The Death He Never Died

"Noelle, you've got to stay strong, okay? Brandon may be gone, but you still have me, your bestie. I'm here for you, always."Melissa Simmons clung to me, chattering away since the moment I showed up at the hospital.Glancing down at my hands and feet, it hit me—I had been given a second chance, sent back to the very day my husband Brandon Scott had died.In my previous life, I was at work when I got the news of Brandon's stroke. By the time I made it to the hospital, he was already gone.Weeks of relentless work and heartache had taken their toll. I collapsed, coughing up blood. From that day forward, I was bedridden with a severe illness.To make matters worse, my mother-in-law kept my condition a secret from my parents and took me in, only to let the illness run its course without treatment.As I lay dying, a news flash on the TV announced the winner of a 15 million-dollar lottery jackpot—it was my late husband.There, right beside my husband Brandon in the photo, was my so-c

I let out a mocking laugh and settled back into my seat.'Thinking of eating? Enjoy your final feast,' I mused bitterly.I took a seat beside Brandon. Not long after, Aria approached with a cup of water in hand and a smile plastered on her face."Noelle, I was wrong about you. You must be worn out. Here, have some water," she offered.I dismissed her with a wave. "Save it, Mom. You go get some rest. I'll be the one sitting by my husband for the next three days, and I don't need any help."Aria's face turned stormy, and she snapped, "That's not going to work. Wouldn't that lead to starvation?"Had I not known she was fretting over Brandon, I might have mistaken her for a caring mother-in-law."Thanks for the concern, but if I get hungry, I'll just grab a bite to eat," I assured her.Aria gritted her teeth, barely holding back her anger. "At least drink some water."When she tried to force the water on me, I took the cup and pretended to sip.Satisfied, Aria finally left.That

I snorted. When they had all been scheming against me, no one seemed to care about my suffering. However, when it came to Melissa, my mere suggestion was suddenly off-limits. Talk about hypocrisy."Come on, I was only kidding. Why is everyone taking it to heart?"I turned to Aria. "Mom, if you're so fond of her, why not make it official and adopt Melissa as your goddaughter? That'd make you two even closer."The table went silent, faces mixed with different emotions, but nobody spoke up.I was the only one who seemed to enjoy the meal.It was clear that Brandon and Aria were plotting to divorce me quickly. My job was simple: stay sharp and keep my eyes peeled. I never knew how deep their venom ran.That night, I retreated to my room while Brandon, Aria, and Melissa stayed behind on the couch, glued to the television screen.Aria had insisted Melissa spend the night, a sure sign they had some secret to hash out.I had the foresight to leave my phone on record, tucked behind th

Just as I thought, Brandon and Aria were cooking up a new scheme.However, I never expected such a vile plan, one that aimed to send me six feet under.I calmly acted clueless and put Brandon's phone right back where I found it.A few days on, Brandon announced he had snagged a month off work for a family road trip.This had to be their grand plan.I did not put up a fight; I just nodded along.When we set off, Brandon even brought Melissa along. The three of them were all smiles and laughter, looking like the perfect little family, while I felt like the odd one out.We pulled up to a cozy guest house in the suburbs, and no sooner had we dropped our bags than Brandon suggested a hike.One look at Aria and Melissa's smirking faces, and I knew what was up.They were laying a trap.However, I agreed to go, curious to see if Brandon had the guts to actually push me off a cliff.Up the mountain we went, and Brandon was suddenly acting nice, making small talk and offering to carry

"How do I know you're not feeding me a line?"Brandon was desperate. "I swear it's the truth. I didn't even tell my mom, scared she might let it slip. Not safe. Don't believe me? We'll check it out as soon as we're off this mountain."He did not look like he was lying, so I nodded and reached out to pull him up.However, he had been dangling for too long, his hands slick with sweat.I gripped tight, but he slipped right through and fell.I watched helplessly as Brandon vanished from my sight, tumbling into the abyss.Not a sound from him.Brandon's death was not on me, but it happened right before my eyes. My brain short-circuited for a second before it hit me to call the cops.Maybe Brandon could still be saved?Revenge had crossed my mind, but I never wanted blood on my hands.I dialed 911, and the cops were on the move in no time.The rescue team found Brandon at the cliff's base, his head cracked open on a rock—dead on impact.I trailed behind as they carted Brandon's b