"No!"

Elena managed only one word of protest before the luggage rack rolled forward with unstoppable force.

It crushed her phone screen into dust!

Chapter 11: Empty

In that instant, Elena felt her heart turn hollow.

"Miss, I’m so sorry. Let me pay for the phone."

She heard the stranger’s apology, but Elena didn't register it. She walked slowly to the broken phone and picked it up.

Her vision was blurred by tears.

It was strange; it was clearly just a broken phone, yet she felt a suffocating sadness.

Elena hurried over to the stranger, her voice trembling: "Please, could you lend me your phone?"

The stranger, seeing the tears in her eyes, panicked and handed it over without a word.

Elena keyed in Liam’s number, praying to hear his voice.

But the only response from the phone was that the party was unavailable.

The airport announcement blared: "Passengers for Airbus A15, please gather your belongings and boarding passes and proceed to Gate 9 for boarding."

Hearing that the flight was about to depart, Elena decisively threw her boarding pass into the trash.

She turned and ran out of the airport, hailing a taxi.

"Driver, I’m going to..." Elena’s words felt stuck in her throat; she couldn't get them out.

The driver turned around: "Miss, where are you going?"

Elena froze, a sense of helplessness surging in her heart.

Yes, where could she go to find Liam?

"Miss, where are you going? Don’t waste my business time," the driver said impatiently.

Elena was silent for a long moment, then suddenly heard the sound of an ambulance from nearby.

"Wail, wail—"

Hearing the siren, Elena felt a sudden panic: "Driver, what’s happening up ahead?"

"Up ahead? There was a car crash and an explosion just now. The driver of the Maybach died on the spot."

When Elena heard "Maybach," her heart tightened instantly.

It can't be. It can't be. Liam isn't the only person in Yangcheng who drives a Maybach. It can't be him.

She denied it repeatedly, but her heart was spinning out of control.

"Driver... please take me to the scene of the accident." Her voice trembled through the entire sentence.

The driver glanced at her strangely and confirmed: "Miss, are you sure? The scene is very gruesome."

Elena nodded firmly, offering no further words.

The driver said no more and started the car.

Ten meters away, the driver stopped: "Miss, I can’t go any further. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way."

Elena, her face pale, paid the fare and got out.

Up ahead, she saw a large crowd gathered. The chaotic noise made it impossible to hear anything clearly.

Despite the short distance of ten meters, Elena felt her feet were made of lead.

When she squeezed through the crowd, she saw car parts scattered everywhere, a sedan severely mangled, and nothing left of the Maybach but charred wreckage.

"Can we confirm the identity of the deceased?" asked an older police officer.

"We only found a half-burned group photo in the wallet. The man’s face is completely scorched; we can only see the woman."

A younger officer handed the bag containing the photo to the older one.

Elena stood right next to the officer. The moment she saw the photo, her world hit a pause button.

It was the very photo she had taken with Liam at their college graduation!

Her heart churned, and a violent storm shattered everything she had left.

Elena grabbed the officer’s arm, her eyes red, her emotions spiraling out of control.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't let out a single syllable.

The feeling plunged her into deeper despair. She could only point to the photo, then point to herself.

The older officer frowned, looked at the photo, then at Elena, and asked: "Are you saying you are the person in this photo?"

Elena nodded rapidly, her eyes red.

After the police compared the images, Elena proved her identity and was taken to the police station to give a statement.

After writing out her statement by hand, she scrawled one line on the paper.

"Please, has he not been found yet?"

After handing it to the officer, she saw him sigh, his expression solemn.

"Miss, there is no possibility of survival for Mr. Liam. We can only do our best to find his remains."

Chapter 12: Aphasia

The color drained completely from Elena’s face, her pupils dilated, and her entire body began to tremble.

"No possibility of survival."

These words rang like a deafening thunderclap, forcing her to cover her ears.

A wave of metallic sweetness surged into her throat, and as her consciousness blurred, she collapsed heavily to the ground.

When Elena regained consciousness, she was lying in a hospital room.

The empty ward felt cold and sterile.

Just as she struggled to sit up, the door was pushed open, and Clara walked in.

In an instant, the dim light returned to Elena’s dull eyes.

She wanted to ask about Liam, but no matter how hard she tried, her throat couldn't produce a single syllable.

In the end, Elena could only stare blankly at Clara.

Seeing the hope in Elena’s eyes, it was the first time Clara didn't know how to answer.

She didn't know how to lay the cruel, naked truth bare before Elena.

"Eat something first, Elena. The doctor said this is temporary aphasia and it will get better," Clara said, talking to fill the silence.

She scooped a bowl of chicken soup and brought it to the bedside.

Elena shook her head. The more Clara avoided the question, the more frantic her heart became.

Clara sighed helplessly, her brow furrowing: "Elena... please don't ask."

Watching Clara’s evasive gaze, Elena realized the truth in her heart.

Yet, she didn't give up, gripping Clara’s hand tightly, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Finally, Clara relented. After several long sighs, she spoke: "The police have already found Liam’s body..."

With that, Clara lowered her head, unable to meet Elena’s eyes again.

Elena froze. Her heart felt as if it were being torn open, and the pain caused tears to stream down her face.

She wanted so badly to release all the agony within, but in her current state, she couldn't even let out a cry. She could only beat her chest heavily with her fist.

Only then did she feel even a fraction of relief.

In a world without Liam, it felt to Elena as if all life had been extinguished.

Yangcheng had become a dead city to her.

That night.

Elena lay in her hospital bed, constantly scouring the internet for news about Liam.

She waited, waiting for Liam to step forward and clarify, waiting for him to say in his own voice that he was still alive.

But in the end, all Elena received was the announcement of Liam’s funeral.

Southern Cemetery.

Elena stood silently in an inconspicuous corner, dressed in a black gown.

She was waiting—waiting for Liam’s mother and the others to leave.

She watched as Liam’s mother wailed loudly before his tombstone, her emotions appearing incredibly intense.

"My son! Liam, how could you be so heartless to leave your mother behind and go?"

Elena stood where she was, her gaze fixed on Liam’s mother.

Strangely, even though the woman was screaming louder than anyone, Elena didn't see a single tear on her face.

Liam’s mother remained elegant and poised, her makeup not even slightly smudged.

Ten minutes later, with Vivian’s support, Liam’s mother stood up. The two women left the cemetery arm-in-arm, followed by a throng of bodyguards.

Only when she was certain no one else was there did Elena walk up to Liam’s grave.

Looking at his handsome, smiling face on the headstone, her eyes turned red once more.

How cruel he was—forcing her into submission one step at a time, dismantling her defenses, only to leave her alone in this world in the end.

People often say that when two people love each other, the one left behind is always the most lonely and devastated.

So, Elena became that person.

She stood before the grave, tears flowing freely until they stained her entire face.

Only when rain began to fall from the sky did she slowly walk away from the cemetery. Each step felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Elena didn't return to the hospital; she walked home.

When she pushed the door open, the living room light was on, and her mother was bent over, wiping down the furniture.

Seeing her mother’s busy figure, Elena walked over and embraced her gently.

Her mother startled, but upon seeing it was her daughter, her heart eased: "You’re such a big girl now, how are you acting more like a child?"

Elena sniffled, shaking her head with reddened eyes.

This night felt exactly like the night of their breakup seven years ago, and she buried her head in her mother’s chest to weep.

The only difference was that the first time was about a breakup; this time, it was about life and death.