Chapter 1

Ethan lay in a small room at the funeral home.

He was the most handsome person I’d ever seen. Back in school he was the campus heartthrob. Girls were always posting his photos on the confession wall.

But now he didn’t look so good.

His arms and legs were broken, like snapped tree branches.

His face

His face was covered in bruises, his chest caved in.

The staff on duty were whispering next door:

“So sad…he wasn’t even on duty. He was just passing by when he saw that rich kid beating his girlfriend.”

“Everyone else was too scared to get close. Officer Ethan was the only one who rushed over. And now he’s dead. What a shame.”

“I heard he was at the mall to buy an engagement ring…when they took him to the hospital he was barely breathing, kept calling out a name. Rachel or something.”

It’s Rachel, I thought to myself.

Ethan had helped me choose that name. He said he hoped my future would be full of sunshine, always bright and clear.

For some reason, my heart started hurache again.

I nudged Ethan. “Hey, I don’t like this name anymore. Help me think of a new one.”

He lay there with his eyes closed, not responding.

I kissed his lips gently.

So cold. No response.

So this is what death is like.

Suddenly I started screaming hysterically, banging my head against the wall.

The staff next door were terrified. They wanted to rush in but were frozen by my heart-wrenching cries.

By the time they finally gathered the courage to open the door, I was already gone.