Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 35

Chapter 22

Nicholas’s mother had been searching tirelessly for a burial plot for Elara. Although there were no ashes to lay to rest, the idea of her daughter-in-law having no final resting place was unbearable to her. After much thought and deliberation, she finally chose a sunlit corner in Hillside Memorial Park and purchased the plot.

She was painfully aware that Elara had destroyed so much before she left. Yet, there was one precious keepsake she still had—a delicate bracelet Elara had given her on their wedding day. Her plan was to place it in the grave, creating a symbolic cenotaph in memory of the girl.

Today, she had come to retrieve a photograph of Elara, intending to make a replica for the headstone. That way, she would have a tangible place to visit and honor Elara’s memory during holidays and special occasions.

What she hadn’t anticipated was uncovering the heartbreaking truth behind Elara’s death. Her mind felt shattered, overwhelmed by the weight of the revelation. She couldn’t even bring herself to meet Nicholas’s eyes. The pain was too raw.

When she finally gathered enough composure to move, she didn’t glance at Nicholas, who was slumped against the wall in silent despair. Instead, she simply walked past him and entered the apartment.

The scene inside was worse than she remembered. Disorder and neglect seemed to have multiplied since her last visit. But this time, she wasn’t there to clean up after him.

She headed straight to the bedroom, determined to find the photo. After a thorough, but fruitless search, she moved on to the study.

Nicholas followed quietly behind her, almost like a shadow, his presence barely noticeable.

When she pulled open the drawer beside the printer, both of them froze. Inside was a thick, neatly stacked pile of papers. On top lay a page densely covered in handwriting. Nicholas’s eyes locked onto the title immediately:

Bucket List.

His mind flashed back to the day after he had booked his ticket to Switzerland. He had come home to find Elara sitting at this very desk, writing slowly and carefully.

He recalled the strange, unsettling thing she said that day.

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.”

At the time, he had thought she was seeing through him, and panic had made him change the subject quickly. Now, with the clarity of hindsight, he understood that her comment held no accusation. It was a quiet, wistful observation—a fleeting moment of nostalgia for a past they could never reclaim.

With that single, gentle sentence, she had peeled back the fragile shell of their marriage, revealing the decay hidden beneath.

Now that she was gone, Nicholas finally grasped the truth.

He had no idea how long he had been on the floor.

All he could see were the words on the page, now smudged and blurred by his tears, almost impossible to read.

With a trembling hand, he reached out for this last, forgotten piece of her life. But weakened by alcohol, hunger, and the exhaustion of his grief, his grip faltered.

A soft rustling sound filled the air as dozens of pages scattered across the floor, fluttering down like grotesquely oversized snowflakes.

But this was no gentle snowfall—each sheet was stained with dark ink, bearing the heavy weight of her final thoughts.

Kneeling on the cold floor, Nicholas struggled to gather the scattered pages, desperate to finally understand what she had left behind.

His bloodshot eyes fell upon the first page.

And in that instant, they widened in shock.