After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage novel Chapter 10

At the last second, Alistair turned back around.

Something made his heart pound unexpectedly, but the hallway was already empty.

That feeling of panic transported him back to years ago, to the year Sophia died. They'd been fighting over something trivial when her call came through. He'd assumed she was calling to apologize, and was about to smirk when he heard her fading voice instead.

"Alistair," she'd whispered, "I will die."He frantically asked where she was. The answer: the hospital.

He'd sprinted there only to find Sophia on the operating table, covered in blood.

She was died.She'd left him alone, never to return.

After that, his every girlfriend is resembled Sophia in some way, then dumping them the moment he noticed their differences.Until he married Elaine.

She was nothing like his previous girlfriends. Nothing like Sophia. But sheloved him deeply enough to accept all his affairs, to clean up his messes when he grew bored, even keeping a child that might resemble his dead girlfriend.

But right now, something felt wrong.

For no reason he could name, he remembered what she'd said moments ago.

"This is important. Don't you want to see what it is?"

Important? What could be so important? He had no idea.

A tug on his sleeve brought him back to reality. Vivian looked up at him from the hospital bed. "Alistair, what's wrong?"

Somehow, He pushed it open and stepped inside.

Her room mirrored his own—minimalist, decorated in black, white, and gray. It looked much the same as the last time he'd been there.

The bedside table was empty except for a crystal lamp.

Alistair distinctly remembered a picture frame had been there.Their wedding photo!

He hated having his picture taken, especially with someone he didn't care for. During the three years,their only photos together were from their wedding.

Elaine had carefully selected one and placed it by her bed.Now it was disappeared.