His Mistress is His Ex-Wife
Chapter 97: Request

Chapter 97: Request

The interrogation room was engulfed with a deafening silence the moment the middle-aged man revealed what he knew about Sabrina.

{ I’m deeply sorry but... your wife is dead. }

Those words rang in Dominique’s ears yet he was still in denial, refusing to believe it.

"No. I need to see her body. Only then would I believe she was dead." Dominique stubbornly stated in his firm tone.

The married couple nodded at each other. "We can guide you to the place where I buried her remains."

"Sigh. Why did you have to do that? If you see a dead body floating in the river, you should have reported it to the police!" Clint reprimanded the middle-aged man. He glanced at Dominique worriedly. He could tell that he was shocked by this revelation. Deep down, he was still hoping to see Sabrina alive.

Meanwhile, the man just looked at him apologetically. "I’m sorry, Chief. We are so poor at that time. I also panicked. I thought we might become a suspect if we reported it. Besides, I took her ring."

"Can you describe what she was wearing at that time? Can you still remember?" Clint continued to gather information from them.

The middle-aged man described Sabrina’s clothes. Dominique’s heart sank when his description matched the clothes Sabrina was wearing when she jumped off the bridge five years ago.

"Alright. Now, bring us to the place where you buried her. We have to see her body and identify the remains." Clint cast a meaningful look at Dominique.

Dominique didn’t say a word. He just kept on clenching his fists as he tried to remain calm. It did not take long before Dominique, Clint and the married couple left York City Police Department Building. Clint also ordered his two subordinates to accompany them.

Little did they know, someone was secretly following them. Athena was curious about how Dominique would react once he confirmed her death so she tailed them without a second thought.

They found out that the married couple were living near the riverbank. The middle-aged man guided everyone to their backyard. In the secluded corner of their backyard, nestled beneath the shade of a big red maple tree, lay a grave that was marked by a simple headstone.

Dominique didn’t know what to feel when he saw the grave. Subconsciously, his heart constricted inside his chest.

’What should I do if Sabrina is the one buried here? Is it too late for me to reconcile with her and ask for her forgiveness?’ Dominique’s expression became gloomy. There was a hint of fear in his cold eyes as he stared at the grave.

’Will my remaining hope vanish today?’ He balled his fingers into tight fists at that unsettling thought.

The middle-aged man brought some tools. Beside him, the two policemen nodded solemnly as they picked up their respective tools. The three of them approached the grave while Dominique and Clint watched them from behind.

Silently, they began to excavate, and the sound of shovels biting into soil reverberated around them. As they dug deeper, Dominique’s body trembled in fear, his heart heavy with regrets.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the shovel struck something solid. With a heavy breath, they cleared away the remaining dirt, revealing the grim sight of the skeleton. Five years had passed so it was just natural that Sabrina’s body had already decomposed. No more tissues. Dominique could no longer recognize Sabrina in this current state.

Clint gently patted Dominique’s shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, Dom. We can still identify her remains through Sabrina’s dental records. We can also compare her X-rays or MRI records with scans of skeletal remains."

"We can also do a DNA test of either her bones or her teeth," Clint added.

Dominique took a deep breath, complicated emotions plastered on his face. He didn’t know whether he should feel relieved or not. He still had time to brace himself before confirming the identity of that skeleton remains. As long as he didn’t get solid proof that Sabrina was dead, he wouldn’t believe that she was gone for real.

’I might be deceiving myself... but... I still want to hold onto that hope.’ Dominique turned around to leave. Staying there was a bit suffocating on his part. He would let Clint to handle this.

After leaving that house, Dominique just found himself heading to the bridge where he had last seen Sabrina. His feet brought him there. Stepping out of the taxi cab, he walked toward the spot where his last conversation with Sabrina happened.

’What is he doing here? And why does he look like that?’ Athena pondered silently as she observed Dominique from afar. She felt confused and troubled by his distraught appearance. Was he mourning her supposed death?

Soon, Athena shook her head, disregarding her thoughts. "There’s no way he would be sad about my death," she murmured as she chuckled, convincing herself. She just continued to watch Dominique, her eyes observing his every action.

Dominique gripped the bridge’s railing tightly with his left hand as he peered down, his thoughts consumed by Sabrina.

He was such a coward. He didn’t even touch the remains because he was still in denial. He didn’t want to believe that Sabrina was gone.

Dominique slammed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. ’I didn’t expect that my life would feel so empty without her. I’m so stupid. If that person is Sabrina, can I still find a reason to keep going? My existence seems meaningless now. I only lived for my revenge and now that I achieved it... I don’t know what to do.’

As he stared at the flowing river, something crossed his mind. ’With my guilt... and my regrets... I will never get my peace of mind. Should I just end my misery? Is this the easy way out?’ he pondered to himself.

In that instant, Dominique was overwhelmed by an urge to leap from the bridge. He pondered whether such an action would end his life. After a moment, he burst out laughing but his eyes were shedding tears. If anyone were to witness him in this state, they might mistake him for a crazy man.

Meanwhile, Athena narrowed her eyes when she heard his laughter. She thought he was rejoicing for finally confirming her death.

’I knew it. He would feel happy about this.’ A blend of sorrow and resentment could be seen in Athena’s eyes. Perhaps, deep within her subconscious, she longed to witness his grief for her.

Feeling the bitterness in her heart, Athena turned around to leave. However, before she could walk away, she saw Dominique climbing the railing as if he were attempting to leap from the bridge.

"What the hell is he trying to do?" Athena’s eyes widened in both surprise and disbelief.

Athena’s body moved on its own accord. She rushed in his direction to stop him.

"Dominique!" she screamed while running to him. Her voice caught Dominique’s attention. He turned to his side only to be surprised by Athena’s sudden appearance.

’Athena? What is she doing here?’ Dominique stopped from his spot, his eyes blinking in puzzlement.

When Athena reached his spot, she immediately hugged Dominique’s waist, pulling him. The two of them stumbled back and fell to the ground.

"Dominique! Are you out of your mind?!" Athena couldn’t contain her outburst. "Are you trying to end your life?" Her heart raced in her chest, pounding with shock and disbelief at witnessing Dominique’s attempt to jump off the bridge earlier. She didn’t know why she was overreacting like this.

’You can’t die just yet! I’m not yet done with you. I’m not done with my revenge. Death is an easy punishment for you! I won’t let that happen.’ Athena thought to herself, clenching her jaw.

Athena hit his chest to knock some sense on him. But she stopped midway when she noticed Dominique’s eyes. They were red with tears.

’What? Did he cry? Or rather... he is still crying...’ Athena didn’t know what to say after seeing this kind of expression from Dominique. He looked so pitiful. What’s troubling him?

On the other hand, Dominique didn’t move from his spot. He stayed lying on the ground while staring at Athena. "I just want to escape from reality... I’m hurting inside," Dominique confessed, pointing to his chest.

Athena was taken aback when she heard that. She didn’t want to assume, yet her alter ego was telling her he might be thinking of her at this moment. ’Is he sad? Is he regretting what he did to me?’

"W-Why? Why are you hurting?" she stammered a little, her eyes looking at him expectantly.

"Because I lost something precious..." Dominique replied meaningfully.

Athena blinked in confusion, at a loss for words.

"Athena," Dominique reached out, caressing her face. "Can you help me... escape from my reality? Can you ease my pain? Please... stay with me just today..." he made a surprising request from her.

Athena: "..."

’Should I say yes?’