Dear Ex-wife Marry Me by Twin Bridge

Abner had already made the call; his ride would be swinging by to pick him up shortly.

He had just finished a cigarette, a furrow creasing his brow. He didn't mind the cheap nicotine kick, but it always left a bitter

aftertaste in his mouth.

The sound of panicked voices drifted over to him, followed by the thudding footsteps of someone running in a frenzy.

"Queena, you gotta check this out, Phoebe just keeled over. She's in a bad way."

Pretending she was just hearing the news, Queena immediately dropped the axe she was holding.

Without giving Abner another glance, she bolted towards the commotion.

Abner kept his spot, puffing away. In his other hand, he fumbled with a match he'd nicked from the stove.

He sauntered toward the scene of the incident, only to find the cook who had given him the cigarette sobbing over a woman's

lifeless body.

The faces of the onlookers were grim; Queena had delivered the bleak news with a blunt, "She's a goner."

In just a short span, another life had slipped away—the gossipy Phoebe, of all people.

Murder wasn't a thought that crossed their minds; they simply couldn't fathom it. They chalked it up to a sudden, inexplicable

death.

heavy sigh, urging the crowd to "grieve

at the fringes, studying the pallor of the deceased woman.

to

he could only cast a suspicious glance towards

look after

Fabian, and now this family was struck by another

and in three days' time, he'd

he'd investigate who had betrayed him. None of

swept the area, noticing

was the age to crave excitement, yet he was nowhere

Abner decided to head over to Tobias'

spotted Tobias, huddled

kid was ghost-white, obviously scared

"Tobias?"

made Tobias drop to the ground like a

took a moment for Tobias to scramble back

we heading back

boy's lips were bitten raw, a

the dead body

"No, no, I just..."

of mischief, he'd hidden away and accidentally

argument, followed by

cold and detached, nothing like

had stayed hidden, not

the concept of murder and thought Phoebe might have died from the altercation with