All Chapters of Love Came After the Crash: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Ian, how long are you going to keep this up?"A voice message from Ruby popped up, thick with frustration.After drifting out of the ER, I somehow ended up in front of her.I couldn't touch anything anymore, but every call, text, and notification tied to me still reached me."Getting a nurse to text me for you? That's a new one."Another voice message came right after."But Ian, your phone's locked with your fingerprint. How could anyone else unlock it? If they can still use your fingerprint, how are you suddenly in critical condition?"She frowned on the words "critical condition."From under the blanket, Steven reached over and lightly tugged her sleeve."Ruby, don't be so hard on Ian." His voice was weak. "What if something really happened to him? Maybe you should go check on him. I'll be okay here alone."Ruby looked down and brushed the back of her hand across his forehead. "Steven, you're too nice. That's why he keeps bullying you."She cut up an apple and held a piec

Chapter 2

"Is this Ian Irving's emergency contact?"Ruby answered like everything was normal. "Yes. Who is this?""Officer Grant, Nordica PD Traffic Division. Mr. Irving was in a serious crash. You need to come to NovaCare Hospital as soon as poss—""Nordica PD? Wait."Her voice went cold."Are you sure you have the right guy? When did Ian call you?"A beat of silence."Ma'am, nobody called us as a prank. Dispatch got a 911 call. Fire and EMS responded. Our crash unit identified Mr. Irving and contacted you as his emergency contact. His car was involved in a serious crash with a semi. Major damage. Plate NDC-7XXX6.""That's his car." Her voice dropped, like she'd already expected this. "Officer, I'm gonna be straight with you. He's my boyfriend. He's called the cops before when he got jealous. Check your records."The other end went quiet.Ruby shifted uncomfortably, her breathing slightly uneven."You should check before calling people like this. Don't let him use you. Traffic was ba

Chapter 3

She pulled out a chair for him and flipped open the menu."Want the salmon bowl? You liked it last time."Steven leaned closer."Ruby, you're so good to me."My spirit hung above them, watching her feed another man.***Later, back home."Looking at Ian's socials again?"Steven stood in the bedroom doorway, fresh out of the shower.Ruby immediately locked her phone."I was checking Teams."She wasn't.She'd been looking at my social feed.My last post had gone up at four o'clock yesterday afternoon.A photo of a black suit hanging on a rack.Caption:[Tomorrow.]No comments.No likes.She opened her fitness app.My name still sat on yesterday's leaderboard.[9,034 steps.]Today: Zero.Then she scrolled through our chat history.The last message on her phone from me read:[My suit's pressed. Your iced Americano is on the table. Don't forget to drink it when you get back.]She never replied.Because by then, she'd already been on her way to Steven.Steven wrap

Chapter 4

Now she was gripping the clasp so hard that blood seeped into her palm.Steven leaned closer. "Throw that away too.""I'm not throwing it away."She slipped the pendant into her coat pocket.Steven lowered his eyes.For a split second, something dark flashed across his face.Then it was gone.The same innocent expression returned."Shouldn't you check your notifications? What if work's trying to reach you?"After a brief hesitation, Ruby pulled out her phone.The second she unlocked it, notifications flooded the screen.Missed calls.Nordica PD.NovaCare Hospital.Several unknown numbers.Her thumb hovered over them.One second.Two.Three."I'll deal with it tomorrow. I'm exhausted. I need sleep."While she was looking down, Steven reached over and locked the screen.At two in the morning, her backup phone rang.Joyce—Ruby's friend.The second Ruby answered, Joyce was practically screaming."Ruby! Turn on the news! They just released footage of the crash. That

Chapter 5

My bones were shattered.My face was barely recognizable.But the ring on my ring finger was untouched.Ruby could still hear her own voice from the day she slipped it onto my hand."You'll be my husband for the rest of your life. Once this ring's on, you're never taking it off."Now I was lying in a morgue drawer.Cold.Lifeless.Still keeping that promise.Ruby's whole body shook.The doctor stepped over with a death certificate."If you've confirmed the identity, please sign here."Ruby didn't take the pen.Instead, she reached toward my face, trying to wipe away the dried blood.The moment her fingers touched me, part of the crushed bone gave way.She jerked her hand back.Her eyes turned red."This isn't Ian." Her voice cracked. "Ian likes being clean. He'd never let himself end up like this."The doctor sighed."My condolences."He paused."The police also have some of Mr. Irving's personal belongings ready for pickup."Ruby turned around numbly.Her phone

