Ethan picked up the call.
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"Hello...Ethan?", said Ivory, her voice strained.
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"Ivory, I can't believe you called me after so long", said Ethan.
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Ivory paused trying not to cry again. And Ethan probably felt that pause.
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"Ivory, Is everything alright?", asked Ethan carefully.
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"Do you have time? C-Can you meet me...please?", asked Ivory, her voice couldn't hide her pain anymore.
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"Yeah, sure, Is this Saturday fine? Are you okay? Did something happen?", asked Ethan.
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"Yes, I'll tell you everything when we meet", cried Ivory.
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"Hey shh... I'll meet you this Saturday at that coffee shop where we used to hang out. And whatever it is, it will be okay", said Ethan in a soothing voice trying to calm her down.
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"Thank you, Ethan", said Ivory trying her best to stop crying.
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________________________________________________________________________________
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On Saturday at that coffee shop :
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"Ivory, what happened? You called me after so long and you sound like a disaster struck you. Please tell me what happened?", asked Ethan placing his hand over Ivory's.
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Ivory stayed quiet for some time making Ethan even more worried. He had never seen her this silent. Her face was drained and exhausted now unlike their phone call a few days ago where she was barely controlling her sobs. Her eyes still held tears, the kind that didn't spill anymore but clung on like they had nowhere to go.
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After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke.
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"Mark's dead", her voice barely above a whisper.
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When she said the name-Mark-it was like dust from an old book hitting his lungs. Of course he remembered him. Tall. Charming. Her shadow in college. He still remembered her laugh echoing down the steps. Mark's arm slung around her causally while he walked ten steps behind.
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"H-How?", he swallowed hard.
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"He was killed...His heart was missing when I found him...", Ivory trailed off choking on her own words.
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Ethan stayed silent for a while taking in the brutal murder of Mark. He wasn't thinking about the case first-not yet. He was thinking of her.
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Ivory...her husband was gone. Back in college, she and Mark had been the picture of a happy couple-always wrapped up in each other. But now suddenly, Mark was gone. No one deserved to go through this. Especially not her.
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But what didn't sit right was that Mark wasn't the kind of man you'd expect to find dead in such a brutal way. He used to be well liked and the kind of guy who'd leave you smiling just by talking to him.
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So, who hated him enough to do this? And why in such a cold deliberate way?
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Something didn't add up.
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"You said his heart was taken out?", Ethan asked carefully.
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Ivory nods. "With extreme precision. The police said that the autopsy report revealed that no other internal organs were damaged", she paused before continuing, "It's been over a week now and they have no leads. You're my last hope Ethan."
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Ethan looked into her sad but hopeful eyes and he knew that he couldn't say no to that.
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"I will help you", said Ethan.
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"Thank you so much, Ethan", said Ivory.
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Ivory told Ethan everything she saw, careful not to leave anything out. She described here she had found Mark's body and the scene looked like-how nothing was stolen, how silence in the room felt unnatural. Every detail, even the slightest flicker of memory-she gave it to him.
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Ethan nodded deep in thought. "The murderer had a clear motive or wanted to give a message, that's for sure. But what? You said everyone your husband knew was investigated and came up clean... that makes this even more complicated. Maybe someone from the past or someone even completely unrelated could have done this."
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"Someone completely unrelated?" Ivory asked, the part of her already knew where this was heading - She just wasn't ready to admit it.
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Ethan nodded. "Yes, maybe an organ trade or a ritual", He said but his voice lacked conviction.
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She let out a breath that felt more like giving up than breathing. "The police suspected the same thing - but there's still no evidence."
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"That's just one possibility, Ivory. Besides, I honestly don't think that's what really happened", said Ethan thoughtfully.
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"What do you mean?" asked Ivory.
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"Organ traffickers don't usually pick men like Mark. They go after people no one notices - the vulnerable, the isolated", said Ethan.
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He glanced at her. "But Mark had you. A wife who reported his death within hours. Friends. Colleagues. He had a routine, a life that left traces everywhere. That kind of visibility? That's dangerous for people running illegal operations."
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He paused before continuing, "And they certainly don't leave bodies behind - not like that. If it were them, they'd take everything they could. Liver, kidneys, corneas... Not just one organ. They would not take risks for a single heart."
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He sighed thoughtfully, "This wasn't random or opportunistic. It was planned and whoever did this, knew what they were doing - and they were not afraid of being seen. More like they wanted to leave an impact. It was personal."
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"B-But why?" Ivory stuttered.
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Ethan shook his head softly. "I don't know yet but we will find out", he said pressing his hand on hers.
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"Can I see the place where it happened?" asked Ethan.
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"Yeah, sure. The seal was taken off recently. I didn't touch anything... after that incident, I barely stepped into that room", said Ivory, her voice shaking slightly.
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Ethan nodded following her out of the coffee shop.
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________________________________________________________________________________
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At Ivory's house:
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Ivory showed Ethan the room, she didn't even change the bedsheet. Ethan looked around the room taking in every detail as if he was trying to picture the scene when this all happened.
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"Do you have the autopsy report?" Ethan asked suddenly.
