ManyWriters

During spring cleaning, I lost the bone bracelet that my wife Annalise always clutched in her hand.
She flew into a rage over this, pushing me down the stairs and breaking my leg.
Only then did I realize that the bracelet was made from the bones of Dean, her deceased first love.
Despite her severe germaphobia, that night she rummaged through every trash can downstairs.
While I was hospitalized, she never showed up, yet her social media was flooded with memories of her and Dean.
[If you didn't have a slight resemblance to him, Liam, I wouldn't have given you a second glance in the first place...]
I closed my eyes and dialed that long-buried number.
"It's me, Julian. I'm back."
If the beginning was a mistake, might as well end it sooner.

The Bone Charmer

Yet somehow, she couldn't convince herself that this was wrong.


She stumbled into the living room, seeing the divorce papers on the coffee table.


"How could Liam leave? Where else could he go besides here..."


Annalise muttered to herself, as if finally convincing herself.


"He's just angry with me. He's really grown bold, daring to play the runaway game!"


"I don't believe he won't come back for real!"


For three days, she had no news from Liam.


Her once resolute heart began to waver.


Most crucially, in the three days since Liam left, her company and life had fallen into chaos.


Finally, Annalise went to the police station.


"My... my husband has disappeared. It happened three days ago..."


"But I'm sure he's just having a spat with me! Can you help me check?"


Chapter 7