Tears on My Gravestone

A phone call snapped me out of my thoughts and pulled Jayden out of his grief.

"Jay, get over here now. I found a corpse at Ms. Katherine's place."

Hank sounded rattled like he was still trying to wrap his head around what he'd seen. The only thing I knew was that everything would spiral out of control if Jayden found out I was dead right now.

His grip on the phone tightened. "What corpse? Speak clearly!"

Hank's voice cracked like he was about to cry. "Jay, just get over here."

Jayden hung up and headed for the car, nearly tripping twice. He took off without a second thought, his face unreadable, but his knuckles were white against the wheel.

Was he worried about me, too?

The car screeched to a stop at the villa, crashing straight into the flowerbed by the gate with a heavy thud. Jayden's forehead slammed into the windshield. Blood streamed down his face, fast and thick.

I tried to wipe it away, but my hand went right through him. A sharp wave of frustration rose in my chest. Why was he always so reckless?

Jayden ignored the gash on his forehead. He flung the car door open and marched straight into the villa.

Hank froze for a moment when he saw him. "Jay, your head—"

"I'm fine. Where's the corpse?"

"Just up ahead." Hank opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, then hesitated. "You should brace yourself, Jay."

My corpse lay sprawled across the living room floor, already starting to rot. It gave off a stench so vile it was beyond words.

Chunks of dried concrete still clung to me. My exposed skin was blotched with livor mortis, and my face held just enough to hint at who I used to be.

Jayden stood frozen, eyes locked on my corpse like someone had hit pause and left him stuck in that moment.

"No way… No way…" Jayden muttered, his expression twisting into something unreadable, his voice barely a whisper.

Hank gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "What's done is done, Jay. You've got to let it go."

"Let it go?" The words hit Jayden like a spark to dry tinder. He seized Hank by the collar. "Let what go? That can't be Katherine. How does someone that ruthless just die like that?"