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Ivory nodded, opening the drawer and handed him the papers. "They said I had the right to know since I am his wife", she said softly, "But I couldn't make much sense of it."
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"It's okay", Ethan said taking the report.
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He studied the autopsy report carefully before speaking, "This is the work of a professional", his voice serious.
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"How are you so sure?" asked Ivory.
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"No jagged tissue or tearing - even the coronary arteries are untouched. This was done with precision using the right tools. A kitchen knife or something like that can't make such clean cuts", said Ethan.
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"So, they kept the heart...?" Ivory asked.
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"Most probably, yes, they kept it. Otherwise, they won't have any other reason to remove it that carefully", replied Ethan.
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Ivory stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of his words still sinking in before her thoughts were interrupted by Ethan.
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"Could I get some water?" asked Ethan.
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Ivory gave him a soft nod and turned without saying anything.
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He followed her to the kitchen - both of them needing a moment away from the heaviness still hanging in the air.
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_______________________________________________________________________________
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In the kitchen:
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As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, they froze.
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A bouquet of daisies tied with nothing but threads was lying on the counter - fresh, delicate and completely out of place.
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Ivory stepped forward and picked up the bouquet, her hands slightly trembling. She turned them over searching for a note, a name, anything.
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There was nothing.
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Her stomach sank. Someone had been there.
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Ivory looked back at Ethan, holding his gaze for a second longer than necessary.
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"Nothing", she swallowed hard. "No tag. No sender."
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Ethan's expression darkened slightly. "Put it down", he said gently yet firmly. "Let's not add any more fingerprints. I'll have forensics check it."
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She placed it down on the counter.
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Ethan stepped closer, scanning the area. The surface was clean and everything else was undisturbed. Nothing looked out of place.
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"Before you left, did you check this counter?" Ethan asked, his eyes still fixed on the bouquet. "I need to know if it was already here, or was placed when you were out."
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Ivory gave a short nod. "I was in here before I left. Grabbed something to eat. I didn't see any flowers then."
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"Hm... Daisies", Ethan said thoughtfully.
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Ivory looked at him, "What about them?"
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He glanced at the bouquet before looking down at her. "It's winter. You don't find fresh daisies in shops during this time of the year - not unless someone really went out of their way."
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Ivory's breath caught as something clicked in her mind.
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"I... I love daisies", She said slowly. "They are my favourite."
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Ethan's brow lifted, a memory surfacing. "Yeah, I remember." His voice softer now though his expression had turned more thoughtful. "You liked them back then too. You even grew them in your dorm."
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He paused and looked directly into her eyes before asking, "Do you still grow them?"
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Ivory shook her head. "Not anymore. I stopped after I moved in with Mark. He hated the smell."
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Ethan didn't respond right away. He remembered how she used to wear daisies in her hair during college with the same quiet ease. Somehow, it always suited her. And how she never put them on when Mark was around - because she loved him enough to care.
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Ethan lingered in the memory for a moment longer, then straightened slightly and his expression shifted back to being focused again.
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"It's not random", he said. "Whoever left this knows you well enough to know you like daisies."
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He looked at her face carefully. "Has anyone ever seemed too interested in you? Overly sweet? Trying to get close? Or maybe..." He paused, his gaze steady. "Anyone following you? Even just a shadow? A silhouette - something that didn't seem right?"
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Ivory brows furrowed as she tried to think, replaying fragmented moments in her mind of the past few days - faces or passing glances. Anything that could raise an alarm.
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Nothing particularly stood out. But...
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"There were times", she said slowly, "When I thought I saw someone... maybe just a shadow at the corner of my eye... or the feeling that I was being followed."
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She shook her head softly. "But I never gave it much thought. Life was busy and exhausting. I never got the time to understand the danger. Maybe because I didn't believe that it was real."
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Ethan let out a slow breath, his gaze drifting out the window.
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"It's possible", he said slowly, "That someone had been watching you. Maybe even had a hand in Mark's death. And now that he's gone... maybe they don't feel the need to hide anymore."
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But his brows furrowed, the tension in his voice shifting.
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"Still", he added, almost to himself. "After pulling off something that meticulous... why suddenly leave a trace? A bouquet? It's too exposed, too easy to follow up on."
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He shook his head faintly, feeling uneasy.
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"It looks like a bait."
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Ethan's gaze lingered on the bouquet, then drifted to the window again, his mind ticking through possibilities.
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Maybe the presence of another man - him - so soon after Mark's death had triggered something.
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A reaction. A warning in the form of flowers.
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The murder hadn't just been about taking Mark out of the picture. It was deliberate and personal.
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A message - both to Ivory and anyone else who dared to stand too close.
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As if he wanted to say, 'I am watching. Stay away.'
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Ethan sighed heavily, letting that possibility sink in.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: HOPE YOU LIKE MY NEW CHAPTER. LEAVE COMMENTS FOR SUGGESTIONS AND REVIEWS. {THIRD CHAPTER : Ethan... T-That shadow... Is that...him? *Ivory's voice trembles} YEAH, THAT'S THIRD CHAPTER GUYS!!!! STAY WITH ME TILL THE END. AND FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR REGULAR UPDATES. MY INSTA ID: myra.sagaa
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