The next afternoon, I received a call from the hospital.
I didn’t rush this time. I took my time getting there, walking at my own pace, knowing full well what awaited me. When I arrived, William was already laid out on a stretcher, a white cloth covering his lifeless body. But this time, the cloth was soaked in blood. Real blood. The game was over.
His parents, Thomas and Nancy, sat nearby, putting on their best performance of grief.
When I arrived at the place, two officers were standing by William's body, waiting for me.
One of them stepped forward, his face set in a grim mask of professionalism. "Mrs. Carter," he began, his voice low and measured. "We’re sorry for your loss. It appears Mr. Carter may have been distracted while driving and didn’t hit the brakes in time, so he ended up crashing into the mountainside. His speed wasn’t that fast, but…" The officer hesitated for a moment as if the next part didn’t quite add up. "For some reason, the gas tank exploded upon impact. Despite immediate efforts to save him, he didn’t survive."
I should have felt something—shock, sorrow, disbelief—but instead, a strange calm settled over me. It was like watching a play unfold, every piece falling into place exactly as I had predicted. The officer’s words barely touched me. In fact, all I felt was an overwhelming urge to laugh. The irony of it all. William Carter died from his own hand, his grand scheme crumbling beneath him like the wreckage of his car.
As I took a step toward his covered body, ready to lift the sheet and see for myself, a sudden, sharp pain exploded across my cheek. My head snapped to the side from the force of the slap, and there, standing inches away, was Nancy, her face twisted with rage and grief.
"You!" she spat, her voice a venomous hiss. "You have no right to see my son. You killed him! It’s your fault he's dead! Ever since he married you, our family has known nothing but misery. You ruined him—you made him quit his job and turned him into an embarrassing househusband. And that worthless daughter you gave him…" Her voice broke, but her fury was unrelenting. "Now he’s gone, no one left to carry on our family name!"