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 with

of the deceased woman. Her robust frame, borne of years of farm work, didn't

type to

cast a suspicious glance towards Queena, who continued to

look after

now this family was

felt bored. His people would be here soon and in three days' time, he'd be out of

who had betrayed him. None of this was his

the area, noticing the absence of

Tobias was the age to crave excitement, yet he was nowhere to

Abner decided

he spotted Tobias,

ghost-white, obviously scared out of

"Tobias?"

call made Tobias drop to

for Tobias to scramble

handsome, are we heading

lips were bitten

did the dead

"No, no, I just..."

tell. In a moment of mischief, he'd hidden away and accidentally witnessed Queena

followed by

and detached, nothing like her usual gentle

hidden, not making

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