Chapter 6

Ruby drove straight to a phone repair shop.She offered the owner triple his normal rate to unlock the phone on the spot.One look at the bloodstained device, and he didn't ask any questions.Thirty minutes later, the phone unlocked.Ruby immediately opened the messaging app.She wanted to see the last traces I'd left behind.Her conversation sat pinned at the top.Most of the chat was just my own message bubbles.Message after message from me.The last one had been sent ten minutes before the crash.[Ruby, I see you. Wait for me.]But she hadn't seen it on her own phone.A tear splashed onto the screen.Then another.Her trembling fingers scrolled downward.A contact without a saved name caught her eye.The profile picture was a lisianthus.Steven's favorite flower.Ruby tapped the chat.What she saw made her face go pale.Yesterday.Four p.m.Steven had sent me a photo.Ruby was asleep beside his hospital bed.His hand rested on her hair.Below it was a voice

Chapter 7

Steven stumbled out of the repair shop and chased after her.He grabbed Ruby's arm."I was wrong. I know I was." His voice broke. "I just loved you too much. I was scared Ian would take you away from me. Please forgive me this one time. I swear I'll never do it again."He cried so hard people on the sidewalk stopped to stare.Ruby didn't even look at him.She shook off his hand, got into her car, and slammed the door.The engine roared.A second later, she sped away.Steven collapsed onto the pavement.As the taillights disappeared, his eyes filled with resentment.Ruby drove straight to NovaCare Hospital.She rushed into Medical Records and pulled up Steven's chart from the day before.The diagnosis was right there in black and white:[Minor abrasion to the left wrist. No active bleeding. No bandaging required.]Ruby crumpled the paper in her fist.Yesterday, Steven had called her sobbing that he'd lost a lot of blood.She'd abandoned me in the middle of picking out we

Chapter 8

Ruby shoved the door open.The living room was empty.Last night, she'd trashed every single thing that was mine.She bolted to the dumpsters.No gloves. No hesitation.She dug through the stink and sludge with her bare hands.Filthy water soaked her shirt. She didn't care.Then she found the garment bag.She hugged it tight and stumbled back upstairs.On the couch, she unzipped it like it might break.Inside was my shredded suit.And the photo frame she'd stomped to pieces.Ruby sank to the carpet and tried to put the suit back together.But it was destroyed.No fixing it.Tears hit the scraps one after another.As she reached deeper into the garment bag, her fingers brushed against something hard.A notebook.My diary.She opened to the first page.[Today Ruby said she likes baked ribs. I'm signing up for a cooking class.]The second page.[Ruby's company is struggling. I sold Grandpa's gold pocket watch. I hope it helps.]The third.[Steven came by again toda

Chapter 9

Three days later, my funeral was held at a funeral home on the edge of Nordica City.A light rain drifted from the gray sky.Ruby wore black.She stood in front of my framed photo like a ghost.Like she'd lost a part of herself.Only a few people came.She hadn't told many—just a handful of close friends.Joyce walked over."Ruby, get some rest. You haven't slept in three days."Ruby shook her head.Her eyes never left my photo. "I want to stay with him."The hall doors swung open.Steven walked in wearing a flashy suit, his dress shoes clicking across the floor.He carried a plastic bag and a nasty little smile.Joyce frowned and stepped in front of him."What are you doing here? You're not welcome."Steven shoved past her and headed straight for my casket."I came to pay my respects to Ian. He hated me when he was alive. Least I can do, right?"He opened the bag and pulled out a handful of cheap casino chips.Then he scattered them over my closed casket."Ian, spe

Chapter 10

Ruby didn't die.Joyce found her in time and rushed her to the ER.When Ruby woke up, thick bandages wrapped her wrist.The hospital room was empty.Quiet.Still.She stared at the ceiling.Her eyes were hollow.***A month later, Steven was sentenced.For assault, fraud, and a string of related charges, he got ten years in prison.The news hit Frederick hard.He suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed.With no one running it and bad press piling up, Ruby's company didn't last long.It declared bankruptcy.She sold everything she could and paid off the debts.Then, carrying my urn, she moved back into the apartment we'd once rented together.Nothing had changed.The place looked almost exactly the way it had when I was alive.The succulents on the balcony had long since dried up.A throw pillow lay on the floor, coated in dust.Ruby set my urn on the coffee table.Like always, she took off her coat and hung it on the rack."Ian, I'm home."Only her ow

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