He Died, I Went Back to Save Him

I was in my room picking out clothes when I heard Zebulon had been in a car accident. We'd planned to get our marriage license that day—after seven years of dating, we were finally going to tie the knot. Then my phone rang out of nowhere. "Ms. Leanne Rudd? Please come down to the funeral home to handle Mr. Zebulon Cruse's final arrangements." Those words froze me in place. When I arrived at the funeral home, Zebulon lay there, cold and still. I leaned down and touched his cheek, tears dripping steadily onto his closed eyes. His face was completely pale, drained of all color. "Ms. Rudd, Mr. Zebulon Cruse's accident happened at the cross near the Orleana Mall. He died on the scene," the funeral director, Keith Fennell, said. "Your number was pinned at the top of his phone, so we contacted you." As Keith kept talking, my mind replayed the last words Zebulon had said to me before he left. He'd smiled and told me, "Leanne, I'm going to pick something up, then I'll come get you." I'd known exactly what he was doing. He was going to get the custom diamond ring he'd secretly ordered for me six months prior. He'd spared no effort to customize it just for our wedding, yet all I got in the end was the news of his death. "Ms. Rudd, this is his personal belonging. It fell out of his chest pocket during the accident," Keith said, holding out a delicate ring box with a look of sorrow. I took the box and opened it. Inside sat a brilliant one-carat diamond ring, sparkling brightly. Zebulon and I were both orphans. We'd walked through every hardship together for seven years. He'd started out as a restaurant server and worked his way up to become the CEO of Aurelius Group. Every step of his journey had been incredibly tough. When he was younger, he'd looked at me with pure, earnest eyes and said, "Leanne, one day, I'll make tons of money. I'll buy you the most dazzling ring, throw you the most beautiful wedding, and marry you properly." He'd finally made all that money, but he would never get to keep his promise to marry me. I slipped the diamond ring onto my finger and gripped his cold hand tightly. Every memory we shared flashed through my mind. I broke down, crying uncontrollably. My chest felt tight, as if countless ropes were twisting around my heart, leaving me gasping for air. Keith tried to comfort me beside me, but his voice grew fainter and fainter. My vision blurred more and more. The last thing I felt was Keith lifting me up and leading me away. Zebulon drifted further and further from me. Then everything turned black.