A Fine Line Between Life and Death

I make my final phone call to my boyfriend when a murderer is hunting me down. He thinks I'm messing with him and hangs up on me. That destroys the final sliver of hope I have for survival.

He's celebrating his childhood friend's birthday when I'm being murdered.

Later, as a restorative embalmer, he receives a body to restore. He loses his mind when he restores my shattered skull and realizes the body is mine.

My body was discovered three days after my death by a janitor. All of my limbs were there, but my head was missing.

Gavin Hart was assigned to restore my corpse. It was no easy task. I had been brutally dismembered. The fragments were scattered like a macabre puzzle, and the reconstruction process required painstaking precision to fit each part back into its proper place.

He exhaled sharply. "This woman died a terrible death. I've never seen a corpse this mutilated before."

His assistant, Steven Brown, carefully piecing my abdomen together, sighed. "She was pregnant. The baby was already formed. Two lives lost… What a tragedy."

I hovered in the air and silently watched Gavin's back. He didn't recognize me. Seven years of love, countless nights spent in each other's arms, yet he couldn't even recognize my body. I wondered what expression he would make when he finally found my head and realized who I was.

Gavin turned over what was left of my back, stitching up the deep, crisscrossing wounds. A sharp pain twisted through me.

That rainy night came rushing back.

The murderer had chased me down, hacking at my back with a machete.

Blood ran down my body, mixed with the rain, and vanished into the darkness. My last desperate call had been to Gavin. But all I got in return was his cold voice.

"Stop making a scene, okay? Who are you trying to fool? I'm not giving in this time. If you apologize to Chloe, I'll end the silent treatment."

Then the line went dead.

The beeping of the disconnected call became my final requiem.

Behind me, a chilling voice whispered, "Caught you."

I screamed and begged for help. But the only response was cold steel plunging into my throat.

As the darkness swallowed me, Gavin's face was the last thing in my mind.

"Gavin, it hurts so much."

…

Night fell.

Gavin stayed late at work, painstakingly stitching me back into something resembling human form. By the time he clocked out, it had started drizzling. He had no umbrella, so he stood beneath the eaves and waited for the rain to stop.

Steven hesitated before asking, "Is Ms. Walker not picking you up today?"

For years, I had been the one waiting for him after work. But now, three days had passed, and I hadn't shown up. Steven's curiosity got the better of him.

Gavin lowered his gaze and watched the raindrops splatter onto the pavement. His voice was calm. "Hmm… We had a big fight, so things are tense now."

Realizing he had overstepped, Steven quickly offered, "Mr. Hart, should I call a cab for you? This rain doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon."

Gavin shook his head. "I'll wait a little longer."

He was still waiting for me to show up, waiting for me to give in and end the silent treatment.

But I would never appear before him again.

The rain poured harder. A pair of headlights cut through the downpour.

Gavin looked up, a flicker of hope flashing in his eyes.

Then, in the next second, his faint smile froze.

Because it wasn't me.

Chloe Wright stepped out of the car, limping slightly, an umbrella in hand. Her voice was bright, almost cheerful.

"Gavin, I came to pick you up! I heard Sandra hasn't come to pick you up for three days, so I guess this job falls to me."

Chloe's smile was bright and sweet, but her words subtly edged me out.

Gavin's gloom vanished instantly. He reached out and ruffled Chloe's hair. "Alright, then. From now on, I'll have you pick me up."