Love after Death (S1) [Completed]

Chapter 20: Two Minutes of Eternity

PRESENT TIME

Liam's POV

I can't seem to make sense of any of this.

Why is this happening to me right now?

Questions swirl in my mind, and none of them have answers.

Why did Miguel and I have to meet? Why now, when I was finally starting to step into a new chapter of my life, did I encounter him?

What is it about Miguel that reminds me so much of Monique?

I keep thinking about how he's showing me all these familiar traits-just like her.

It's almost as if history is repeating itself. The thought terrifies me. Just like Monique, Miguel will leave me too. I can feel it in my chest, like a slow ache that spreads through my heart.

The memories, the hurt-it's all coming back, just as sharp and painful as when Monique left. Miguel told me he was leaving the company, and it felt like someone had ripped open old wounds. The weight of it all, the sadness that I thought I'd buried, came flooding back as if no time had passed. I don't know what to do with myself anymore.

I don't understand why it feels like the person I love will slip away from me forever. There's this gnawing feeling deep inside that makes me want to pull away from Miguel, to shut him out-but how can I, when that's exactly what he wants?

I still love Monique, and in some way, Miguel feels like an extension of her. Is it wrong to love him? To see Monique in him? Can I even separate my feelings for the two of them? They're different people, yes-but my heart doesn't seem to care. It only knows one thing: I love them both.

But is this love? Or am I simply projecting my feelings for Monique onto Miguel? Is that even fair to him?

I opened the envelope in my hands, the one I'd arranged to get more answers about the man who had me so confused. My fingers trembled as I unfolded the papers inside. I stared at the contents, my heart pounding in my chest.

MIGUEL THOMPSON
Adopted by Rudolph Thompson at a young age after his biological parents died in a tragic accident.

March 17, 2007 - Miguel was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with only a 50/50 chance of survival.

March 17, 2007 (7:58 PM) - Officially declared dead by Dr. Luigi Gomez at Saint Isidore Hospital (San Isidore, Palawan).

March 17, 2007 (8:00 PM) - A miracle. Miguel opened his eyes and regained consciousness, as if he had never been in an accident at all.

The facts were so simple, yet they cut through me like a knife. My head spun with the weight of the truth.

SEVEN YEARS AGO

My heart raced in my chest as I sped home, anxiety clawing at my throat. It was a mix of emotions I couldn't process-fear, panic, urgency. Nothing else mattered except getting to Monique.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the seat beside me. My pulse skipped a beat when I saw it was Mom calling.

I quickly picked up. It was 5:50 PM, March 17.

"Liam, my son..." Mom's voice was soft, but I could hear the tremor in it, and that was all it took to send a chill down my spine. I knew something was terribly wrong. "She's gone... our sweet girl... Monique... She's gone..." Her voice cracked, breaking under the weight of the words.

"No... no!" I shouted, my mind refusing to process what I was hearing. "No! This can't be true! Not like this!"

I dropped the phone, hearing it clatter to the floor, but I couldn't bear to listen anymore. I couldn't face it.

I could feel my whole world crumbling as I floored the accelerator, the car careening through the streets. It was like everything around me was slipping into a blur, my focus fixed only on getting to her.

The sounds of car horns pierced through my haze of panic, but I ignored them. All that mattered was reaching her.

I could hear voices now, disembodied and distant.

"Oh my god! What happened?!"

"Call an ambulance! Now!"

"That crash was huge!"

"The black car was speeding. It collided with the blue car..."

"This is a one-way road... the black car was definitely in the wrong."

I could feel everything around me again, but it was like I was detached from my body. My vision was blurry, my forehead throbbing. When I looked around, I realized I was upside down. My body screamed in pain as I struggled to get free.

The crowd gathered, staring at me as though I wasn't even human. I glanced down at my hands-they were coated in blood, and my clothes were soaked in it too.

I felt dizzy, and my legs shook as I stumbled out of the wreckage. My eyes darted to the car I'd crashed into. It was flipped over too, the damage far worse. The front door had been torn off.

I staggered toward it, my body moving on instinct. When I peered inside, I saw the boy. His face was covered in blood, unconscious. I knelt by the car, my heart sinking into my stomach.

My hand shook as I touched my forehead and wiped the blood away, tasting the metallic tang on my lips. And then, everything went black.

PRESENT TIME

I stared at the paper in my hands, my heart pounding in my chest. The room felt stuffy, the air thick with the weight of everything I'd just read. My mind raced, but it couldn't process what I was seeing.

The ringing in my ears was deafening. The memories, the guilt, it was all crashing back at once.

What if I had caused the accident? What if it was my fault that Miguel had gone through all that pain? The thought crushed me, and I realized I would never forgive myself if I was the one responsible for his suffering.

To be Continued...