Falsely Accused

My body was repatriated back home.

My wife, Samantha Langley, was notified to come claim it.

As she walked into the morgue, the overpowering stench of decay hit her instantly.

She hesitated.

Her beautiful face twisted in disgust as she muttered, "He can't seriously think that I'd forgive him for being a criminal just because he used his death to atone for his sins. Dream on!"

In the end, her lover, Isaac Henderson, carried her in.

My soul lingered behind, watching as Samantha bit Isaac's neck in a fit of rage. Then, afraid of hurting him, she licked it repeatedly, giggling.

My heart ached so much it felt like I couldn't breathe.

Samantha was flirting with her lover right in front of my corpse.

Some of the attending staff couldn't stand it and spoke up.

Samantha jumped out of Isaac's arms. She spat on the ground and finally lifted the white sheet off my body.

The moment I saw my body, my breath stopped.

It wasn't the sight of my body that did it. It was how disgraceful I looked.

"Joziah Henderson, are you proud of yourself now that you made a fake, rotting silicone corpse to fool everyone?

"You're probably hiding somewhere right now, laughing at the Hendersons for the humiliation you caused and at me for the way you violated me. You're absolutely vile!

"Even if you fooled everyone, you can't fool me! I wish you were really dead. Totally dead. I hope your soul can never come back to Virelia!"

"No, I didn't lie to you!" I rushed toward her in panic, but my ghostly body passed right through her.

She turned and embraced Isaac before planting a kiss on his neck. "Come to think of it, it's good that he faked his death. At least now we can finally be together openly."

Samantha had been carried in by Isaac, and now, she was carried out the same way.

All the way, she caressed his face and neck and kissed him over and over as if demanding compensation.

When they reached the office, they picked up the paperwork related to my body. It was a thick stack of medical data.

If she had just flipped through a couple of pages, she'd never have thought my corpse was a fake. But instead, Samantha just tossed it all into a trash bag.

Isaac touched her head gently and said, "Joziah dragged me down three years ago, and I almost ended up in prison. You worked so hard to clear my name. I owe you so much."

Samantha shook her head. "No, it wasn't anything big. I just spent a little money and sold off a few of Joziah's companies. My family didn't lose anything."

The companies I had poured my heart into for three years, the ones I built from scratch, had collapsed overnight.

My wife sold them just to help another man.

People said the dead wouldn't feel anything. But why did it hurt so much that even breathing felt like pain?

Well, I started the companies to treat her illness, so I guessed they served their purpose.

Samantha gritted her teeth. "It's what Joziah owes me. Selling off a few of his companies is just a punishment."

Isaac glanced back at the morgue. "This is your last time to see him. Once you sign the papers, his body will be buried. Are you sure you don't want to take one last look?

"Even if he made a huge mistake, he was still your husband. He used to be good to you. We're both men. I get where he's coming from."

Samantha spat again. Her face twisted in disgust. "You're too kind, Isaac. How can you defend someone who had hurt both of us?

"Back then, he forced himself on me even when I begged him to stop! It doesn't matter that we were married. It was still forced.

"You risked everything to save me, and because of that, you were sentenced for assault. His name doesn't even deserve to be mentioned!"

The door to the morgue slowly closed.

The officers reminded Samantha to sign the authorization for the release of the body.

She picked up the pen, ready to write her name. Suddenly, her face darkened. She turned around and walked out.

"I don't ever want anything to do with that man again. Even if he's really dead, I refuse to sign under the wife's section."

Confused, the officers chased after her. "You're his legal wife. Mr. Henderson is dead. You're the one who has to sign the authorization."

Samantha stopped for a moment.

She scoffed. "I don't have a horrible husband like him! Let his body rot there, eaten by rats and bugs. That's exactly what he deserves!"

She threw open the car door and jumped into her pink Maserati, speeding off.

As she drove, Isaac called her. She answered and shook her head. "Don't mention it. That man just disgusts me. I feel like I could kill him when I think about how he ignored my cries and pleas and forced me to do that on that filthy deck."

My body trembled uncontrollably.

Samantha was overwhelmed by intense hatred as she recalled the past. Her gaze seemed to scream that she wanted to crush me to dust.

As I watched her, all I felt was a bitter ache in my heart.

Samantha was my wife, yet she was sure that I was a sinner.

But I wasn't!

Not long after we were married, we boarded a cruise bound for Nystan Isles. Pirates attacked, and Samantha was dragged onto the deck. She was repeatedly violated.

When I finally found her, she was already in shock. Her legs were covered in blood.

The cruise's doctor said she had been violated repeatedly, and her body was destroyed. She would never be able to have children.

I felt immense regret, wishing I could trade my life for hers.

When Samantha woke up, she went crazy and screamed at me. She demanded that I die to atone for what I had done.

It turned out that she had convinced herself I was the one who had assaulted her.

I closed my eyes.

Just like she wanted, I was locked up in an overseas prison by her and her family. It was filled with the worst of criminals, and I was the lowest on the totem pole there.

Three years ago, I started suffering unspeakable abuse.

The night before my release, I was finally free. I died in excruciating pain. I was so badly abused that my body was beyond recognition.

…

Isaac sped all the way to the villa district.

When Samantha got out of the car, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. "It's okay. It's all in the past now."

In the heavy rain, they held each other tightly.

I remembered that I made one last phone call just before I died. "Please… Please pick up! I'm dying. This is my last chance… My only chance…"

If only she had answered.

Even if it was with irritation and impatience, even if she called me shameless and pathetic, accusing me of faking pity to disgust her, I would've held on.

But no one answered.

I died in despair on the day before my scheduled release.

Now, I was just a wandering soul.