Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 14

Chapter 1

The voice on the other end of the line was calm, clinical. “Ms. Kingston, this is Dignitas Switzerland calling. I’m confirming that you submitted an application for euthanasia on December 25th?”

Elara Kingston’s eyelashes fluttered briefly, but her tone remained steady and composed. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Your application has been approved. You have two weeks to settle your affairs,” the voice informed her matter-of-factly.

No sooner had she ended the call than the bedroom door swung open abruptly.

Nicholas Sterling entered, bringing with him a gust of chilly air. The instant he saw her, his face lit up with a warm smile as he held out an elegantly wrapped gift. “Hey, babe. Happy birthday.”

A faint, almost reluctant smile tugged at Elara’s lips. “My birthday was yesterday.”

Nicholas froze mid-step, a flicker of panic and embarrassment crossing his features.

“Sorry, work’s been hectic lately,” he muttered, trying to recover.

He lowered himself onto his knees beside her wheelchair, shifting the conversation as his hands found their way to her calves. “How are you feeling today? Are your legs holding up okay?”

He pressed firmly, his long fingers turning red, veins pronounced on the backs of his hands.

His touch was professional, the pressure measured and precise. Yet, Elara felt nothing.

When she remained silent, Nicholas glanced up, about to speak again—until his phone buzzed sharply.

He snatched it from his pocket. The moment he saw the caller ID, pure joy spread across his face.

Whatever words he had been about to say vanished instantly. He sprang to his feet, already heading toward his study.

“Babe, I have to take care of something for work real quick. I’ll be back to finish your massage soon, okay?”

Elara said nothing, simply watching him leave.

Even after he disappeared through the doorway, that smile—the one he never quite managed to hide—kept replaying in her mind.

Could work really make someone smile like that?

That kind of smile, the genuine one that reached all the way to the eyes? The kind reserved only for someone you truly adored.

She had seen that smile countless times before.

Every morning back in high school, she’d rush downstairs after gulping down her milk, and there he’d be—Nicholas, grinning just like that. He would walk over with that same smile, take her heavy backpack from her, and drive her to school.

Back then, they were both eighteen—young, bright-eyed, and full of hope. Their entire world revolved around each other.

Two childhood sweethearts, just like a storybook cliché, had fallen deeply in love.

They kept their relationship secret, hiding it from teachers and parents, promising one day to attend the same college so they could finally be open about their love.

They pushed each other relentlessly, studying harder than anyone else. Both aced their SATs and earned spots at Princeton.

Everything should have been perfect.

But then came the accident.

The day before freshman orientation, their car crashed. In that split second, Elara shoved Nicholas out of harm’s way.

Nicholas walked away without a scratch. Elara lost both her legs.

When it rains, it truly pours. That same year, her parents died in a plane crash. Unable to cope with the relentless tragedies, Elara plunged into a deep, suffocating depression.

Nicholas was devastated. On the day they graduated, he proposed.

He made her a solemn vow: he would never let her down.

For three years, he kept that promise.

Every single day after that, more photos arrived, each marked with a timestamp.

November 21st: Strolling through Central Park at sunset.

November 26th: Pottery class in Brooklyn, making matching mugs.

December 1st: Jazz concert at Lincoln Center, talking about the future.

Every timestamp perfectly matched Nicholas’s “Sorry babe, stuck at the office” texts.

Even yesterday—her birthday—she had waited for him all day and all night.

He never came home.

Because he was watching the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks with Valentina instead.

Looking at those pictures, Elara laughed bitterly until the laughter dissolved into tears.

Seventeen-year-old Nicholas Sterling had loved seventeen-year-old Elara Kingston with all his heart.

But twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Sterling no longer loved twenty-five-year-old Elara Kingston.

That night, she sat by the window, gazing out at the city lights until the first rays of dawn broke through.

The next morning, she contacted Dignitas and completed all the necessary paperwork.

Nicholas, I have nothing left. Nothing but you.

And you look at me like I’m a prison sentence.

So I choose to let you go.

And let myself go, too.