Love Made Its Case

My wife's first love broke into our home and killed me. Yet my wife, one of the world's top defense attorneys, stood in court to secure his acquittal. She insisted that the entire incident was nothing more than an act I had staged myself—a desperate attempt to win her attention. She even appeared at my funeral. Pointing at my coffin with open disgust, she sneered, "You'd stoop this low just to get my sympathy? Stop pretending and come out right now to apologize to Marvin." Chapter 1 I felt super uncomfortable, like my whole body was itchy and twitchy, and my soul was just floating in the air. Our house, which used to be so cozy and nice, was left in shambles after the robbery. The housekeeper had tried to clean up, but it just was not the same anymore. Soon, I heard keys jingling and the door opening. It was my wife, Evelyn Charlton. I wanted to run over and say hi. However, I quickly remembered I could not. Evelyn was helping a man walk in. It was Marvin Douglas, someone she used to really like. Marvin had a big cast on his hand, and Evelyn was carrying a bunch of bags. They must have gone shopping together. Evelyn got Marvin settled and then went to the kitchen, where she rolled up her sleeves and put on an apron. She had told the housekeeper to take the day off because she wanted to make dinner for Marvin herself. I never got that kind of special treatment from her, not in all the years we were married. To me, Evelyn was like a superstar. She did great at her job, and I was happy to help her out any way I could. However, no matter what I did, it did not seem to make her love me more. Evelyn always said she was too busy to go shopping with me or cook for me. It was like I was just wasting her time. This was the first time I saw her being so caring and wifely. Watching her busy herself in the kitchen made me feel really small. "Are you really not going to check on Colton?" Marvin asked quietly, leaning on the kitchen door. When Evelyn heard my name, she chopped the vegetables even harder. "Why should I go see him? If Colton hadn't tricked you into coming over, you wouldn't be hurt," she said. "A few days back, his mom and dad told me Colton was gone. Who'd believe them? They're known for telling tales!" None of that was true, so why did Evelyn make me out to be the bad guy? I tried to get her attention by waving my arms right in front of her, hoping she would see I was innocent. However, the truth is, I was gone. Evelyn hardly noticed me when I was alive. Now that I was gone, there was no chance she would see me. Marvin got the answer he wanted and looked pretty pleased with himself. "Colton did it for you. He wanted me to come over, to talk things out. I just never thought he'd get so jealous of us that he'd actually try to hurt me..." As he spoke, Marvin seemed to get lost in dark thoughts, and he even started to shake a little. Evelyn saw that and felt so bad for him. She stopped what she was doing and gave him a gentle hug, but her eyes were fierce. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Colton pays for this! He'll get what's coming for him, legally speaking!" However, in my heart, I knew Marvin was the one who did it. Seven years of marriage, and this was how it ended. This was the woman I had loved for all those years. She was one of the best lawyers around, someone who should care a lot about evidence. However, she believed Marvin's few words over anything else. I guess I should have seen it coming. To Evelyn, choosing between me and Marvin was like picking an answer on a test. Marvin was always her first choice. Chapter 2 Evelyn passed on some big cases just to look after the injured Marvin. The scratch healed up in no time at all. With a backlog of ongoing cases, Evelyn had no choice but to return to the firm to handle work. Marvin strolled into her office like he owned the place, ready to show off to everyone. However, what really shocked everyone was when Evelyn started introducing Marvin to them. There was a sour taste in my mouth as I remembered how Evelyn used to make me sneak in through the back door whenever I brought her fresh clothes during late work nights. She said it was to keep her personal life separate from work, but I knew she was just ashamed of me. In her office, Marvin leaned over to look through Evelyn’s case files. If I had done that, Evelyn would have given me an earful. "Find this case interesting? You specialize in finance—help me take a look at it," she said. I just stood there, wide-eyed, as Evelyn let this guy, who had nothing to do with her work, see confidential files. It was like her rules did not apply when Marvin was around. Marvin leaned in close, and