:Liu X

light, and I landed at 3

was Owen Shepard, my senior colleague. He sound

m what was

," he said. "She

rge of pani

arted dating. I had planned to propose to her a

l at 4:30 a.m. and sa

body. Her skin had lost color,

semble Mia's

ied in a car crash at 6:10 p.m. at the inter

as a truck. The driver was too ti

I reached for the she

"Leo, you should

lump in m

me

grip and lifted

brows and eyes, like she always did

ck ran down her body

floor, feeling like

t no tears came. M

ing our anniversary. Ma

llucination

s the last mess

ed on such a

ss in my throat

driving? Fuck yo

dy to wreak havoc. Only Owen's firm grip pr

Dubois. I understand this is a difficu

'm going through! I need

's not an

er case. You gu

nded to kill anyone. It was just

n of a

use

en and glared at the officer's nose. "You're part of t

e and seized my arm, throwing me to the

d. "What

n of a

eard a sickening crunch and

on my wrists and pull

lice officer, so I wi

't let

ill on my neck until

something so reckless, at lea

n he spoke the words "driving whil

the more I doubted his inte

, I kept looking for clue

all the evidence from

ck that hit Mia was wrecked beyond repair. Four years passed,

You've been at it for four years, and you've aged like he

ng's off. Mia was k

ou have any cl

uit?" I shouted, slamming the

feeling infuria

was alive. I wanted to break down and c

phone ringing

but I recogniz

t first, but i

ot up and lo

iPhone 7 in a b

here? Three years? And

one and saw the ca

i

o?" I

n't you call

dumbfo

and calling her da

why are you so qu

o is this

y! It's your favorite

s tell by her

" she went on, ignoring my questi

ped, and the

at the ph

left, no SIM car

cent call w

but without a SIM card

no one picked up, just like the last four years. Her

the phone

id, connectin

ave you

nde

back from New York. Is

here ar

by Detrick, that glob

s a renowned journa

vering a press conference fo

invited to th

o Boston with my team af

6:40 p.m. and got into

forget th

over there...I mean, w

ost crucial quest

nniversary today. H

have we be

e years,

it's

u? Did you have a

'm in..

I heard the da

uch I missed her, how these

bit my

4, 2018, was t

this phone call acros

en Mia spoke again, bu

ound. I miss you too, but O

. It was clear that she w

he meant by "cove

ldn't le

there w

," I said, sensing w

on the line, and I

ght make it on time de

s our anniversary, and I want to

hesit

u sound

abbed the ph

darling. I'll c

g up yet,

ing urgent to

e intersection of Morton Street a

t she had alr

e didn't hear

d she seemed to be in a hurry, so I di

n minutes, I co

inutes were

Rain poured down in torrents, an

ancing at

9 p

0 p

1 p

th this place, Mia woul

ld

piece of pape

ext to her iPhone 7. I grabbed them

htning lit up

he autopsy report ch

nt," the report read, "fatally w

Mia's death

ed and rumbl