“You’re not getting it.” He let out a harsh sigh. “I lied. I never intended to go back to my parents, to let them control our lives.”
I slumped back in my seat. “That’s why you faked your death? To steal from your parents?”
“It’s freedom,” he said, leaning closer. “Don’t you see? If I’d kept my promise, they would have controlled everything. Our lives, our future, our kids. This way, we get the money and none of the strings.”
“That’s why you faked your death? To steal from your parents?”
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I put a hand over my mouth.
Karl went on, almost eager now. “We can go anywhere in the world and start over. I’ll give you the life you deserve.”
I looked into his face and saw no real shame there, and no guilt.
Karl had no understanding of what he’d put me through.
“You let me plan your funeral,” I said.
He flinched. “I know that was hard.”
“I’ll give you the life you deserve.”
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“Hard?” My voice rose. “I watched them carry you out while I was still in my wedding dress.”
A man two rows up turned fully around to look at us.
Karl lowered his own voice. “I said I’m sorry. I knew you would understand once I explained. I did this for us… You can see that, can’t you?”
That hit harder than everything else.
“No. You did it for the money, Karl.”
“I did this for us… You can see that, can’t you?”
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“That’s not fair.” He leaned closer, irritated now. “You have no idea what kind of opportunity this is. I didn’t want to burden you with the decision, babe.”
“Burden me? No… You didn’t want me to say no.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Looking at him then, watching him struggle to understand why I wasn’t leaping at the chance to run off with him, made me realize what I had to do next.
“That’s not fair.”
I reached into my handbag, found my phone by touch, and tapped the screen on. I didn’t take it out. I just left the bag open on my lap with the microphone facing up.
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“How did you do it?” I asked. “The whole thing. The paramedics, the doctor…”
He hesitated. Finally, he muttered, “Daniel helped. The paramedics were actors. They thought it was for some kind of filmed event. And the doctor owed him a favor.”
By then, the people around us were openly listening.
“Daniel helped. The paramedics were actors.”
An elderly woman across the aisle leaned forward. “Excuse me, I don’t mean to interfere, but did this man pretend to die at his own wedding?”
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Karl’s face darkened. “This is private.”
“It stopped being private when you started confessing on public transportation,” she said.
A younger guy behind us made a face. “Okay, but his parents sound insane.”
The woman snapped, “And so does he.”
“This is private.”
A middle-aged man near the back said, “Lady, he’s trying to get away from a rich, controlling family. That’s not nothing.”
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The whole bus felt charged now, like one spark would set it off.
Karl looked at me, desperate and angry at once. “Ignore them. Listen to me. It’s done. There’s no going back, but we can still have a good life.”
For one second, I pictured it: a new city, a nice home, a family, money in the bank, and not a care in the world.
Then I remembered standing with one hand on a coffin, trying not to collapse. Alone.
“There’s no going back, but we can still have a good life.”
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I looked at him and felt the last of my love breaking apart.
The bus began slowing for the next stop. I picked up my bag and stood.
Karl stood, too. “You made the right decision. We’ll get off here, go to the airport, and then—”
“No, Karl. Unless you plan to accompany me to the closest police station, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You wouldn’t… how could you? After everything I’ve done for you!”
I looked at him for a long moment. At the man I had loved, the man I had married, the man whose death had nearly killed me.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
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“You did this for yourself. You just expected me to go along with it, but I won’t. I recorded everything, and I’m taking it to the police.”
The woman across the aisle applauded
The bus doors hissed open. I moved past Karl and headed down the aisle.
“Megan, please…” Karl pleaded behind me. “Don’t do this. Don’t destroy our chance to be happy.”
I stepped off the bus. Across the street was a police station. For one second, I stood there shaking, my wedding ring suddenly heavy on my hand.
“Don’t destroy our chance to be happy.”
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Then I walked. I did not look back. I strode into the police station and stood at the desk. I got my phone out and found the recording of Karl’s confession.
Standing there, waiting to report my husband’s wrongdoings, I understood one thing with sudden, brutal clarity: Karl had died on our wedding day after all.
Not his body, or his heart.
But the man I thought I knew was gone.
