Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 36

Chapter 22

Nicholas’s mother had been quietly searching for a burial plot for Elara. Even though there were no ashes to bury, the idea of the girl having no final resting place was unbearable to her. After much thought and consideration, she finally chose a sunny, peaceful spot in Hillside Memorial Park and purchased it.

She knew Elara had destroyed everything before she left, leaving almost nothing behind. But there was one precious item—a bracelet Elara had given her on their wedding day. Her plan was to place it in the grave, creating a symbolic memorial, a cenotaph for the daughter she never truly got to say goodbye to.

Today, she had come to the apartment to find a photograph of Elara, hoping to make a copy for the headstone. It would be a place to visit, a spot where she could honor Elara’s memory during the holidays and on quiet afternoons. She never expected, however, to uncover the shattering truth behind Elara’s death.

Her mind was spinning, a chaotic storm of confusion and grief. She didn’t know how to process the revelation she’d just stumbled upon. The weight of it was too much. She couldn’t even bear to look at her son.

After gathering herself enough to move, she didn’t spare a glance at Nicholas, who was slumped silently against the wall. Instead, she walked past him, straight into the apartment. The scene inside was even more chaotic than the last time she had been here—papers scattered, furniture askew, a tangible sense of despair hanging in the air.

This time, she wasn’t going to clean up after him. Not now.

Without hesitation, she headed directly to the bedroom, hoping to find the photograph there. When her search proved fruitless, she moved on to the study.

Nicholas followed behind her, quiet as a shadow, barely making a sound.

When she pulled open the drawer next to the printer, they both froze. Inside lay a neatly stacked pile of papers, thick and orderly. On top was a page covered densely in handwriting. Nicholas’s eyes locked immediately on the title at the top:

Bucket List.

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

He recalled the strange, unsettling thing she had said to him that day: “I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.”

All he could see were the words on the page—now smudged and blurred from his tears, almost unreadable.

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

The papers slipped from his fingers with a soft rustle, scattering across the floor like grotesquely oversized snowflakes. But this was no gentle snowfall—each sheet was tarnished with dark ink stains, a stark reminder of the pain they contained.

On his knees, Nicholas struggled to gather the scattered pages, desperate to finally read what she had left behind.

His bloodshot eyes fell upon the first page.

And in an instant, they widened in shock.