Broken Fingers, Silent Plea

My husband and his ex-girl friend had been disappeared for a month, traveling the world.

While they were watching the Northern Lights in Finland, my body was stuffed into a storage locker in his office.

Before I died, I used the last of my strength to dial for help.

Logan's voice was colder than ice: "Unless you're dead, don't call me again."

He got his wish.

I died.

Together with the unborn child inside me.

Two lives gone.

My body parts were laid out on the table, a bloody mess.

The detective asked, "Did you see anyone suspicious entering or leaving the office?"

"No... ugh..." Logan barely got the words out before rushing to the bathroom again.

That was the fourth time.

Logan was the first to discover my body.

The killer had dismembered me and broken into the school to stuff the pieces into his locker.

It was the first day of the new semester.

Logan opened his locker to a pile of bloodied, rotting flesh.

He froze for a second, then stumbled away, vomiting and screaming.

The school was locked down immediately.

Except for a few teachers in the office, everyone was sent home.

"This is too brutal. How could the killer do this?"

"And dumping the body at the school... you don't think the victim is someone from the school?!"

"Her features are unrecognizable. What kind of monster did this?"

Logan held a tissue over his mouth, his face a mask of pity.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"Her family must be devastated."

I was taken aback.

He hadn't used that gentle tone with me in so long.

I smiled bitterly.

I wondered what his expression would be when he found out the body was mine.

"Such clean cuts. Probably used a power saw," a detective said while examining the scene.

The memory of my final moments hit me, and I couldn't stop shivering.

First, he cut out my tongue so I couldn't scream.

Blood clogged my throat and filled my nose.

Then he broke my fingers one by one, smashing the joints.

Finally, he aimed the power saw at my head.

Dragged back into that nightmare, my whole spirit trembled.

A phone rang.

"Logan, what's going on? Sophia hasn't come to work for days."

Hearing the familiar voice, I jerked my head up.

The caller was my best friend and my colleague, Emma.

From the time I was being kidnapped until now, almost a week had passed.

Logan frowned, paused for two seconds, and snorted.

"Emma, I'm not in the mood for your games."

I could only sigh.

He never believed me.

Or anyone close to me.

Emma said angrily, "I'm not joking! Sophia hasn't been to the company for almost a week. She's not answering her calls..."

"Really? Sounds serious," Logan cut her off coldly.

"For a woman with no sense of responsibility like her, I suggest your boss fire her sooner rather than later. "

Emma was furious.

"Logan! How can you say that? She's your wife!"

He said indifferently, "Just calling it like I see it."

Emma's furious shout came through the phone: "You can't treat her like this! Sophia is pregnant!"

Logan's movements halted.

He lifted his hand and said into the phone, "Pregnant? A vicious woman like her deserves to be a mother? If it weren't for her, Chloe wouldn't have miscarried?"

His voice was icy, his face full of disgust.

"No, that had nothing to do with Sophia," Emma tried to explain.

But Logan didn't want to hear anymore.

He hung up without hesitation.

The literature teacher standing nearby couldn't help but speak up for me: "Mr. Thorne, could you be mistaken? I never thought she seemed like that kind of person."

Logan's face darkened.

He gave her a cold look.

"Do you know her that well? I'm her lawful husband. I know exactly what she's like."

The teacher was shut down immediately and closed her mouth.

After giving their statements, the group finally went home.

Logan stood still for a few seconds in the doorway.

I used to always leave a light on for him, so no matter how late he came home, he'd see a warm glow.

Now, the living room was pitch black.

He fumbled for the light switch, bumping into the table three times and stumbling twice along the way.

Logan looked at the empty room.

"What game is she playing now?" he muttered.

He stood in the living room for a moment, then took me out of his blocked list.

The disconnected tone rang for a few seconds before Logan hung up.

I watched him frown, pace a couple of circles, and finally send me a text.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Get rid of it. I don't want this kid."

"When are you coming back? Let's set a time."

This child was unexpected.

I knew my marriage was hanging by a thread, almost collapsing.

Why would I bring an unwanted child into this?

That day, Logan was drunk out of his mind at a bar.

On the way back, he gripped my wrist tightly, refusing to let go.

Even in the early days of our marriage, he'd never been that passionate with me.

Until he tore at my clothes, calling out "Chloe."

It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

I went cold.