the air seemed to sizzle as they got closer. However, then there was a knock on the door, and her assistant rushed over to whisper to her. Evelyn slammed down her mouse, her face falling in an instant. "Colton's mom is causing a scene here? It seems I've been too kind!" She stood up, threw on her coat, and marched out with the fierce energy of a fighter. Before I even got to the front door of the firm, I could hear Mom's cries and shouts. "The lawyers at this firm are helping a murderer get rich and hurt others. That's just wrong! Evelyn, I want my son back!" My dad died when I was little, so it was just Mom and me. Even after I married Evelyn, she did not really like me and was even meaner to my family. In order to minimize arguments at home, I cut off contact with Mom and only sent her money every month. I had not seen Mom in a long time. Her hair was almost all gray, and her face had lots of wrinkles. It was all my fault. I was too scared to stand up for her back then, and that was why she was in this mess now. Evelyn looked down at Mom from the top of the steps. "The court said Marvin is innocent! If you keep making trouble, I'll call the cops, and I won't feel bad about it! Did Colton tell you to do this?" A crowd had gathered. Evelyn used to care a lot about what people thought, but she had the court's decision now and was not backing down. "My son was framed. Colton was good to you, but you cheated on him with Marvin!" If it were just about the case, people would have left. However, that juicy story made them stay. Evelyn looked embarrassed as people started to laugh. "Stop lying about me! Your son did something wrong, and he's too scared to face me. He owes Marvin an apology!" Marvin, who was standing behind Evelyn, said, "Let's just drop it. My name was cleared in court, so let's not be hard on Mrs. Hughes." Marvin should have kept quiet, but after he spoke, Evelyn stood up even taller. "This is all Colton's fault. I won't let you be treated badly again." Chapter 3 Back to the day everything went wrong… Evelyn was stuck at work all night, and it was super late when I got back from bringing her coffee and a midnight snack. I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard something in the living room. I was really good at picking up sounds, so I knew right away those footsteps were not Evelyn's. I quickly locked the door and was about to call for help. The next moment, however, I heard Evelyn's voice outside. It sounded like she was on a phone, crying out for someone to save her. "Colton, don't you want to rescue your wife?" Marvin's voice was chilling, like a bad guy in a movie. "If you don't come out, your wife's a goner. Call the cops, and I'll end her right now." Evelyn's pleas kept echoing in my head. I knew it might be a trick, but I could not risk anything happening to her. I grabbed a clothes hanger for protection and unlocked the door. Marvin barged in so fast that I tumbled to the floor. He yanked me up by my sleeve and punched me, and my nose started bleeding like crazy. Marvin looked pleased with my messy state and started rummaging around for something, probably some important papers. I was dizzy and my vision was blurry, but I had to stay awake. While he was busy searching, I grabbed a little statue from the table and whacked his arm with it. Marvin turned red with rage and choked me hard. "You really want to die, huh? Well, I'll help you out! Before you go, here's a truth bomb for you. You think Evelyn's been working late? She's with me every night! "You're so set on saving Evelyn, huh? Go ahead and tell her the truth yourself in the afterlife!" He finished speaking, his grip tightening—until I went limp and died in his hands. … I was lost in my memories when Mom's sharp scream snapped me back to reality. Mom rushed past me, stumbled up the steps, and slapped Evelyn across the face. Evelyn, whom I had always looked up to, had never been treated like that before. "You hit me? Well, I won't let that slide!" When I snapped out of it, security guards were already pulling Mom away, ripping her sleeve. I could not stand by and watch her get pushed around. I tried to step in. However, no matter how hard I tried, my hands just passed through everyone. I could not reach her. I felt so hopeless watching Evelyn and Marvin. I was mad at myself for letting them meet, for not seeing who they really were all those years. They dragged Mom away, and her feet got hurt in the process. "My son's funeral is tomorrow. He's watching you from heaven, seeing everything you're doing! I'll get a lawyer, and you'll get what's coming to you!" I balled my hands into fists, wanting to help Mom up, but I was stuck next to Evelyn. I watched Mom's thin figure get smaller and smaller, but I could not do anything about it. The crowd at the door was sent away, and Marvin gently touched Evelyn's cheek. