Burying the Rose Deeply

I wanted to reach out and touch that tiny bone.

Unfortunately, my spirit couldn't make contact with it

I still remember the joy I felt three years ago when I found out I was pregnant.

In the blurry ultrasound, I saw the beating heart.

So small, yet so strong.

I wanted to share the news with Max.

But at that time, we were in a standoff, and he blocked all my contact information.

I thought I'd wait a bit longer to tell him.

Little did I know that waiting would result in me becoming nothing but a pile of bones.

My poor baby never even got a chance to see the world.

Thinking about this, my spirit began to tremble with sadness.

"The identity of the deceased is unknown, and the facial reconstruction isn't possible from the skull. Let's send it for further testing and wait for the results."

Max said as he took off his protective gear and prepared to leave.

My spirit rushed in front of him, waving my arms, trying to get him to look at my left shoulder.

There was a bone pin there, left from the accident years ago when I tried to save Max.

If only he had noticed it, he might have discovered my identity.

But he couldn't hear my cries.

As Max was about to step out the door, he suddenly asked, "Lewis, how long has Violet Lyons been on the run?"

Lewis thought for a moment and tapped his head, saying, "As of today, it's been exactly three years."

He then looked puzzled and asked, "Max, why do you ask about her all of a sudden?

"She deliberately lured Rebecca to the site to harm her, and when that didn't work, she fled with a large sum of money," Lewis continued.

"If it weren't for your report, no one would have known what kind of person she is!"

Hearing these accusations about actions I never committed, I looked at Max in disbelief.

I hadn't expected my fiancé to provide false testimony for his childhood sweetheart, ruining my reputation.

Even though I was long dead, a chill ran through me.

Lewis glanced at Max and then at me lying on the examination table.

"It's quite a coincidence that the bones have been dead for exactly three years," he said.

"But such coincidences don't happen in the real world. Violet Lyons must be enjoying her ill-gotten gains somewhere!"

Lewis quickly dismissed his own speculation with a laugh. "Of course, someone as greedy and fearful of death as her wouldn't just die like that.

"But since she caused so much harm to Rebecca, I hope she's dead!"

Max smirked at that and said, "I'm heading back to Rebecca. She's pregnant, and I can't leave her alone."

For some reason, my spirit followed Max back to his home with Rebecca.

In the living room, there were wedding photos of them on the wall. That was supposed to be my place.

As soon as Max walked in, Rebecca greeted him. She hung her arms around his neck, kissed his left cheek, and then, with a hint of playful reproach, said, "Why did you come back so late? The food's gone cold."

Max embraced her and spoke tenderly, "Didn't we agree you'd wait for me to get home to make dinner? Why didn't you listen?"

I had never seen this caring side of Max before. In the past, I used to cook and wait at home, only for him to come back at midnight, long after the food had gone cold.

I would mumble, "The food's cold. I'll reheat it," and he would rage, throwing out the meal.

"Don't get carried away! No one asked you to wait for me!"

Now, however, he personally reheated the food and brought it back to the table.

After dinner, he carefully massaged Rebecca's ankle.

"Years ago, Violet Lyons injured your foot, leaving you with a lasting problem. Now that you're pregnant, it's even harder. Don't overexert yourself; let me handle the housework."

Hearing this, I desperately circled around them, trying to explain, but they couldn't hear me.

My fate was uncertain, but Max believed Rebecca's every word.

It was laughable.

I realized that Max probably had never trusted me.

I met Max in college.

After dating for three years, I discovered he had a childhood sweetheart, Rebecca Cox.

Even though we were already discussing marriage, he became hesitant once Rebecca returned to the country.

The once loving Max Read changed.

I watched helplessly as he gravitated toward Rebecca, unable to do anything about it. This led to numerous arguments and a cold war between us.

But he grew irritated, saying, "Violet, can you stop acting like a madwoman? It only makes me regret spending my life with you even more!

"I warn you, stop fantasizing about me and Rebecca. I see her as a sister!"

Yet, he would share a straw with his "sister," sleep in the same bed, and even kiss her openly. He did everything couples would do but criticized me for being delusional.

One midnight, I overheard Max talking to Rebecca on the phone from the balcony. Rebecca was crying.

"Max, are we really going to end like this? I don't want to lose you…"

Max frowned in pain. "Rebecca, stop crying. It hurts me to see you like this."

"If I hadn't left, would you…"

Before Rebecca could finish, Max declared, "I would marry you! Because I've always loved you, and only you. She's not even a fraction of what you are.

"But Violet has been with me for three years. I need to be responsible."

That night, I finally realized Max's feelings toward me.

It was responsibility, not love.

And Max's only true love was his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca.

Later, when Rebecca wanted to learn design, Max used his connections to secure her a position at the top company where I worked, even though she was a complete novice.

That marked the beginning of our longest period of silence.

I didn't even have the chance to tell him I was pregnant.

Rebecca found out I was designing the wedding house and asked Max for the address.

On New Year's Eve, when no workers were on site, I was alone inspecting progress. A flash of lightning revealed Rebecca had somehow appeared behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, but she didn't answer.

Instead, she said, "Violet Lyons, why are you stealing Max from me?"

Her expression under the flashing lightning seemed eerie.

I sensed danger and tried to flee, but she grabbed my hair and slammed me to the ground, crazed.

"You not only stole Max but also got pregnant with his child! Why should you get away with this!"

She touched my slightly protruding belly.

I didn't know how she knew I was pregnant, but as a mother, I only wanted to protect my baby.

Rebecca's strength was surprisingly immense.

She picked up a piece of rebar and smashed it into my lower leg.

With each blow, blood spurted, and I lost the strength to resist.

Then, she cut open my abdomen and forcibly removed my unborn baby.

I used my last ounce of strength to try and reach for the baby, but Rebecca didn't give me a chance.

Like a demon, she raised the rebar and struck my face.

My heart stopped beating. When I next heard a sound, I had become a spirit.

Rebecca covered up all the evidence, crying to the arriving Max.

"I tried to persuade Violet to confess, but she was only interested in money and ran off after injuring my foot…"

Rebecca wove a lie and stepped over my corpse to achieve the happiness she wanted.

Thinking about this, my anger burned.

The murderer who caused my tragic death was now enjoying Max's care.

Hearing Max's words, Rebecca showed a happy smile.

"I'm glad I traded these injuries for you getting rid of that venomous woman. It was worth it.

"So, don't obsess over finding Violet Lyons. Let the past be the past."

Max held Rebecca tighter, his eyes filled with tenderness. "But whenever I hear you say your foot hurts, my heart aches.

"If I ever encounter Violet Lyons again, I'll make sure to break her legs to get justice for you!"

I listened, unable to hold back a tear.

It seemed even after death, the heart still felt pain.