Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

The police had received a tip from a concerned citizen: someone had found a cell phone and a pair of shoes by the river.

By the time Briony and Stella arrived at the station, the officers were already reviewing security footage.

A young female officer handed Briony a sealed evidence bag. Inside were the phone and the shoes, and she asked Briony to identify them.

The phone was Julia's.

And those shoes... Briony recognized them instantly. She'd just bought them for her mother on a shopping trip a few days ago.

Briony's heart dropped, but she shook her head in denial. "These aren't my mom's. They're not..."

"Bryn, please," Stella said, choking back tears as she tried to comfort her. "We have to cooperate with the police—maybe Julia just went somewhere else afterward, okay?"

Briony stared at the phone and shoes before her. After a moment, she closed her eyes in despair. "They're my mom's."

The officer offered a gentle reassurance. "Don't panic. We're reviewing all the security footage along the river. As soon as we know something, we'll tell you."

Briony nodded numbly, her hands clenched together so tightly they had turned white.

There were several cameras installed along the riverbank, and the police soon confirmed what they feared: Julia had jumped into the river at 7:19 p.m. the night before.

The footage showed Julia standing at the water's edge for over an hour before she finally climbed over the guardrail.

the camera couldn't capture her

her mother on the

wondered, in that endless hour, what had her mom

one could give

While her mother had been wandering the riverbank, what

She had meant to take her mom on a little getaway to Sunwave Bay after her upcoming surgery-a change of

she could even buy the tickets,

over the railing, arms outstretched, and leapt into the

a splash. The

that, Julia was

shut her eyes, clutching her chest as she slowly sank to

cry. The world was

knelt down and threw

say anything else. What comfort could she offer? Tell her

was her mother-the only person in the world who

her eyes, her gaze was vacant and hollow, as if her soul

heard her whisper,

hated the cold. Star, I have to find her. I