Logan was rough, biting my lower lip, demanding to know why I had left him all those years ago.

I couldn't answer.

For a few moments, I thought he knew it was me.

If it were Chloe, he probably wouldn't have treated her so brutally.

During that rough night, Logan left a child inside me.

If not for what happened later, I would have gotten an abortion.

But when I saw the murderer cut my body into pieces, pulling that unformed, bloody lump from my womb, I couldn't help but cry.

His phone vibrated.

Logan looked at his phone, and his expression suddenly softened.

Chloe's sweet, charming voice came through: "Logan, I'm home."

Logan called her back.

"Tired?"

"Not at all. This month has been the happiest time of my life. Logan, I never thought the promises we made when we were young would actually come true. It still feels like a dream. Too good to be true."

Chloe laughed.

"But, you've been out of touch for a month... won't Sophia be... angry?"

Logan glanced around the empty house, his tone cooling.

"She's not home."

There was a silence on the other end, then she said carefully, "Don't worry. Sophia's a grown woman, she won't get lost. She's probably just throwing a tantrum. I bet she'll be back tomorrow."

"Who's worried? I hope she never comes back," he snorted, his eyes dark.

Chloe asked, "Logan, will you divorce her?"

Logan suddenly went quiet.

After a moment, he said gently, "Chloe, you must be tired. Get some rest, okay?"

The next day, Logan drove to my family's house.

My parents died young.

Only my elderly grandmother remains.

He stood in front of her.

"Grandma, tell Sophia to come out. I need to talk to her."

Grandma is old, her hearing isn't good.

He had to repeat himself two or three times.

Logan laughed in frustration.

"Grandma, are you in on her game too?"

He repeated it again.

Finally, Grandma understood.

"Sophia's not here. She hasn't been by in days. Actually, tell her when you see her that the grapes in the yard are ripe. She loves my homegrown grapes. Tell her to come pick some."

Logan looked confused, then a look of understanding appeared on his face.

"Is she hiding from me because she doesn't want to get an abortion?"

Now it was Grandma's turn to be confused.

"What child?"

He rubbed his forehead.

"Don't cover up for her. This child has to be gone. Back then, Sophia caused Chloe to miscarry. She can't have children anymore because of it. We owe Chloe this. Once the abortion's done, this matter is settled."

Grandma's eyes widened.

She staggered to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You beast! You utter beast!"

Logan frowned.

"Sophia was in the wrong first. This child can't stay."

"Get out! Get out of my house!"

Grandma, unsteady on her feet, grabbed a broom and chased him out.

Her trembling back reminded me of my wedding four years ago.

She walked slowly, holding my arm.

She made Logan promise to love and cherish me forever, to never let me down.

Back then, Logan was all smiles, making promises to everyone.

Logan's promises are the cheapest things in the world.

When he proposed, he said he'd protect me, so I'd never get hurt again.

Before I died, enduring the agony, I used my broken fingers to press the emergency call button on my phone.

I heard cheers and foreign languages on the other end.

My tongue was cut out.

I could only make guttural sounds, hoping he'd sense something was wrong.

Instead, I heard him say, "Didn't I tell you? Don't call me while I'm abroad unless it's important."

Then Chloe laughed and playfully hit him.

"Don't be so mean! Maybe Sophia has something important to say. Can't you be patient?"

Logan said reluctantly, "What is it?"

I used all my strength, but could only manage wet, rasping breaths.

This made the wounds split open again, blood filling my mouth.

I heard him say, "See? What could possibly be important? She's just looking for attention again."

Chloe leaned close to him, near the phone.

"Sophia, we're abroad, the time difference is a hassle. It's not a good time for calls. If it's something important, we'll have plenty of time to talk when we get back."

My throat was blocked.

I struggled to make a sound, praying he'd notice something was wrong.

Instead, his cold voice came through the phone.

"Sophia, don't call me again unless you're dead."

Logan hung up.

Then, the killer returned.

While he tortured me with even more brutality, my husband was vacationing abroad with his childhood sweetheart.

The killer taped their intimate photos in front of my eyes.

"You know why I left your eyes? Your eyes look the most like hers. Every time I see them, I want to gouge them out. But I can't. If you were blind, you couldn't see these pictures. You have to suffer with me."

The pain made it hard to even breathe.

He yanked my hair violently, forcing my eyes open. "Look at them!"