Grandma's Last Three Walnuts

In the photo, Evan, whom I had loved for three years, had a bright yet cruel smile plastered on his face. His hands were clamped tightly around the neck of the bride. The bride's wedding dress was exactly the same as the one I was wearing now.In that split second, my mind went blank. The walnut shell in my hand slipped to the floor with a crisp crack.At that very moment, the dressing room door swung open. Sunny, who was my bridesmaid and my best friend, called out in excitement, "Lena, it's time! Evan is already waiting for you outside. Come on!"I looked at her, then at myself in the mirror, draped in pure white. Then, my stomach churned violently.That photo was like a key, unlocking the memories I had buried deep.Before my grandmother passed away, she had held my hand tightly, her eyes filled with a strange, unwavering clarity."Lena, I'm old now, so I can't protect you anymore. You have three deadly trials in your life, each more dangerous than the last. Every one of them could

My legs buckled, and I collapsed on the floor. My stomach twisted violently, and I threw up until everything went black around the edges. I crawled out of the bedroom and somehow managed to call the police, fingers trembling so hard I could barely hold my phone. Terror squeezed my chest until I could barely form a sentence."H-Hello... 911? Someone's been killed... There's a dead body... in my house..." The operator kept me calm, asked for my address, and stayed on the line. Sirens grew louder, rushing toward my house. Local officers arrived first.One look inside that hidden room turned their faces white. They sealed the scene instantly and called it up the chain.… Minutes later, a team of detectives in black uniforms filed in—all sharp eyes and tight jaws. Leading them was the man I spent three years running from. My waking nightmare—Evan Cole. He stopped cold when he saw me, just for a split second. Then, his expression clicked back to businesslike and unread

Something amusing seemed to have crossed her mind, for she started bursting into laughter."Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. I'd swapped that walnut you smashed a long time ago."When I heard what Sunny said, my mind went blank with a buzz. Blood rushed to my head, and a piercing cold ran through every part of my body."What did you say? The walnut had been swapped?" I sobbed incoherently.Sunny admired the despairing look on my face and gently traced the tip of her knife across my cheek."That's right. I'd long thrown away your precious walnut. The note inside that said, 'Smash all the mirrors.'? I was the one who wrote it. Why? Because that secret room and dead body were all 'surprises' I prepared for you. “I wanted the police to discover a dead body in your house! I wanted to make you unable to defend yourself and lose your reputation! Say, would your lunatic Grandma be so angry that she'd come back to life if she knew about this in the afterlife?"I was so overwhelmed

"That bastard! How dare he cheat on you! Lena, I'll show you how I'm going to punish him!"Then, I pretended to be blinded by rage as I rose from my seat, fully ready to find the driver to have him turn the car around. "I'm going to the police station to report him! I want him to lose standing!"Shane quickly pulled me back to my seat and held me tightly in his arms. Even though his warm breath brushed against my neck, only chills ran down my spine."W-What's wrong, Shane? Let me go first. I…" My voice was already laced with an evident quiver.Yet, Shane seemed oblivious. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and took a deep breath."I want to hold you a little longer, Lena. Just hold on a little longer, because… we might not have the chance to stay like this again later."His words were like a death sentence.Immense rage and sorrow sprang from the depths of my heart as I fully grasped the situation.I immediately raised my hand and slapped his face hard with all my might