Chapter 1
The day Walter discovered his wife was still alive started like any other afternoon.
After his therapy session, Walter was on his way to pick up his prescription when, passing by the cardiology department, he accidentally overheard his mother-in-law, Kiana Wilson and his sister-in-law, "Lindsey" arguing.
"Mom, enough! I'll handle this myself!" Lindsey snapped.
"Macy, you're being heartless," Kiana cried, her voice trembling. "Look what you've done to Walter. The doctors say he's having hallucinations now! If we keep hiding the truth like this, it'll kill him!"
"Macy?"
Walter stiffened.
That was his wife.
But she was supposed to be dead.
Walter didn't know why Kiana called Lindsey by Macy's name.
Macy snapped, "Mom, what exactly do you want me to do?
"If Lindsey hadn't shielded me that day, I'd be the one dead! Her last wish was for me to take care of Connor and keep him alive. Connor has a heart condition. He can't handle any more shocks. If he ever found out Lindsey was gone, it would kill him! I had no choice but to take her place!"
Walter's head spun, and for a moment he wondered if he was hallucinating.
So the wife he'd been pining for wasn't dead after all.
It was her twin sister, Lindsey Wilson, who had died.
"Walter just has depression. He's not dying anytime soon. Once we find a suitable heart donor and Connor's condition stabilizes, I'll go back to Walter and make it up to him..."
Macy's icy tone chilled Walter to the core, bit by bit.
He clenched the depression diagnosis report, and suddenly, it all felt like some cruel cosmic joke.
For the past two years, he had been tormented by Macy's 'death'. He lost his job, cut off all social ties, and became a mere shell of a man.
Yet she turned a blind eye to his suffering, choosing instead to take her sister's place and stay by Connor's side.
With these bitter thoughts, Walter crumpled up the diagnosis report and threw it aside. As he raised his head, his gaze fell upon the portrait hanging on the wall.
That painting was Macy's handiwork.
Seven years ago, Walter and Macy were both still in college.
For a painting she wanted to submit to a charity exhibition, Macy sought out Walter and practically begged him to be her model.
In the sun-drenched studio, she was absorbed in painting his profile, her gaze glimmering with gentle light as she looked at him.
Her blushing cheeks spoke louder than any love confession could.
It was Macy's first time making the first move. She was awkward as hell, but that just made her all the more adorable.
They naturally became a couple, naturally got married, and became the envy of everyone.
On their wedding night, Macy cupped Walter's face in her hands, her gaze so full of love that it nearly drowned him.
Macy looked into Walter's eyes and whispered, "Walter, I love you so much. You can't ever leave me. We'll be together forever."
His heart melted. He pulled her into a tender embrace and murmured, "I promise."
Walter was still keeping his promise. But Macy had long since abandoned him. Now, she was by another man's side.
She tended to Connor's every need with meticulous care—taking him to doctor's appointments, preparing home-cooked meals, and even sharing his bed as husband and wife.
The news of her death had nearly driven Walter insane.
Walter raised his gaze to the portrait, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.
Walter stood up and took the painting down from the wall. Clenching his jaw, he fought back the urge to tear it apart, then hurled it into the storage room.
The love was gone, so there was no point in keeping this painting.
After spending the whole day in a daze, Walter barely moved from his bed. The next morning, he was roused by the sound of Kareem Barlow ringing the doorbell.
"Walter," Kareem got straight to the point. "Have you made up your mind about that position at Greenbit Group? I'm not trying to bluff, but with a company this big, if you let this chance slip by, you might never get another one like it."
Kareem said to Walter, continuing, "Bro, don't take this the wrong way, but when someone's gone, that's it. No matter how much you grieve, Macy isn't coming back."
"Look, why not take this chance to leave Northernville and get a fresh start somewhere new? Who knows—a change of scenery might just cure that depression of yours," Kareem said.
Walter's eyelids fluttered slightly.
His therapist had also suggested he change his surroundings to avoid being constantly reminded of Macy.
But he had always refused.
He always thought that if Macy's spirit ever came back and couldn't find him, she'd be heartbroken.