Chapter 2My Wife Sent Me to Cremation for Her First Love

When I regained consciousness, I was freezing.

The cold seeped into my bones as if I were lying in the snow, with icy winds cutting through me. My shallow breaths echoed faintly in what I now realized was a small, dark space. The air felt stale, and my own breathing was nearly imperceptible.

They’d put me in a cold storage unit—a precursor to the cremation chamber.

No one knew I was alive.

I was trapped in an endless cycle of despair: either freeze to death here or get incinerated while still conscious.

I hated Serena Caldwell. I hated her for abandoning me when she could have saved me.

Why? Why would she choose him over me?

I heard voices approaching, breaking the oppressive silence.

The sound of a cabinet door creaking open startled me, followed by the sensation of being lifted. They moved me onto a gurney.

"She’s that big-shot surgeon at Riverside, right? So busy her husband dies, and she doesn’t even show up?"

"Yeah, someone sent over the death certificate. Time to prep for cremation."

Their casual conversation chilled me further.

"Hold on!" A new voice interrupted. Moments later, I felt my gurney shift to the side as more people crowded into the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, something brushed against my hand—fabric, different from my clothing. Someone was standing close to me.

This was my last chance to signal that I was alive.

I summoned every ounce of focus and willed my fingers to curl. Slowly, painstakingly, I managed to clutch the fabric.

Ding. The elevator doors opened.

“Holy crap! He’s grabbing my clothes!”

"Look at his hand, man! He’s not dead!"

Desperate, I tugged again, mustering whatever strength I had left.

"He’s alive! Call emergency now!"

The commotion faded as darkness engulfed me once more.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines and tubes.

Voices echoed from the room’s entrance.

"…The patient didn’t show fixed pupils—how did she sign a death certificate?"

"Standard protocol requires resuscitation for drowning cases unless the heart completely stops. No one even tried chest compressions!"

"A patient declared dead by Riverside somehow revives at Westbridge. What’s going on here?"

The voice I recognized as Dr. Logan Mitchell cut in.

"This was Dr. Caldwell’s husband. She personally declared him brain dead and signed the DNR form."

"Where is Dr. Caldwell?" someone demanded.

"She’s performing surgery on a car accident victim… hasn’t come out yet."

Hearing this, my chest tightened, and tears pricked my eyes. Serena had been inches from me and still chose to save Nathan over me.

The tension overwhelmed me. I gasped, unable to breathe. Machines blared with alarms. My vision blurred as the door swung open.

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