Chapter 11
The driver had gone back to check and Thomas–the damned man–was there too.
Cassandra would be fine. She had to be
fine.
Matthew clung to this fragile assurance as the night stretched endlessly. Julia‘ s resuscitation took hours, leaving him restless and exhausted. The hospital walls. seemed to close in on him, every second dragging like an eternity.
It wasn’t until dawn that he finally allowed himself to close his eyes for a brief
moment.
When he woke, the heavy weight of responsibility pulled him to his feet. He straightened his suit, pushed his weariness. aside and rushed to the engagement
banquet. His fiancée should already be there, waiting for him.
But she wasn’t.
35% 18:18
1/7
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
The driver had gone back to check and Thomas–the damned man–was there too.
Cassandra would be fine. She had to be
fine.
Matthew clung to this fragile assurance as the night stretched endlessly. Julia‘ s resuscitation took hours, leaving him restless and exhausted. The hospital walls seemed to close in on him, every second dragging like an eternity.
It wasn’t until dawn that he finally allowed himself to close his eyes for a brief
moment.
When he woke, the heavy weight of responsibility pulled him to his feet. He straightened his suit, pushed his weariness aside and rushed to the engagement banquet. His fiancée should already be there, waiting for him.
But she wasn’t.
35% 18.18
1/7
Chapter 11
An uneasy chill crept up Matthew’s spine as he scanned the room. Guests were gathered, murmuring among themselves, but Cassandra was nowhere to be seen.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Once. Twice. Both times, the call failed to connect.
By the third attempt, his hands trembled, his heart pounding like a drum. He barely heard the sound of footsteps approaching until a calm yet somber voice shattered the
tense air.
“Mr. Lawrence,” Mr. Ban said, stepping into the room with several other officers,
“we’re sorry to inform you…”
Matthew turned to face him, dread sinking like a stone in his chest.
“…After forensic identification, the
deceased from the explosion in Mavel District yesterday has been confirmed as your fiancée, Cassandra.”
It felt as though the world had been ripped.
35% 18:18
2/7
Chapter 11
from its axis. A thunderous crack split through Matthew’s mind, his vision blurring.
“No,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. His wide, disbelieving eyes fixed on Mr. Ban. “No. That’s impossible. You‘ re lying to me. She… She can’t be…”
Mr. Ban held out an autopsy report, his face heavy with regret.
“Mr. Lawrence.” he said softly, “I m sorry for your loss.”
The paper felt like a death sentence as Matthew stared at it, his breath catching in his throat. In the cold, unfeeling text of the report, the truth was laid bare:
Cause of Death: The deceased consumed sleeping pills and inadvertently failed to secure the handbrake. The vehicle slid into an abandoned chemical plant, triggering a massive explosion that led to fatal injuries.
Matthew’s legs gave out beneath him, his
317
6:18
Chapter 11
body trembling uncontrollably. The pale glow of the report burned in his hands, the words “Cassandra” written so plainly, so irreversibly.
“Miss Cassandra had been on psychotropic medication for severe neurasthenia,” Mr. Ban continued. “In fact, during our investigation, we initially suspected that you might have orchestrated the accident to eliminate her in favor of being with your former lover.”
The room erupted into whispers and gasps. Guests who had once admired Matthew
now turned toward him with suspicion, their eyes filled with doubt.
But he didn’t notice.
Grief consumed him, crushing his chest and twisting his heart. His eyes turned bloodshot, his breath shallow and ragged.
Mr. Ban’s voice was steady but unforgiving, each word a knife to
Matthew’s soul.
47
+1)
30
Chapter 11
“You had countless chances to save her.
You even saw the car skidding down the road.”
“You could have stopped it,” he continued, his tone laced with quiet sorrow. “But you didn’t. Instead, you chose to leave her behind–again and again.”
“She trusted you, Mr. Lawrence. You were the only family she had left in this world and yet you abandoned her in her final moments.”
The words struck like a hammer, shattering what little composure Matthew had left. His ears rang with a deafening buzz, his mind blank and spiraling into chaos.
The man who was once unshakable, who. could face any crisis with cold precision, now crumbled. In front of the crowd, he staggered, unsteady on his feet. His knees hit the floor as a gut–wrenching sob tore
from his chest.
3 354 18 18
517
Tall and composed no longer, he was
reduced to a broken figure, his cries raw and unrestrained. Tears streamed down his face as he gasped for air, choking on his grief.
At some point, he drove the guests away with desperate, anguished screams, leaving himself alone in the empty hall. He sat on the cold floor, his body convulsing with sorrow and regret. His breathing came in harsh, shallow gasps as he repeated her name over and over.
“Cassey… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…‘
Mr. Ban placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression filled with pity.
“Come with us, Mr. Lawrence. You should see her one last time.”
***
At the morgue, the air was thick with the stench of chemicals and decay.
Cassandra’s remains were tainted by the toxic explosion, making it impossible for
6517
6:18
Chapter 11
36
her body to be returned for a proper burial.
Matthew stood motionless, his face pale as he stared through the thick glass. He was required to wear a gas mask just to view what little remained of her.
Her body was unrecognizable, her arms and legs reduced to fragments. The firefighters had risked their lives to recover even these pieces from the charred wreckage.
Tears slipped silently from Matthew s eyes, his hands trembling as he pressed them against the glass. The weight of what he had lost crushed him, leaving a void so deep it could never be filled.
This wasn‘ t how it was supposed to end.
Cassandra deserved so much more.
And now, all he had left were shards of a life he could never piece back together.