The Accident(Part 1)

As he slowly opened the ring box, he thought of the accident again.

It was his mother’s ring, so of course, memories about her would come to his mind, but he would like to erase her from his brain just for a little while. The guilt he once believed had left him ages ago was strangling him like a noose, suffocating him at the moment.

Being raised in a single-parent family, his mother was everything to him, and he could swear that he never had the slightest thought of wanting her to die, but it’s like what they say—these things do happen. He could still remember that day vividly: exhausted from working all day in the restaurant, the only thing he and his mother owned, all he could think of was rest, finishing the dishes as soon as possible, and getting some rest. Maybe that was why he chose to carelessly put the tea and that cup of drain clog remover in one tray and brought it to his mother without checking the contents of the mug twice. He had just finished chatting withAmie, one of the frequenters of the restaurant, when he heard the noise of something collapsing. When he discovered that what his mother had drunk was a cupful of drain clog remover, he almost immediately fell on the floor and was on the verge of passing out. Thinking about it afterward, he really should have listened to his mother and changed the habit of keeping toxic chemicals in drinking mugs for convenience, but it was all too late. Seeing his mother lying there unconscious, twitching as her face grew pale, there was only one thought left in his mind: his life would be ruined if anyone were to find out about this. Therefore, he did what he had to do. The ambulance was called after that, yet the action was totally meaningless, as it arrived at the hospital an hour after she died.

The sound of an alarm clock pulled him back to reality. He then realized he was drenched in sweat. What’s worse, he hadn’t had time to take another shower. The panicky feeling that he was no stranger to attacked him again. He looked into the ring box, then took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory. It would be ominous if he continued to keep that tragedy on his mind. He certainly wouldn’t be able to handle the heartbreak ifAmie, the light of his life, turned her back on him. After his mother died, negative feelings overwhelmed him, and nightmares devoured his sleep as well as his health. It wasAmie who pulled him out of his low ebb. Although she also had her flaws and quirks in some ways—like she would laugh when she saw animals being killed—he was certain that she was the one for him after a few years together.

A knock came from the door. He quickly tucked the ring box into the upper pocket of his suit and grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe the sweat on his palm. There would be no accidents this time, he thought to himself, and opened the door.

As soon as they sat at the table, he knelt and pulled out the ring box. His heart was pounding, waiting for an excited “yes” that would melt his heart or a cold and flat rejection. However, Amie gave him neither. She gave a quick glance at the ring and then smiled at him. It was a kind of smile he had never seen on her face before, and to be frank, it sort of sent chills down his spine. Still smiling gently, Amie gently pushed the ring box away.

“It was me who killed your mother,” she said in a calm voice, as if she were simply telling him what she had for lunch that day. His blood turned cold, and he widened his eyes. Of all people, Amie should know best not to joke about his mother, as he had told her everything, and she was the one who saw him struggling over the years.

“I’m not kidding,” her cold voice continued, as if she had read his mind. “You remember running into leaving the restaurant after you put that tray on the table? It was I who switched that cup of chemical tea. You know, just for fun.” He could see her sticking her tongue out, grinning, and making weird faces at him like a naughty five-year-old. Her lips were still moving, but he could hear nothing except these high-pitched buzzing noises. It all fell apart—his fantasies about future happiness, his hopes, and his dreams. It turned out they were just a mirage, merely delusions of an oasis that a dying person sees in a desert.

The sound of her laughing stirred up his anger. He impulsively went around the other side of the table and started squeezing her neck, trying to strangle her, and for some reason, she didn’t resist but just kept chuckling and staring at him. It wasn’t until the last minute that she kicked him harshly in the shin.

They were engaged in a fight just like that by the candlelight, the romantic dinner he had originally prepared. Their fists were flying through the air, colliding with each other’s skin with audible thuds, the sound of flesh meeting flesh reverberating through the silence. He landed a punch onAmie’s face, causing her to stumble back. She regained her balance and responded with a kick to his abdomen. He fell to the ground, gasping for air. With one foot stomping on his chest, Amie grinned at him. She wiped the blood off her face and pointed a revolver at him.

“Game over,” she declared mercilessly. After that, all he could feel was pain coming from the gunshot wound. His vision was getting more and more blurry as he felt life slowly slip away from him. Leaving the door open, she fled. The wind outside blew out the candle, ditching him in darkness, silence, and maybe desperation.

If I could survive through this… he thought as his eyes gradually closed, but he didn’t continue. Faintly, he vaguely heard the siren of an ambulance.