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't come back, none of this would've happened." Chapter 4 Tears shimmered in Evelyn's eyes. "Marvin, as long as you're okay, I can handle a little trouble." "Colton's mom was talking about suing. What if…" "Don't worry about it. The courtroom is my territory. She can try to sue all she wants, but it won't make a difference!" Evelyn stood tall, her eyes shining with a look that said she was ready to win. Most people might just be bragging if they talked like that, but Evelyn really could back it up, and I could not help but worry about Mom. The two returned to the office and acted like they had been through a lot together. They were even more lovey-dovey by the desk. They were like two peas in a pod. Evelyn did not hold back at all and gave some case files to Marvin to work on, while she got ready to fight against Mom. I never imagined I would end up being one of my wife's cases, and we were on opposing sides, no less. I was the only one who saw Marvin sneakily snap photos of some documents with his phone when Evelyn was not looking. However, when he was about to hide his phone, Evelyn slammed her hand on the desk so hard that it made me jump. "Marvin." The air went still for a second, and I could see Marvin was sweating bullets. "We have to go see Colton. He's been hiding and not calling me for days. He's definitely too scared to face us!" Marvin looked relieved and quickly agreed without saying another word. … Mom had let slip when my funeral was, and even if Evelyn did not believe it, she had to check it out herself. As they drove to the venue, Evelyn kept calling me, but I did not pick up. "Colton's too scared to even answer my calls. He's really committed to his act. I've had the divorce papers ready for ages. Today's the day he'll sign them!" I should have been mentally prepared for this a long time ago, but hearing it for real made my heart hurt so badly that I could barely breathe. Seven years of giving it my all and I had not touched her heart in the slightest. She would not even give me a chance to explain. In Evelyn's mind, I was someone who did not really matter—someone a nanny could easily replace. The car pulled up to my childhood home, and though it was the day of my funeral, there were barely any people outside. I could see Mom from the doorway. It was so sad when parents had to say goodbye to their children. I did not want to look, so I turned away, but I found myself going inside with Evelyn anyway. Mom heard us and turned around, her emotions bubbling up. She pushed herself up with her cane, looking like it took all of her strength. "Why are you here? And why did you bring Marvin? Can't you leave me alone, even now when my son is gone?" Evelyn was shocked by the funeral too. My picture was right there in the middle of the room, with my coffin behind it. The wind made the white curtains dance, and the candle flames flickered scarily. She grabbed Marvin's arm without thinking, and he gently patted her hand to calm her down. "This has to be Colton's idea. He must be trying to scare you on purpose." Evelyn would not even look at my picture. She cleared her throat and said, "Sadie, tell Colton to come out. I want a divorce!" "Are you blind? Colton's gone. We're here to send him off today. Can't you let him be at peace?" Mom was crying, and a few relatives came to help her. Evelyn thought she was just being stubborn. "If Colton doesn't show up, you think I won't trash this place? You want to put on a show? Fine, I'll play along!" Right after she said that, Evelyn knocked over all the candles, and my relatives could not hold her back. Evelyn stood by my coffin, her eyes burning with a rage I had never seen. "Colton, I really didn't see this coming! You'd fake your own death just to get my sympathy! I know you're here, so come out and say sorry to Marvin!" I was right there, but I was invisible to her. I begged her to stop and leave my family alone, but only I could hear the words. Evelyn glanced around, but I remained unseen. In her frustration, she knocked things over and shoved the coffin lid off. It only moved a bit because it was heavy, but it was enough for everyone to see inside. Evelyn gasped. Mom saw me and passed out right there. My face was ghostly pale, laid bare for Evelyn to see. Yet, the marks where hands had choked my neck stood out clear as day. Evelyn let out a scream and stumbled back, missing a step and falling hard. "No way... That's not Colton! It has to be a trick!"