Ken shoved the office door wide, Bella right behind him, both of them stumbling into the room as the storm outside cracked like a warning.
Edward who had been seated in a chair before they left, now lay sprawled on the floor.
The chair now overturned beside him, the envelope still on the desk, but its contents scattered like fallen feathers photographs, typed sheets, a half-crumpled receipt were now stained by a fresh, dark red pool spreading beneath his head.
Bella gasped and stopped in her tracks, clapping a hand over her mouth in fright. Ken inched closer to the prone body, then he dropped to his knees beside the body. Edward's eyes stared glassy and vacant at the ceiling, frozen in an expression of horror so sharp it seemed etched into his bone.
"Edward!" Ken pressed trembling fingers against the man's throat. Nothing. Silent. Still. Gone.
Bella's voice trembled. "Ken… Is he…?"
"Yes, he's dead."
The words were gravel, scraped from his lungs.
