He Saved Me Just To Watch Me Die Chapter 1

Preparing for assisted suicide abroad, the journalist suddenly asked me,

“Ms. Thorne, what is the single greatest regret of your life?”

I thought for a long time before slowly beginning to speak:

“When my parents went to the group home to adopt a child, I chose a quiet boy who rarely spoke, and then I insisted on marrying him, against everyone’s advice.”

My answer piqued the reporter’s curiosity, and she pressed on:

“Did you marry him in the end?”

I touched the scar on my wrist, a wound that had long since healed over. This was a rare moment of lucidity for me.

“I did. But then I divorced him. He ended up with my lifelong best friend. I heard they recently had their second child. Good for them.”

That same afternoon, after the interview aired, Derek Hayes rushed from the States and stopped the procedure.

He looked at me, his eyes wide with unconcealed relief and surprise.

“Jenna, thank God you’re alive! Your mother has been asking about you constantly, she misses you. We all miss you.”

I pulled my hand out of his grip and said softly,

“Sir, do we know each other?”

* * *

Derek looked like he’d been hit with a two-by-four, frozen solid for a good two seconds.

“Jenna, even if you hate me, you don’t have to pretend not to know me, do you?”

I looked at his face, feeling a vague sense of familiarity.

The foreign nurse beside me leaned in and whispered a reminder.

“Ms. Thorne, do you remember? You showed us photos—this is your ex-husband.”

Ex-husband?

A flicker of recognition. I fumbled in the pocket of my hospital gown for a yellowed little notebook. I carefully flipped through a few pages, my finger stopping at a certain line, and finally matched the face to the name.

“Oh, it’s you. Well, you came at the right time. You can arrange for my body. When I die, please make sure I’m buried next to my father.”

Derek snatched the notebook from my hand and slammed it to the floor.

“Jenna, have you lost your mind! How much longer are you going to keep this act up! Five years ago you faked your death and left, letting everyone live in agony and guilt—wasn’t that enough?”

I lowered my head, saying nothing. The tumor in my brain was pressing on my nerves; I had forgotten too many things, and now I didn't even have the energy to argue.

Because of Derek’s arrival, I didn’t die that day. Perhaps it was the desire to die closer to my dad, but I agreed to go back with him.

On the flight home, Derek kept talking.

“Everyone went crazy looking for you after you disappeared.”

“When they hauled the car out of the ocean, the driver’s seat was empty. Everyone thought you were dead.”

“Your mother cried for a solid month, almost losing her eyesight. She’s the one who asked me to bring you back. You two need to talk; how can a mother and daughter have such deep-seated resentment?”

The chattering gave me a headache, and I cut him off.

“Derek, my notes say that the reason our marriage failed was that you cheated on me with my best friend. Is that true?”

Screech!

The sound of tires grating on the tarmac was jarring. The car swerved violently.

Derek pressed his lips together, silent. The topic was dropped, never to be resumed.