Evan exited the car in a hurry, nearly falling in his rush. Barely steadied, he dashed to a garbage can outside his home, tumbling into it in a disheveled mess. Despite the chaos, he swiftly rose, emptied all the contents of the bin, and began searching frantically through the trash.
Normally fastidious, he ignored the filth and odor as he sifted through the garbage pile.
Liam, arriving just then, saw his friend disregard his usual demeanor to rummage through the trash. Approaching with concern, he pulled at his frantic friend. "What’s going on?"
Evan offered Liam a bitter smile. "I thought I had deceived everyone into believing that Avery's death didn’t touch me, hoping I could even fool myself."
He jerked away from Liam, anguish written all over his face. "But I can’t. I never truly saw her, yet her image is deeply ingrained in my mind. Her cries, her rebukes, her laughter—they replay in my mind like scenes from a movie. I dare not close my eyes; visions of her engulfed by flames haunt me."
Clutching scraps of paper tightly, Evan continued to search the pile, squatting down again.
Liam’s expression grew somber. Realizing his fears were materializing, he stood back, watching his friend search the garbage pile repeatedly, seemingly losing his sanity.
Evan knelt on the ground, piecing together the paper scraps.
"It’s over, you’re free now."
The torn words made his heart skip, yet Evan chuckled lowly, "Free? How could I be?" He pounded the words with his fists, bloodied after several strikes.
"Free? Impossible. She had bound me to her the moment she entered my life, and now I’m forever chained."
But he realized it all too late.
Liam seized Evan's self-harming hand. "Are you mad? Think about your hand!"
Evan shook off Liam's grip, stuffing the paper pieces into his pocket.
Liam's concern deepened; he hoped Evan wouldn't fall for Avery. Without love, there would be no pain. But once in love, Evan's agony was only beginning.
He had to admit, Avery was cunning and ruthless. Her public suicide by bomb was designed to torment Evan for life, an image meant to never fade.
Liam had also been shocked by the suicide—shaken to the core. Every time he closed his eyes, the horrific scene replayed, unforgettable.
"Evan…"
Liam attempted to console his friend, but the sight of Evan's sorrowful profile and bloodied hand left him speechless.
"She wanted a divorce," Evan slowly stood, a sinister smile crossing his lips. "She’s carved into my heart now, destined to be mine for eternity. I will never let her go."
Liam felt a chill at Evan’s words.
Just then, Evan’s phone rang with a call from the police.
"Mr. Foster, we've recovered your wife’s body. Please come to identify it."
Evan hung up, his face ashen, and reentered the car.
Concerned by his friend's state, Liam asked for the location and drove Evan there.
As they arrived at the beach where Avery had met her end, Liam's concern deepened, his gaze occasionally catching Evan's icy expression.
Evan stood on the beach, staring intently into the distance, yet his feet refused to move.
