Chapter 2

• His legs wobbled beneath him, threatening to give out as he leaned heavily on the table for support.
• His eyes darted around the room, desperate for some anchor to reality, some proof that this wasn't a nightmare. But all he found was Sarah's piercing gaze-a gaze that seemed like needles pointed at his very soul.
• "D-Did I hear you right?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sarah... Do you know what you just said?"
• Sarah, however, did not provide an answer. Her lips curved into a smirk, and her eyes remained cold, void of the warmth he once knew.
• She maintained a cold silence, her eyes fixed on Riley with an intensity that made his skin crawl. Before he could press further, his phone rang, jolting him from the shock that had swallowed him.
• He pulled out his phone and saw an unknown number flashing on the screen. With his finger trembling uncontrollably, he declined the call, only for it to ring again insistently.
• Riley looked up at Sarah's face, his instincts screaming at him to answer the call. He immediately picked up the phone and stammered, "H... Hello?"
• The voice on the other end inquired, "Is this the guardian of Mrs. Smith?"
• Riley quickly replied, "Y... Yes, this is Mr. Riley Smith. I just left there now, I'm—"
• He was abruptly cut off by the person on the other end. "Forget the money, Mr. Riley . Just come... At least do her that favor."
• Riley felt as though the ground beneath him had given way and was about to open up and swallow him. His body was suddenly drenched in sweat. Though he understood the implications, he couldn't bring himself to accept them.
• "W... What? What are you saying?" he pleaded, his voice breaking.
• As he looked up at Sarah once more, her devilish smirk confirmed his worst fears. His eyes widened in horror, and he turned to flee from the monstrous visage of the woman he once loved.
• This wasn't the lovely wife he knew. This wasn't the cute and gentle woman he made love to and dedicated half of his life to. Maybe this was an evil twin? Maybe he was indeed trapped in a nightmare? These thoughts raced through his mind as he ran back to the hospital.
• He burst through the hospital doors, gasping for breath as his panicked gaze surveyed the terse environment. The eyes of workers and patients, informed of the tragic situation, fell on him with a heavy pity that only served to deepen his dread.
• Ignoring their stares, he pressed on towards the room where his mother had been taken. The doctor he had spoken to earlier stood at the entrance, a nurse by his side.
• Their downcast eyes projected the truth that Riley 's heart had been grappling with. As the doctor silently gestured towards the door, Riley 's muscles tensed, and he stepped into the dimly lit room.
• There, he found his mother's frail figure lying on the bed, a vivid opposite of the strong woman who had raised him. Her once bright skin now appeared ashen and lifeless, her body made to look shorter by the white sheets that covered her.
• She was ensnared by a tangle of tubes and wires that connected her to the various machines that monitored her fading vitals.
• A glint of hope pierced the overwhelming despair as Riley noticed her chest moving ever so slightly, each weak breath showing her fading life force.
• Turning towards the door, he cried out, "She's still breathing! You can't just give up on her!"
• His protest was abruptly halted by a gentle, feeble pressure on his hand. Riley turned his head to find his mother's eyes slowly opening, a faint yet genuine smile gracing her pale lips. Perhaps the voice of her son had given her the willpower to open them one last time.
• Even on her deathbed, she still showed her son the love she had raised him with.
• Their gazes locked, each party unable to utter a word, one too weak, and the other too lost. The machine's monotonous beeping ceased, replaced by a continuous, ominous tone.
• Riley watched, helpless, as her vital signs disappeared from the screen, and a final breath escaped her body.
• Unchecked tears began to stream down his cheeks, but his expression remained unchanged, shock rendering him numb. As the enormity of his loss settled upon him, it finally dawned on him, Riley was forced to confront the harsh truth: this wasn't a nightmare; it was reality.
• A burning sensation spread through Riley 's lungs as the anguished sound of screaming echoed throughout the hospital, projecting the depths of his despair. Oblivious to the fact that he was the source of the cries, he could only focus on the gaping hole left in his heart.
• He knew death was inevitable and he would lose his mother one day, but never had he imagined it would happen in this manner.
• He sobbed uncontrollably, pleading with the world to turn back the hands of time, to let him have another chance.
• "Come back to me, please! This isn't how we talked about you leaving!"
• "I still haven't gotten you that penthouse you wanted! A car!"
• "every luxurious item you want! Please! Please come back!"
• His phone rang again, interrupting his desperate cries. He wiped his eyes, and answered, trying to steady his voice.
• "You're a really loud screamer you know."
• "I guess you've finally seen our present in its full glory," Sarah's voice taunted, showing the pleasure she took in his suffering.
• Riley 's grief gave way to confusion and anger as he sought answers. "What is this? Why are you doing this?
• "What did I do to you to deserve this?" He placed his hand on his chest.
• "What did she ever do to you?!" He yelled, pointing his hand towards his lifeless mother, like Sarah was standing in front of him.
• Sarah's tone turned cold. "You didn't do much to me but exist, to be honest."
• "But my father on the other hand..."
• A male voice took over. "Trying to take down Mr. Sinclair despite all those warnings, detective, you've really got balls of steel."
• Earlier that day Riley had lost his job. He was investigating the illegal practices of a businessman, and despite the many warnings he got, his sense of justice got the better part of him.
• However, one piece of information that shocked him at the moment was Sarah being this man's daughter. The daughter of Mr Sinclair, a Nationwide influential figure.
• Riley 's heart raced, as his mind arranged pieces of the puzzle finally clicking them into place. "Then I was the one you should've punished, not her! Why?!"
• Sarah let out a chilling laugh. "Oh come on darling, don't you know? The parent also suffers for the mistakes of the offspring."
• "Maybe you should've thought about that before trying to play a hero of justice."
• Rage boiled within Riley as he heard their mocking laughter, clouding his judgment.
• "If you really want me badly, I'm outside you know." Sarah's final words only fueled his anger further. "That is... if you're willing to cross to the other side."
• Riley hung up and charged out of the room without a second thought, catching sight of Sarah and the man through the glass doors across the street.
• Fury consumed him as he screamed her name, determined to make them pay for what they did. "Saaaarahhhh!!!"
• Suddenly, the deafening blare of a truck's horn filled his ears. Time seemed to slow as he processed the impending impact, realizing the fatal mistake that he had made.
• As the asphalt came in contact with his body, Riley 's mind was filled with regret and sorrow.
• His life, pitiful as it seemed, was coming to an end. "So this is how it ends huh..."
• "In the end, I never got the happiness I wanted."
• Through the pain, he mustered enough strength to form one final wish, directing it towards a higher power he hoped was listening.
• "God, if you're listening, I have one wish..."
• "Please make sure these people..." He tilted his head, getting a blurry view of Sarah on the other side of the road.
• "These people who hurt me.... These people who hurt my mother..."
• "Make sure they pay..."