YOU SWAN , HE FROG !

15

Jack paused for a moment, then changed the subject. 
"Emma's ex-husband somehow came back looking for her. They got into a fight, and he pushed her. She lost the baby. He turned himself in at the police station, but Emma's still in a coma at the hospital. I heard it's not looking good... She might not be able to have kids anymore." 

James showed no reaction, as if the news didn't stir anything in him. "I'm going to sleep. Let's talk later." 

A few days passed. James came home from work as usual, went to the balcony for a cigarette. 

When he came back inside and saw the last few pieces of apple pie in the fridge, he paused for a moment, then smiled—a light, relaxed, almost joyful smile. 

I frowned slightly. 

He didn't eat the pie right away. Instead, he went out to the mall by himself. 

He stopped by the baby section, asking the saleswoman questions with patience, buying some baby clothes. Then he stopped by a flower shop, purchasing a large bunch of roses. 

The elderly lady selling the flowers smiled widely. 
"Your girlfriend used to love buying flowers from me. Haven't seen her in a while. Where's she gone off to?" 

James stood there quietly for a moment. "She's away on a business trip." 

The lady nodded. "These flowers aren't so fresh tonight. Why don't you come back tomorrow morning, and I'll—" 

"No, that's alright," James cut her off, his voice warm but firm. He enunciated each word clearly. "Tonight, I'm leaving on a trip too." 

The old woman was taken aback, covering her mouth with a teasing grin. "Oh, I get it, you miss your girlfriend." 

"Yeah." James smiled faintly, his long lashes lowering. "I miss her a lot." 

"Really, I miss her so much." 

When James returned home, he sat at the dining table, quietly and methodically finishing the last pieces of apple pie, even drinking the remaining juice. 

He then took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and neatly arranged the roses and baby clothes on the bed, staring at them for a long time. 

Afterward, he opened a drawer and pulled out a fruit knife he had stashed away and a bottle of sleeping pills he must've bought at some point. 

He dumped out the pills, slowly picking them up one by one and swallowing them. 

I was shaking all over, staring at him, rage building in my chest like a storm, unstoppable and fierce, coursing through my bones and muscles until it consumed me. 

He was actually trying to kill himself. 

When he picked up the knife, calmly pressing it to his wrist and making a small cut, I screamed. 

"Why?!" 

The knife clattered to the ground. 

"Annie..." 

Blood trickled steadily from the cut on his wrist, the scent of iron filling the air, but James didn't seem to notice. He just stared at me, dazed and lost. 

"So, it's true... When you're about to die, you really do see the person you want to see the most." 

"Annie, I've missed you... so much." 

I forced myself to stay calm, my voice ice-cold. "I didn't miss you at all." 

James' face drained of color. He struggled to his feet, picking up the roses and baby clothes from the bed, giving me a strained, almost apologetic smile. 

"These are gifts for you and the baby." 

His fingers anxiously rubbed the fabric of the clothes. His head lowered slightly, unsure of himself. 

"I didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, so I bought both." 

I glared at him, cold and unyielding. "We don't need them." 

His body tensed up, but he kept his head down, his voice low. "I know you're still mad at me. I shouldn't have fought with you that day." 

"Emma was just... just a regret from my youth. The one I've loved has always been you." 

"Really, it's always been you." 

"Jack said people who hurt others' hearts deserve to pay a price, so I've come to be with you." 

"Annie, I was wrong. Please, forgive me." 

With every word he spoke, it felt like a needle was stabbing into my heart, every nerve in my body stretched to its breaking point. 

I took a deep breath, then laughed coldly. "Do you know what I saw right before the car crash that day?"