Death Is My Gift to Her

The sensation of falling was surreal.I felt like a kite whose string finally snapped, free at last from the hand that held it too tight.The wind screamed in my ears, but inside, everything was dead silent.For the first time in the six months since my stomach cancer diagnosis, I wasn't in pain.It had been too long.For half a year, my world had been reduced to the metallic tang of blood and the sterile stench of antiseptic.Every time I threw up, it felt like my organs were being torn out. Every time I swallowed, it felt like gulping down razor blades.To keep my wife, Helen Kerr, from thinking I was playing the pity card, I learned to flush blood-soaked tissues down the toilet and bite down on my hand to muffle the screams when the agony hit.I even hid my painkillers inside an old vitamin bottle.Because Helen once told me, "Reuben Baxter, you're a scheming bastard. Even if you died right in front of me, I'd hate you for ruining my floor."And now, I was actually dying r

It didn't take long for the waiter to return.He looked visibly flustered, though he quickly forced himself to regain composure after catching Helen's darkened expression. "Ms. Kerr… There's no one on the terrace.""No one?"Helen's brow furrowed tight. "He ran off?""He must have left," the waiter replied, keeping his head down.He didn't dare mention the single leather shoe left behind on the terrace, nor did he mention how strange the disturbed snow beneath the railing looked. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Who would want to ruin the happy occasion for the boss?"Good riddance."Helen let out a breath of relief, a flicker of disdain crossing her eyes. "I knew he was just putting on a show. He acted like he was on the brink of death one second, then vanished the next. A man full of lies like him really disgusts me."Austin exhaled too, patting his chest. "I'm just glad he left. I was genuinely worried he might do something reckless.""Reckless? Him?"Helen sn

Austin scowled, looking completely bewildered. "No… That's impossible, right? How could that bastard be dead? He must have staged a dummy just to fool you! Helen, don't buy into it!"As if clutching at a straw, Helen stood up abruptly, grabbed her coat, and darted out the door. "Right, it's definitely fake! "He's the ultimate actor! I can't believe he has the nerve to pretend he's dead this time! I'm going to expose him! I'll make him regret ever being born into this world!"Cruel words spewed from her mouth, but her hands were trembling so violently she couldn't even tie her shoes.She even tripped over the threshold on her way out, nearly taking a heavy fall.I floated right behind her, taking in her disheveled state.What was she so afraid of?She hated me more than anything and wished I were dead.Now that I had given her exactly what she wanted, shouldn't she be happy? Why was she shaking like that?Helen blew through three red lights, tearing down the road until she r

"No… No…"Helen sobbed, shaking her head. "I don't want a next life… I want you to be here now! Reuben, who gave you the right to make decisions on your own? How could you just leave me all alone?"Come back! Didn't you love me the most? How could you bear to let me suffer like this?"I looked at her total unraveling and let out a soft sigh.It wasn't that I could bear it. She was the one who pushed me away with her own hands. It was her endless coldness and relentless cruelty that killed the Reuben who loved her.I was just a phantom now. I couldn't offer her an embrace anymore, nor could I give her warmth.On the seventh day after my death, a heavier snowfall blanketed the city.Helen sat on the bench in the park where we first met, clutching the urn with my ashes.Snow dusted her once-lustrous hair, making her look as though she had aged overnight.She sat there completely motionless, like a stone statue.Passersby pointed and whispered, calling her a madwoman, but she d

The bowl shattered, splashing scalding soup across Austin's feet. He screeched in pain."Have you not put on enough of a show in front of me over these past three years?"I closed in on him step by step, like a relentless devil demanding blood. "Why did Reuben pass out? Why did my dad tell the maid to douse him with water that day? Austin, do you want me to pull the security footage and drag you straight to the police station?"Austin's face was drained of all color. His entire frame trembled violently. "Helen, I-I didn't mean to. I was just—""Starting today, make sure I never see your face again," I said, staring at him coldly, as if looking at a pest."And return every single piece of Reuben's watch that you stole. For every missing piece, I'll cut off one of your fingers."Austin shrieked and scrambled away, crawling on all fours to escape.Getting rid of that man brought me not even a shred of satisfaction.Because no matter how I retaliated, Reuben was never coming back.