Chapter 18
I stood next to the bed, staring at my corpse. There were no signs of decay or mottled skin. My complexion was slightly pale, and I looked like a sickly person.
If not for the stillness of my chest, I might have thought my body was merely asleep.
All this time, without seeing my corpse, I had clung to a sliver of hope. Perhaps I was just gravely injured or in a coma, barely clinging to life.
I thought that if Shane could find me in time, he might be able to save me. It wasn’t until I saw my lifeless body with my own eyes that I finally gave up hope.
So, I truly was dead.
I sat beside my corpse, gazing down at my palms. I didn’t know where to go from this moment on. Was 1,destined to exist like this forever?
I had no sense of taste or smell. Tears wouldn’t fall even if I wanted to cry. Was this what the afterlife was like? Nobody could hear me nor see me, yet I could see everyone.
I buried my face in my hands, sobbing without tears.
Right then, I heard hurried footsteps. It belonged to more than one person. The man who entered had a pair of familiar eyes, but his face was hidden behind yet another mask, keeping his identity obscured.
Trailing behind him was a tall, dark–skinned man dressed in a robe.
“That’s her,” my killer said, pointing at my body
The man in a robe swiftly pulled back the white sheet covering me, revealing my naked body beneath it. I could clearly see the wound on my abdomen.
My pale skin was coated in a translucent substance. It was likely some kind of ointment preventing decay. I had a bad feeling….
The man in a robe scrutinized my body from head to toe, occasionally pressing on my skin as if testing its elasticity. It felt like he was inspecting merchandise.
Pointing to the wound on my abdomen, he said in a heavy Erstonian accent, “Shame about the scar. Otherwise, she could have been skinned perfectly.”
Skinned? Did he mean what I thought he meant? Was he going to strip my skin off me? How was that even possible? We lived in a society governed by law!
But from their serious gazes, I knew they weren’t joking.
As the man prepared his tools and slowly approached my body, I screamed desperately, “No! Stay away!”
Chap 18
Suddenly, everything went dark. When I came to, I was back in a familiar place–the Lundberg residence. I collapsed to the floor. All I could think about was the Erstonian man from earlier,
“Kneel!”
An aging, yet commanding, voice pulled me back from reality. It was Mr. Lundberg Senior. It had been a long time since I last saw him..
After Mrs. Lundberg Senior’s passing a few years ago, his health and spirit had declined. It left him alternating between moments of lucidity and bouts of confusion.
To prevent him from wandering off and getting lost, he had been staying at a nursing home for years. The last time I visited, he had the mental state of a small child.
Now, his stern and authoritative demeanor clearly indicated his mind was sharp again.
I rushed to him and pleaded desperately, “Mr. Lundberg Senior, save me. Please, save me! Don’t let them skin me.”
But the huge living room only echoed with his thunderous voice. “This was a union between the Lundberg and Schultz families. How could you leave Allison at the altar?
“I don’t care if her sister lives or dies! You’ve made such a disgraceful mess. How can I trust you to take over the Lundberg family?”
Mr. Lundberg Senior had always been disappointed in Elliott. This was because Elliott had insisted on marrying Natalie instead of the woman he had chosen. Because of this, he pinned all of his hopes on Shane from a young age.
C
