Chapter 3

When the ambulance arrived, the wedding venue was in complete chaos.

The paramedics placed Max and me on stretchers.

The effigy was also placed in an evidence bag. But the moment it left the coffin, it crumbled into ash. The only thing left in the ashes was the wedding ring.

Clara's and my initials were engraved on the ring's inner band. Now, a streak of blood marred it.

A female officer sealed the ring in an evidence bag and said quietly, "There's blood on it. Send it to the lab.

Clara ran after the ambulance.

Kevin suddenly clutched his chest and slowly sank to the floor against the wall. "Clara, I can't breathe…"

Clara stopped running.

I was floating nearby and saw her turn around. She hesitated for only three seconds, deciding whether to chase after Max and me or stay with Kevin.

In the end, she chose to help Kevin up. "I'll take you somewhere to rest."

Kevin leaned against her shoulder, his eyes brimming with tears. "Do you think Sam and Max will blame me?"

Clara said softly, "It's not your fault. Sam is the one who took things this far."

She messaged me as soon as the ambulance door closed.

[Sam, stop messing around. Bring Max to apologize to Kevin tomorrow morning, and I'll let this go.]

I stared at the message and found it ridiculous. Apparently, even after death, I could still feel a chill.

The forensic report came back fast.

"The deceased, Sam Trout, exhibits signs of mechanical asphyxia."

"The deceased, Max Trout, was five years old. Preliminary findings indicate that he was given a sedative before being placed inside the coffin. He subsequently died from oxygen deprivation in the confined space."

The female officer who was recording the findings stared at the report, her eyes reddened. "The child was only five years old. Was that really a wedding or a murder?"

When my best friend, Noah Stone, arrived, he stumbled into the morgue. The moment the white sheet was pulled back, he froze.

After a long while, he walked over to Max and me, bracing his hands on the cold table.

"Sam… Didn't you say you'd take Max back to Southville with me after the wedding and never get involved with Clara again?"

He saw the broken red string bracelet around my wrist, and his voice turned hoarse. "What is this?"

The female officer showed him the footage from the wedding.

In the footage, two staff members forced me into the coffin.

I grabbed Clara's sleeve and desperately pleaded, "Max is in here too! Please open the hidden compartment!"

With a cold expression, Clara pulled her sleeve free from my grasp. "You look pathetic when you lie."

Then, the coffin lid was closed. Dirt slowly covered the coffin.

The livestream comments flooded the screen.

[Using a child as your excuse? How despicable!]

[Ms. Quinn, don't let him sway you.]

[An ex-husband like this should be buried alive to get some sense knocked into him!]

Noah's hands trembled as he watched until the end.

"Where is Clara?" he asked.

The female officer sighed and replied, "We contacted her, but she said it was part of a staged act. Mr. Trout and his son were just playing along. She wasn't willing to come identify the bodies."

Noah called Clara on the spot.

Clara answered quickly and asked, "Are Sam and Max with you?"

"Come to the forensic center," Noah said in a cold voice.

Clara was silent for two seconds.

"So they really did run off to your place. Put Sam on the phone."

Noah closed his eyes and said, "He can't. Sam and Max are both dead."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Then Clara sneered. "Noah, are you going to play along with him too? Tell Sam everyone is watching the livestream. If he keeps this act up, he'll only embarrass himself even more."

"Clara! You buried your husband and son alive!" Noah shouted.

Kevin's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Clara, is that Sam? Is he still mad at me?"

Clara's voice turned cold. "That's enough. I'll go get him and Max when he's willing to apologize to Kevin." Then she hung up.

Noah stared at the screen quietly for a very long time. His tear fell onto the back of my hand.

I stood beside him. I wanted to pat him on the shoulder, but my hand passed straight through him.