Three years after my death, Samuel Terrason came to visit my grave. When he saw the lilies blooming around it, his expression darkened. "What is this?"

"If the stories are true, then these lilies mean she has found her partner in the afterlife."

"Pull them out," Samuel said coldly.

"Pull what out, sir?"

"The lilies! All of them!"

Then, Samuel bought the entire graveyard and ordered that every male be relocated. Yes, males. Even the dogs.

"You're not seeing anyone else, even in death, Rachel!" he swore. "And if you try, I'll come find you when I'm dead, too! Not even death can separate us. Just wait for me!"

Reminiscence

Samuel Terrason was staring at my photo with love and wistfulness. Tears shimmered in his eyes before he leaned down and kissed it like something sacred. "Please, wait for me. You can do anything to me."

I was pulled back into my memories.

It was our fifth anniversary, and I was driving to the date. Samuel called me while I was waiting for the green light.

As usual, he said gently, "Don't go too fast, Rachel. I've got your favorite cake and a surprise in store."

It sounded like any ordinary day between us. I smiled, warmed by it. "I know."

I hung up and prepared to move when the light changed, but the sharp roar of an engine exploded from my right. I turned just in time to see a truck loaded with rebars barreling straight toward me.

Before I knew it, my world went black, and all I could hear was the screech of something coming to a halt. A loud thud thundered. Pain tore through my body as if a brutal force was ripping me apart.

Voices swirled around me. Someone was speaking, but the words were muffled and distant.

"Rachel? Rachel…" My name. The voice was low, panicked. I tried my hardest to open my eyes, but I was drowning in the darkness. My body was too heavy to even move.

Sounds of conversation reached my ears, though they were distant. "The ER is ready, Mr. Terrason."

"Move it along."

Samuel's voice. Cold and detached. My heart trembled, and a part of me woke up. 'ER? What ER?'

I tried to call his name, but my thoughts were tangled, thick as if my skull had been filled with lead.

"Must we do this, Mr. Terrason? Your wife is…" The man hesitated. I sensed the unease in his voice.

"Just proceed as planned. No questions."

I couldn't breathe. Something was crushing my chest. What was Samuel talking about? What plan?

The air reeked of antiseptic.

I was on a hospital bed, harsh lights stabbing through my closed eyelids.

Samuel held my hand tightly. The wedding ring pressed painfully into my palm, as if he meant to brand it there.

"It'll be over soon. Once the transplant's done, we'll go home." He kissed the top of my head. The woody scent of his cologne mixed with the coppery smell of blood.

The ER doors burst open. The sharp click of heels snapped through my haze. I forced my eyes open a fraction.

Meredith Shawlesque's sickly sweet voice slithered into the room.

The Venomous Snake

"Are you sure the kidney's a match? I've waited three years for this."

Samuel released my hand and pulled Meredith into his arms. He kissed her forehead. "Dr. Lawson ran the tests. It's a match. I'll give you the healthy body you deserve."

Meredith nodded. When she spoke again, her voice was soft but also a little hurt. "What about her womb? You promised I'd be the only one to bear your family's heir. Your housekeeper told me Rachel's been trying for a baby."

My heart skipped a beat. She even knew something that private?

Samuel's kisses stopped. "Do we have to remove it? I can make her use an IUD."

Meredith stiffened, rejecting the idea outright. Her voice cracked. "So, you really have fallen for her, Samuel. I thought I was the only one for you. If you won't take her womb out, I'm not doing the transplant! Let me die and spend your life with Rachel!"

Samuel sighed softly. "Stop it, Meredith. You're having the transplant. You need that kidney. I won't let anything happen to you." He paused, then added in a gentler tone, "Fine. You'll get what you want, babe."

My heart sank. My soul was hit by a sledgehammer.

Meredith spoke again. "What if Rachel finds out? Will it affect your claim as heir? George did appoint her as your wife."

Samuel soothed Meredith softly, but there was pride in his voice. "It's fine. She loves me way too much to find out. She believes everything I say.

"And the driver's a fugitive anyway. I've smuggled him overseas. If she asks, I'll tell her the rebar stabbed through her kidney and womb. She'll never know it was surgery."

An invisible knife tore through my heart. This whole accident was his idea. He would take away my kidney and womb just for Meredith.

Darkness crept into my mind, their voices fading with it. Just before everything went silent, I heard Samuel murmur gently, "It'll go smoothly, Meredith."

My blood ran cold.

…

My eyes slowly fluttered open, and the blinding light made me squint. The air still reeked of antiseptic. I could feel pain swimming out of the deepest parts of my body, especially my belly.

It felt like something had torn through it.

"You're awake!" Samuel's voice trembled with shock and relief. He clutched my hand, his fingers shaking.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with guilt and worry. "And I thought you were…" He trailed off and rested his forehead on my hand. His shoulders were shaking.

I could feel his tears drenching my skin. Though warm, it only froze my heart further.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. The rebar pierced your body, and the doctor… The doctor had to take a kidney and your womb away. I… I didn't know what else to do…"

He struggled to speak, every word sounding like it tore him apart. Then, he whispered a promise. "But I'll stay with you, even if we can't have children of our own. We can adopt."

His Mask

"I'll always treat you like a queen."

He sounded so sincere that anyone could have believed him. But to me, it felt like my heart was being crushed all over again. Every word, every trace of concern he showed me was part of the lie he'd built. I used to trust him with everything I had.

"Is something the matter, Rachel?" The mask of agony I wore made him panic. He stood up. "I'll get the doctor. Wait for me. I'll be back in a minute."

He rushed out of the ward, leaving his phone behind. Silence swallowed the room, broken only by the soft hum of the machines.

Then, his phone rang, slicing through the quiet.

Slowly, I reached for it and answered.

"What took you so long, Samuel?" Meredith's voice dripped with sweetness. "Don't forget to talk to Rachel about adopting Riley. She can't have children anymore anyway.

"You don't need to keep taking those pills. And bring Riley to her once she recovers. She'll raise our child, I'm sure."

My hand tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white. So that was why I never had a child. I'd worried about it for years, and Samuel always brushed it off. "It's not the right time," he would say. "Just wait."

Tears trickled down my cheek and drenched the pillow.

Meredith was still talking, and everything she said ripped deeper into me.

"Why are you so quiet, Samuel? Come over tonight. It's boring being alone in the ward. Play with me." Her voice was soft and needy, the kind that could melt anyone.

I grunted quietly, but just enough for her to hear. Meredith suspected nothing, so she kept on talking.

"You promised we'd go to see the aurora once I get better. We can go on vacation once you hand Riley over to Rachel."

That was it. With a shaking finger, I hung up. The screen went dark, and silence rushed back in.

Moments later, the door burst open. Samuel hurried in with the doctor, worry written all over his face. "The doctor's here. Just hold on, Rachel." He clasped my hand tightly.

My heart turned colder by the second. I watched him quietly, watched the performance unfold.

He picked me up the day I was cleared, and he was nothing short of caring the whole way.

…

The sounds of a child's laughter came from the living room.

I stood at the entrance, my eyes resting on the boy playing with his toys on the rug. He was about three, fair-skinned, and shared some resemblance with Samuel.

He looked like the kid version of the man.

Samuel stepped beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Softly, he said, "This is the boy I told you about. Riley. He's a good kid. He's ours now."

My chest tightened, but my face stayed calm. "He looks like you. You don't see that kind of resemblance often. Let's keep him."

Samuel let out a breath of relief, and his smile softened.