Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 26

Chapter 13

Just as Nicholas stepped into his study, his hand reached instinctively for the drawer next to the printer. He was desperate, utterly at a loss about where else to look for Elara. Her bucket list had seemed like a promising lead, a possible hint to her whereabouts, so he had been tearing through the room in frustration, searching for it.

Then, the phone rang. The voice on the other end stopped him cold, his fingers tightening their grip on the drawer handle as if anchoring himself.

“Is this Nicholas Sterling? Officer Martinez from the West Precinct speaking. Do you have a moment? We need to talk about your wife, Elara Kingston.”

The mention of the police hit him like a punch to the chest, stealing the air from his lungs. A cold wave of dread washed over him, heavy and suffocating. Without even pausing to put on his shoes, he bolted out the door, jumping into his car and speeding through the city streets.

When he arrived at the precinct, the building seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn’t place why at first. Standing outside, looking up at the badge mounted above the entrance, a memory suddenly surfaced — he had been here before, once, with Elara. He recalled asking her what she was doing there that day, and how she had evaded his question, quickly changing the subject.

Now, as that recollection played relentlessly in his mind, Nicholas felt his stomach twist painfully. Whatever news awaited him inside was tied to that day, he was certain of it deep in his bones.

—

His heart pounded fiercely against his chest, each beat echoing loudly in his ears, as if threatening to burst free. Clenching his fists tightly, he tried to steady himself, repeating over and over that the police had simply found her. That thought was his only balm, a fragile attempt to calm the storm raging inside.

After a few moments of steadying his breath, he stepped into the building. An officer greeted him by name and led him down a sterile hallway to a small, impersonal office. The man rifled through a thick file before looking up at him.

“You’re Nicholas Sterling?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“And you’re married to Elara Kingston? Still legally married?”

“Yes, we are.”

“No divorce papers filed?”

“No.”

The officer frowned, muttering under his breath, “Thought she said they were getting divorced. Why’s she still married then?”

The officer replied calmly, “She wanted to pre-file death documentation.”

Nicholas’s vision narrowed, his right eye twitching uncontrollably. The words felt surreal, impossible. “She… she what? And you — did you process it?”

The officer held up a thick stack of papers, waving them slightly. “Of course not. She was alive and well at the time. I can’t break protocol like that.”

Relief flooded Nicholas’s body, his knees nearly buckling under the weight of it.

—

But then, the next words hit him with the force of a sledgehammer, leaving him utterly stunned.

“We can process it now. That’s why we called you in. Since you’re still married, you’re listed as next of kin. We need you to handle the arrangements, sign off on everything. I’m truly sorry for your loss. She was so young. Between the wheelchair and the severe depression… it’s just a tragedy.”

Nicholas sat frozen, the sterile room suddenly closing in around him, the weight of those words pressing down like a stone on his chest.