Gone Before the First Snow のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

The last four days of December seemed to drag on forever, yet somehow they passed in a blur. Spencer searched everywhere he could think of, desperate to find any trace of Hailey.At the hospital, her doctor told him she'd last come in for a follow-up nearly a month ago. She'd been alone, and after being told her legs would never recover, she hadn't returned.He retraced the streets and alleys they used to love exploring together. One shopkeeper who knew them both remembered Hailey stopping by alone the last time he'd seen her.When he'd asked why Spencer wasn't with her, she'd simply smiled and said, "We're getting divorced soon."Spencer went back to their old high school, too. The security guard remembered a young woman in a wheelchair who'd visited recently. She'd gone all around the campus by herself.The words Spencer had carved into the fringe tree to declare his love for Hailey all those years ago were gone. In their place was a patch of scraped bark, already beginning to h

Settle Hailey's affairs? What affairs?And severe depression? A doctor had confirmed just six months ago that she'd recovered.Spencer went over the clerk's words again and again, but none of it made sense.Before he could make sense of any of it, the clerk went on. "Yesterday, we received documents from the assisted-dying center in Montrevia confirming Ms. Clark's death."We verified the information with the embassy, and everything checks out. Since you're her only family member, we'll need you to help us complete the paperwork."The words hit Spencer like a blow, leaving him too stunned to think."D-death?"The clerk looked up, startled by his reaction. "Yes. Your wife, Hailey Clark, came in about two weeks ago to arrange for her death to be registered."Yesterday, we confirmed that she'd undergone assisted dying and passed away. That's why we contacted you. We need your help completing the registration. You didn't know?"Spencer understood every word she'd said, but none of

Montrevia hadn't seen its first snowfall until early January.Spencer stepped out of the airport and stopped, staring at the snow glittering across the ground.It was his third visit to the country, and it would be his last. Once he'd collected Hailey's ashes, he'd leave Montrevia and never return.Spencer stood in the bitter wind for a long time before finally forcing himself to move. He trudged through the snow, hailed a cab, and gave the driver an address.The driver looked friendly enough, but his expression changed the moment he heard the destination."That's the assisted-dying center. Are you sure you want to go there? You're so young. Why would you want to end your life?"Spencer swallowed hard but said nothing. He knew the driver meant well, but he couldn't bring himself to explain.Instead, he lowered his head and pretended he didn't understand Montrevian.The driver glanced back at him, let out a sigh, and finally pulled away from the curb.Spencer watched the distan

Hailey's funeral was a small, somber affair. No one had expected her to choose death so quietly.Most of the mourners had seen her only recently, sharing meals and chatting with her as they always had. She'd seemed perfectly fine, giving no hint that she was preparing to end her life.The casket held no body, no ashes, not even a piece of her clothing to remember her by. Instead, it was filled with white lilies and pale yellow roses.If not for the 14-inch portrait of Hailey on the memorial table, there would've been almost nothing to suggest the funeral was hers.The lack of anything personal caught the mourners off guard. Before long, they began asking questions."We just wanted a chance to say goodbye to Hailey. Was she cremated? Where are her ashes?""Couldn't you at least have brought something of hers? Some clothes, or anything else to remember her by?"Spencer had gone pale. He couldn't bring himself to answer.After all their years together, he hadn't kept a single thin

Spencer had never seen Candace lose her temper like this, much less say anything so hurtful.Ever since they'd met, she'd always been cheerful and polite, with all the energy and enthusiasm of someone fresh out of college.There was something about the way she spoke, her lively gestures, and the sparkle in her eyes that had always reminded him of happier days.Everyone mourned the future Hailey had lost, and they all expected Spencer to take responsibility.He carried the weight of both their futures, all while enduring the constant judgment and scrutiny of those around him.Since the accident, he hadn't slept through a single night. When he did manage to sleep, nightmares plagued him. Otherwise, he lay awake until the early hours of the morning.He'd never intended to leave Hailey, and he'd told himself that staying with her meant he wasn't turning his back on his responsibilities.Still, life hadn't turned out the way either of them had imagined.One blow after another had le