11
Bella also noticed his strange behavior.
“Ryan,” she played with the engagement ring in her hand, “Do you regret it?”
He shook his head but avoided her gaze.
“You know, you’ve been so absent–minded lately. Even when choosing the wedding venue, it reminds me of how you used to choose sniper positions on the training grounds.”
“You’re distracted, hesitating, waiting… for someone who won’t appear again.”
Ryan suddenly looked up, his eyes somewhat panicked.
I stood in the corner of the hospital room, seeing a hint of triumph in Bella’s eyes for the first time.
The way she looked at Ryan was like watching prey that had fallen into a trap.
“But it doesn’t matter,” she reached out to touch her heart–my heart, “After all, she’s already given me the most important thing, hasn’t she?”
That very night, I followed Luke back to his apartment.
It was an ordinary apartment, with only one black and white photograph in the living room: a gentle woman holding a little boy, smiling warmly.
Luke lit a cigarette and spoke to the photo, “Mom, I think I’ve met someone like you again.”
Next to the photo was a transparent jar containing what looked like ashes.
“That girl also had the ability to regenerate,” he muttered to himself, “And like you, she was taken advantage of by the person closest to her.”
It was then that I realized my remains were here with him.
Luke opened the refrigerator, and I lay quietly inside.
He took out a file from the drawer, a twenty–year–old murder case investigation report.
The murderer was Luke’s father. The victim was his mother.
The reason: after discovering his mother’s ability to be reborn, his father wanted to use her organs to save his mistress. Until the last time,
2:49 PM
<
when his mother could no longer come back to life.
“You know, Mom,” Luke’s voice was a bit hoarse, “They’re even more terrifying than Dad.”
He opened his computer, and various documents were displayed on the screen:
Bella’s medical examination reports, her injury records from border rescue operations, and… death reports of several girls.
“They’ve been searching for people with the ability to be reborn all over the country,” Luke said.
It turned out that Bella’s body had been having problems since her special forces days, and she needed constant organ replacements to stay
alive.
So she voluntarily applied to go to remote areas, not to participate in rescue operations, but to hunt for organs.
Luke looked at the photo and smiled, “Mom, it’s different this time, I won’t let history repeat itself.”