Chapter 11

Hunter ended the call without hesitation. His mind cleared abruptly, and he straightened his clothes before returning to stand before Nadine's corpse. He read the note again, then took a deep breath. "I love you." The body remained unchanged. Unwavering, Hunter knelt down to meet it at eye level. "I love you, Nadine Devine." His fingers clenched around the note, crumpling the paper. Refusing to give up, he repeated the words like a mantra. "I love you. I love you! "Nadine, can you hear me? Isn't this what you wanted? I've said it now—I love you, I love you. I'll say it as many times as you need. Just end this ridiculous joke already." The more he repeated those cursed words, the more panic clawed at his chest. Why wasn't she waking up? Why wasn't she coming back? There was no way Nadine could really be dead! His eyes burned with fury by the end, his hands twitching with the urge to grab her shoulders and shake her back to life. Then, the ringing of his phone shattered his soli