of the impact, so my injuries were still somewhat tolerable.

At that moment, I desperately needed someone to save me.

However, my call to Jerome Morrison just wouldn't connect.

As the bone-biting chill of the freezing water ate away at me, it was getting harder and harder for me to stay afloat.

I could feel myself sinking as my consciousness began to fade.

"Help… Someone help…."

Where was the driver who just hit me?

Just before I blacked out, I thought I saw a familiar face peering over the bridge, looking down at me.

I tried to lift my hand, but my arm sank completely into the water.

…

I didn't know how, but when I opened my eyes again, I found myself next to Jerome.

Overjoyed, I rushed toward him, believing that everything that had happened earlier was just a bad dream.

To my surprise, I passed right through his body.

I froze as I stared blankly at my own hands, shocked by the revelation.

Was I… dead?

At that moment, Jerome was still sitting there with a furrowed brow, flipping through a case file on his desk.

Looking closely, I realized that it was documents on Caroline Hudson's lawsuit regarding the inheritance.

I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

His phone was right there beside him, within easy view of his peripheral vision. He'd have no problem spotting an incoming call.

So, why didn't he answer my call earlier?

It was already 2:00 am by now, and I still wasn't home. Was he not worried at all about my safety?

I sat silently beside him and felt the air around me grow cold.

I supposed that my body was still floating somewhere in that river.

Who knew when someone would eventually find me?

But come to think of it, I most definitely saw Caroline in my final moments.

Was she the one who hit me with a car and then stood there watching me drown?

I didn't know how much time had passed before Jerome suddenly looked at the time on his watch and clicked his tongue.

He finally picked up his phone and called me back.

The longer the call went unanswered, the deeper his frown became.

But I knew full well that it wasn't a frown of concern—it was one of anger.

Sure enough, before the ringtone could even finish, Jerome impatiently tossed the phone onto the table.

"Her temper is getting out of control lately. One missed call, and she goes off the radar. She won't answer her phone and doesn't come home!"

I let out a bitter laugh.

We had a fight just before I went out earlier that day. The reason being, Caroline kept overstepping her boundaries, and Jerome had always indulged her.

Oh, Jerome. I so badly wanted to tell him that I was caught in an accident on my way home from working late.

As much as I would like to come home, that was no longer possible.

…

Late into the night, Jerome fell asleep on the couch.

As I looked at his side profile, I was pulled into a tide of memories.

I had fallen for Jerome at first sight.

But even back then, the one he loved was always Caroline.

Unfortunately for him, Caroline was an ambitious one. She had no interest in someone who came from a modest background like Jerome.

They dated briefly for two months, but after college, Caroline jumped straight into marrying a wealthy man 20 years her senior.

During those two months after they broke up, I witnessed every bit of Jerome's downfall.

He drowned himself in alcohol, stayed in every day, and even turned to self-harming.

During that time, I was the one who stayed by his side and took care of him.