Page 18 of The Wishing Game

But I'm alone.

I'm all...alone.

I fiddle with my wedding ring as I stare into the distance, Nikki's face as I'd last seen it appearing before my eyes—bloody, hopeless...unmoving. That vacant look that had descended upon his features as life left his body will haunt me forever, as will the knowledge that I'd been there—that I'dseenhim give his last breath. And yet... I wouldn't change it. I'd rather keep this suffering deep in my heart as long as he was able to die peacefully, with me by his side—as long as he told me the words that were so dear to his heart.

Hislastwords.

Will always love you.

I draw a deep breath into my battered lungs, tipping my head back and blinking back the tears that threaten to flood my eyes.

Those words. Those four words.

I'll let them caress my soul and imbue it with the necessary courage for the days to come—I'll keep them nestled in my breast for as long as I have left on this Earth. And when I finally draw my last breath too, I'll whisper them to him, so he can utter them back in the afterlife.

Slowly, I raise my hand to the sky, watching a few stars as they sneak between my fingers. I've never been a believer. Not since I saw all the evil in this world and wondered how a deity that was supposedly good could bring forth so much tragedy. Then I watched Sergio spin his god-like narrative, fool people and manipulate them for his own gain. And even then, I still wondered, how was it that a god would wish ill upon anyone? Shouldn't gods be above people?

I'd always had questions, but only when Nikki had come along had I gotten some answers. Yet now, I find myself wishing it were true—that there was some type of heaven where we could be reunited in the end.

Because if not...

My eyes snap shut, pain vibrating under my skin with increasing frequency. Like an earthquake waiting to be set loose, it echoes through my being, pushing me closer and closer to the brink.

It would be so easy to end it all...to take a step closer and stare the abyss in the face. But that would be the easy way out. How could I let Nikki's killers walk free?

With a deep sigh, I open my eyes. I should probably head back before I get some more foolish ideas.

When I step back, my phone vibrates in my pocket. A text message from Noelle has the address of her downtown apartment she graciously allowed to let me use for the time being and the passcodes to the building. With a weary sigh, I plug in the address in the maps app and follow the directions.

But as I turn, I come face to face with a masked man standing less than one foot away from me.

What... When did he get so close?

Before I can say anything, he slaps my hand so hard, my phone flies over the bridge, plunging into the water with a thud.

My eyes widen in shock before fear settles in.

Adrenaline surges through my veins as I turn to run. But I barely take one step forward before his fingers are in my hair, dragging me back.

"Let go." I grit my teeth as I try to fight him—not that easy with my cast on and the other injuries that make it hard for me to move.

He doesn't say anything, simply tightening his hold over my scalp. All at once, he pushes me toward the railing, my entire body reeling from the impact.

"Help!" I scream. "Help me!" Yet what good does that do when there's no one around? My assailant knows this, for he doesn't even bother to muffle my screams.

He maneuvers me around until he has a good grasp on me.

I try to hold on to the metal with my good hand, but he's much bigger and stronger than me—so much so that he can effortlessly lift me up over the railing and...

One moment, I see the blinding city lights and the clear night sky full of stars. The next, I'm diving headfirst toward a turbulent abyss that is anxiously waiting to swallow me up.

I can't even react. I can't flail my arms. I can't move or do anything. I can only fall freely.

I fall at an odd angle. My shoulder is the first that makes contact with the water, then my head. Pain becomes my second skin as I dive toward the bottom. Even my good arm is useless, the pain from the impact spreading from my shoulder down my entire right side.

I sputter at being suddenly deprived of oxygen, but it's an instinctual reaction and one I'm paying dearly for as my mouth and nose fill with water. The more I try to keep it out, the more it seeks to rush inside.

I kick my legs, moving them in a fluttering motion in an attempt to stop myself from sinking even deeper. But no matter how much I try, it's useless. The current of the river spins and twirls me, the depths of the water reaching for me and pulling me closer.

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