They say your heart stops three seconds before you die.
His didn't—but hers did.
The day he died, he took her heart with him.
So, how could she say goodbye?
How could she leave his grave and stay far away from him—she couldn't. Because deep down, she believed she wouldn't be able to live without him.
And every night, she relived the incident in her dreams. In different scenes, different angles. Like pieces of a puzzle she had to assemble—or thousands of glass shards she was forced to gather, each shard making her bleed.
She sat there on his grave, like a withering flower. Collapsed and dressed in all black. Waiting to be frozen in time by the harsh winter.
She had been waiting for this day—the day he could finally rest.
And then—a touch on her shoulder.
It seemed to be the only thing that could break her free from the shackles of grief.
Not the loud murmurs.
Not the gazes pinned to her back.
Just a gentle touch.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw him—the detective working on the case.
He held out a tissue, and she took it.
"Thank you..." she managed to say, despite losing her voice.
He patted her shoulder and walked away.
She looked at the memorial plaque, covered in snow, before pushing herself up and going after him. She tugged the cuffs of his jacket, making the detective stop in his tracks.
"Detective—"
He turned around and locked eyes with her.
Her pale skin was such a contrast to her red cheeks and the auburn waves tangled in snow. The snowflakes had accumulated over her long, frozen eyelashes—clinging to them from the tears and the cold.
At that moment, she didn't have to say anything else—he just had to stay.
"Is this the end? Will we finally rest?" she asked.
He bit his tongue.
She was so different from the girl he met months ago. He wondered whether it was the grief or the cold weather that had turned her like this—or perhaps, the boy really had taken her heart with him. Under all the snow and mud. Alone—and underground.
Now, she was an empty vessel, covered in scars no one could see.
But he knew not to say anything.
Because he, too, was losing hope.