Chapter 10 He drove at breakneck speed the entire way . All the little details about Celia from recent months came flooding back . How her eyes no longer held any love when she looked at him . How she'd stopped reacting violently to his and Silas's torment . How she'd coughed up blood in the hospital , even from the smallest impact . The painkillers she always carried . The words the doctor had said at the hospital that they hadn't bothered to listen to properly - it all became crystal clear now . When all these details replayed in his mind , Aurelian realized there had been signs all along . The car stopped in front of the police station . Staring at those doors , Aurelian found he didn't have the courage to open them . He stood there for a long time until his limbs went stiff , then finally forced himself to push through . An officer approached and led them to an office . The policeman handed them a small bag . " These are Miss Fairborne's personal effects . " Inside was a medical report and a flash drive . Aurelian opened the report , his eyes falling on the results at the bottom . STAGE 4 GASTRIC CANCER Those four words pierced his heart like a sword . Unable to handle the shock , he swayed unsteadily , the thin piece of paper trembling in his uncontrolled grip . He didn't know what was on the flash drive , so he just slipped it into his pocket . " Where … where is Celia ? " After a long pause , Aurelian managed to croak out the question . The officer led them to the medical examiner's room . " She had no vital signs when we arrived . According to surveillance footage , Miss Fairborne jumped around 8 PM . Her body wasn't discovered until 11 , when a local fisherman found her . " Looking at Celia lying on the cold examination table covered by a white sheet , Aurelian felt like someone was constantly pulling and cutting at a nerve in his brain , causing unbearable pain . He stood by the table but couldn't find the courage to lift the sheet . He desperately prayed that it wasn't Celia lying there , that they'd made a mistake . But the dress peeking out from under the white cloth cruelly confirmed the truth . This was Celia . 23:58 Killed Me for Your Precious Angel ? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell 42.9 % Chapter 10 She'd worn the dress they'd personally chosen for her and jumped into the river without a trace of hesitation . After what felt like forever , Aurelian finally pulled back the sheet . Celia was soaked through , her face ashen gray . Any last shred of hope in Aurelian's heart shattered completely . Celia was truly gone . She wasn't lying , this wasn't some cruel joke . The girl who'd grown up with him , whom he'd watched go from toddling steps to graceful young woman , whom he'd always treasured - she was really gone . Aurelian couldn't take it anymore . He collapsed against the table , clutching her cold hands and breaking down in sobs . " I'm sorry , Celia . I'm so , so sorry . " " Please wake up , okay ? I'll take you to get treatment . I'll take you to the best hospitals with the best doctors . " " When you get better , we'll get married , okay ? " Silas also dropped to his knees beside the table , his eyes filled with disbelief and anguish . " Celia , your brother was wrong . So wrong . " These were all the words Celia had been desperate to hear for so long , but now she lay there lifeless , unable to give them even the smallest response . The staff member had seen this scene many times before . When the crying finally subsided , he pushed a box of tissues toward them . " Did she leave any message for me ? " " I'm sorry , we didn't find any other personal effects at the scene . As for … " The officer paused before continuing . " Miss Fairborne's last phone call was to you . She didn't leave you any final words ? " Nothing . Aurelian clutched his head in agony . She'd left him nothing , said nothing to him . Did she hate him that much ? Hate him so much she wouldn't spare him a single word , only leaving him a cold corpse and calling it a " surprise . " Hate him enough to throw away all those years of shared feelings . Hate him enough to want no further connection with him whatsoever . Aurelian didn't know how he managed to complete the paperwork at the station or how he brought her ashes home . He sat slumped on the couch , staring at the urn . When his phone rang , it jolted him back to reality . " Hello , is this Mr. Graves ? I'm from the cemetery management . Miss Fairborne reserved a burial plot with us and listed you as the contact . She asked me to call you today to have her ashes placed in the plot she selected . " Aurelian hung up but didn't move . 23:58 Killed Me for Your Precious Angel ? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell 44.4 % Chapter 10 He looked around the room filled with their shared memories and realized how frighteningly empty it felt now . All the photos of them together that used to sit on the table and shelves were long gone . The throw pillows they'd picked out together for the couch had been thrown away . Every trace of Celia had vanished from this house . Aurelian opened his phone , wanting to see a picture of Celia one more time , but scrolling through his entire photo gallery , he couldn't find a single photo of them together . His camera roll used to be filled with pictures of Celia - all different sides of her . But at some point , the person recorded in his phone had changed to Mireya . The only photo left was from five years ago - one he'd taken of her during a hospital visit while she was in her coma . ♡ ( 0 )