May You Be Safe... And Out of My Life

I didn't know when Carol had come in to visit me. She had even lent me her arm to sleep on as a pillow.

I was shocked and looked at her in confusion.

Did she lend me her arm as a pillow because I'd complained once that the hospital pillows were too hard?

Carol pressed her lips into a thin line and carefully withdrew her cramping arm.

"The police called your family. I know about everything now. I'm sorry for misunderstanding you last night."

I stared at her. Her arm was very stiff, and she couldn't even bend it at the elbow. I guess I'd been using her arm as a pillow for far too long.

Carol was the first one to avert her gaze.

"As for the wedding flowers… We'll use champagne roses and everything you like. It'll be arranged accordingly during the wedding," she said.

I was shocked. "Did you confirm this with the designer?"

"Thomas told me about it."

Just then, my phone buzzed again, and it was from the wedding planner.

"Mr. Shaffer, we have contacted Mr. Thomas about the invitations, and everything has been changed to his name."

Oh. So, Carol was the only one who didn't know that she wouldn't be marrying me.

Maybe that was a good thing after all. It would be a pleasant surprise for her.

I raised my head slightly. "I wish you all the happiness in the world."

Carol frowned, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes. However, she quickly resumed her usual stoic expression after that.

"I owe you one for this. What do you want from me? Just tell me."

I shook my head and said, "There's no need for that. I did it willingly."

Carol's phone started ringing this time. When she saw that it was a call from Thomas, she immediately answered it and said, "Don't be afraid. I'll be right there."

She ended the call and absent-mindedly toyed with the hem of the blanket on my hospital bed.

"I'll be waiting for you at the wedding."

"You'll see my wedding gift but not my person there," I said, smiling at her. "Carol, I hope that you'll live a life full of happiness and be safe for the rest of your life."

Carol frowned again. "Don't joke around. Who would I be marrying if not you? Don't think too much of it. I'll still marry you like I said I would. Might as well get it right."

Then, she turned and left me behind.

I watched quietly as her figure gradually disappeared from view.

My phone then buzzed again with a new text message. It was from the IPF body disposal team.

"Dear Mr. Marcus Shaffer. Your flight details in three days have been confirmed."

I replied with a simple "OK".

…

The day of the wedding swiftly arrived.

Carol wore her wedding dress and sat in the room, clenching the champagne roses in her hand so much that some of the petals had begun to wilt. She was waiting for her groom to come and get her.

She was supposed to hate this wedding and not look forward to it at all. However, she couldn't understand why she felt a sense of anticipation in her chest.

Time slowly ticked by. Finally, the door opened.

She held her breath and turned to look at the newcomer.

"Carol!" Thomas exclaimed happily. He was wearing a tuxedo and had a fresh champagne rose in the button of his lapel. He was glowing. "Don't you think that I look like the most handsome groom in town?"

Carol froze in place. Then, she suddenly leapt to her feet.

"What are you doing here?"

"Carol!" Her bridesmaid, Bessie Nolan, came rushing toward her. "Marcus' wedding gift has just arrived!"

The gift was a watch that she had given me in the past, accompanied by a wedding card.

She quickly opened the card. The sight of my neat handwriting was like shrapnel to her eyes.

"I've returned this gift to its rightful owner. We don't owe each other anything anymore. I wish you and Thomas all the love and happiness for the rest of your lives."

She crumpled the card in her fingers.

"Where is he?" Carol asked, her voice trembling.

Bessie was just about to speak when her phone began ringing urgently. She answered the call. However, her face turned deathly pale after hearing the other person speak at the other end of the line.

"Carol, we just received news… The plane that Marcus had been on, with the rest of the IPF crew… It crashed just outside the border."