He Locked Me in a Dark Room for Her, Then Cried at My Funeral Chapter 07

He Locked Me in a Dark Room for Her, Then Cried at My Funeral Chapter 07

As Adrian dragged Chloe back to the car and sped toward the haunted house, an inexplicable dread curled tighter and tighter inside his chest, as if he had already lost something important.

All he could do was slam his foot harder on the gas and hurry to find Evie.

But when they were almost there, Adrian suddenly heard the shrill wail of police sirens.

The unease inside him instantly swelled into panic. Before the car had even come to a full stop, he was already rushing toward the sound.

The police were trying to force the haunted house door open.

Adrian’s legs felt as heavy as lead.

With trembling hands, he dug the key out of his pocket. His eyes were already red.

“I’ll open it.”

The officers frowned in confusion when they heard him, but they didn’t ask questions. They stepped aside at once.

Adrian’s hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t line the key up with the lock.

After a full minute of fumbling, the lock finally clicked open.

The instant he saw what was inside, his legs gave out beneath him, and he dropped to his knees on the floor.

Evie’s eyes were still wide open, one hand braced against the wall as if she had been reaching out for help.

Her face was deathly pale, and every trace of color had drained from her lips.

Adrian let out a ragged, agonized scream and crawled toward her on his hands and knees before pulling her into his arms.

“Evie, don’t scare me like this.”

“Say something, okay? I won’t leave you behind again. Please don’t play a joke like this on me…”

I drifted beside Adrian, ignoring his hypocritical tears.

The police forcibly pulled him away and began photographing the scene.

White pills were scattered all over the floor near my body, and my phone lay there completely dead.

Adrian broke down completely, clinging to me and refusing to let go.

Watching him cry like his heart had been ripped out, I almost found it funny.

Wasn’t he the one who had locked me in that haunted house for fun because of a bet with Chloe, even though he knew I had a heart condition?

Wasn’t he the one who ignored my desperate cries for help and called it helping me build courage, all while costing me the best chance I had of being saved?

I wanted to stand in front of him and ask him myself: I was dead now, so what exactly was he crying for?

And yet pain still twisted through me uncontrollably, and tears kept pouring down my face.

The police powered my phone back on and unlocked it with my fingerprint.

They pulled up my contacts and called Dad.

He picked up instantly, and his familiar voice came through the speaker.

The worry in his voice was impossible to hide.

“Sweetheart, did something happen?”

“Did your watch and phone die? I’ve been trying to reach you. I’ve been worried sick.”

The police fell silent.

It was as if none of them knew how to tell him that his daughter was dead.

The air stayed quiet for so long that Dad began to sense something was wrong.

Then I heard the crisp sound of a glass shattering.

His voice broke as he asked, “Sweetheart, what happened to you?”

I bit down hard on my lip, not daring to let myself cry out loud.

The officers’ eyes had all gone red. Even their voices shook.

“Are you Ms. Bennett’s father?”

“Something terrible has happened to your daughter. Please come to the Happy Haunt downtown.”

Dad sucked in a sharp breath, then let out an unsteady laugh.

“Who is this? Is Evie playing some kind of dare or prank?”

“Tell her I made her favorite pot roast and to come home early.”

All the grief and hurt I had been holding inside burst out at once, and I finally broke down sobbing.

I wanted to snatch the phone away and hang up the call.

I didn’t want Dad to have to bury his child.

I didn’t want him to hurt like this.

But I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything at all.

Half an hour later, Dad and Mrs. Carter arrived at the scene.

The moment he saw me lying pale and motionless on the floor, tears spilled from his eyes.

Staggering toward me, he pulled me into his arms with desperate force.

“How could this happen? Sweetheart… open your eyes and look at Dad…”

Mrs. Carter glared at Adrian, who stood off to the side with empty eyes, and then slapped him several times through gritted teeth.

“This is what you called fine? Tell me, what did you do to Evie?”