The Timer of Death

I stared at the diamond ring on Yvette's finger, remembering how Xavier had called Yvette by her nickname when he came home drunk last night. I watched them walk away, hand in hand, and felt like I had fallen into a bottomless pit. Was that really how he saw me? Like a villain and a murderer.

Our housekeeper walked by, rolling her eyes at me when she thought I wasn't looking. When she noticed the pizza box in my hand, she gasped dramatically. "Oh no, Mrs. Lowe, you're not planning to eat that, are you? That's been sitting out for days! We were about to throw it out.

"Didn't you have your fill at dinner? If you're still hungry, I can make something for you."

Her feigned concern made me frown. I turned her down, biting back the dull ache growing in my stomach. Without another word, I retreated to my room.

It felt like there was no place for me in this house. Even the housekeeper was treating me with sarcasm.

Pain gnawed at every corner of my body. I remembered hearing once that some people could die from a broken heart. Perhaps that was where I was headed.

With trembling hands, I pried open the bottle of pills that could stop my body from shaking. I popped one into my mouth and washed it down with a glass of cold water. Slowly, my stiff body began to relax a little.

Knowing my time was running out, I went to the most renowned funeral shop in town and picked out a balloon urn for myself.

When the urn, carried by the helium balloon, reached an altitude of 3300 to 5000 feet, the humidity sensor would detect the moisture in the clouds. It would trigger the biodegradable cap to open, and my ashes would fall with the rain, returning to the earth.

On my way home, my phone reminded me of the flight tickets for our vacation to Cinnabar Island in June. I had booked them a year ago when Xavier and I made a promise. If I managed to become pregnant, we'd go on a family trip to Cinnabar Island. We'd even take wedding photos there—the ones we never got around to.

After all these years of marriage, I had never seen myself in a wedding dress. It was one of my last wishes before I died—to have my wedding photos serve as my memorial picture, leaving behind the most beautiful version of myself.

…

Xavier stumbled through the door at 4:00 am, reeking of alcohol. He collapsed onto the couch, with a faint lipstick stain on his neck.

However, my heart was already dead. I didn't care who he was with or what he had done.

He curled up on the couch like a child, and for a fleeting moment, I almost remembered why I had fallen for him in the first place. I thought back to when we first met. I was drawn to his innocent, pure, yet irresistibly seductive eyes, and we fell in love.

He had known how I took my coffee—with only one spoonful of sugar, no more, or else I'd wrinkle my nose. He remembered that I couldn't eat the skin of apples, so he'd always peel them before cutting the fruit into heart-shaped slices for me.

He knew I loved horror movies but would always end up hiding behind his arms, yet I still wouldn't turn them off.

We had been so in love once. We had leaned on each other, needed each other. Now, there was nothing left but ruins—pain and love etched into my very bones.

"Honey, can we go to Cinnabar Island next week to take our wedding photos?" I asked softly, lifting his chin to get a better look at his eyes. "After that, I'll go through with the IVF procedure. I already promised your mother. The doctor said the success rate is really high this time around."

He stared at me for a few seconds and smiled. "Right, I guess I still owe you that. Let's go together, then." At that moment, his voice was so gentle that it almost felt like we had traveled back in time to the early days of our relationship. I thought this was the last bit of warmth our shared love could offer me.

Just then, his phone rang. The video call connected, and Yvette appeared on the screen. She was lounging against her pillows in a black lace nightgown, a coy smile curling on her lips. "What island?" she asked, tilting her head. "I love islands!"

I instantly froze. Xavier didn't even try to hide it. If anything, he held the phone higher like he was afraid I would not see Yvette. "Alright. I'll take you there, my sweet Yvie."

"You're taking her with us? Xavier, are you seriously not even trying to hide your affair in front of me anymore?" I demanded.