Aliana was making breakfast when her husband walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, love," her husband said cheerfully. "Good morning, honey. Your breakfast is ready. You need to eat well since you're going on a trip, okay?" Her husband nodded. "Well, I’m off," he said, rushing out.

"Goodbye, honey! Take care! 😘"

My husband is going on a business trip to another country and will be away for a few months. His plane is about to depart. Since the destination is so far away, the flight will take a week...

A few days have passed since my husband left. Today, my friend Lilith is coming over to visit for a while. The doorbell rings; my friend has arrived.

Aliana opens the door. "Lilith! It's been so long!" "You too, friend! I missed you so much." The two of them went inside, happy to see each other again, and sat down.

Aliana asked, "Has anything happened? I haven't heard from you since you left the country."

"Nothing important. And what about your husband?"

"Oh, he went on a trip for a few weeks 😔."

"Oh, what a shame 😟."

Aliana said, "Don't worry." Suddenly, notifications start popping up on her phone about a plane crash. Aliana is stunned when she sees it’s the same plane her husband was on, and she begins to cry. Her friend reads the news and hugs her, comforting her. She cried for hours, and her friend never left her side.

"Why did my husband have to die? It’s so unfair," she said through tears. "I’m here now to help you with anything you need..."

Lilith stayed the night to calm her down. Morning came, and Aliana woke up. Lilith was still asleep by her bed. Aliana was still grieving her husband's death and went to wash her face to fully wake up.

Aliana, who had lived with her husband for three years, was completely in love with him and now felt she had no reason to live. Aliana finished washing her face, and Lilith, who had been asleep, was finally up. Both had dark circles under their eyes from crying so much and were exhausted. Lilith stood at the bathroom door, yawning, and said, "I barely slept because you cried so much last night, and I couldn't rest 🥱."

"I'm sorry for bothering you as soon as you got to my house, Lilith," Aliana said sadly.

"Don't worry, that's what friends are for—to listen to each other and support one another in everything we can. Well, friend, I have to get ready for work, or I'll be late." "Okay, friend. Thanks for the support. I'm sorry for keeping you up almost all night." Lilith got ready and dressed. "Don't worry, we support each other. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, friend."

And so, night fell. She had a strange dream, and when she woke up, she saw her husband calling her. She was startled and jumped in bed. "My husband?"

Aliana woke up with a start, terrified, feeling a cold sweat.

"Honey, are you okay?" her husband asked, concerned.

She looked around and saw she was in her bedroom.

"What?" she said, confused. "Wait! Weren't you dead? Or am I in heaven with you?"

"What are you talking about, love? Of course I'm alive. Maybe it was just a bad dream," he replied. "By the way, I made you breakfast. Since I have to head to work early today and won't be back for a few days, I wanted to make it for you. I saw you sleeping and didn't want to disturb you. So, get up and eat. I’m heading out to work now. Goodbye, love!" he said as he left the room.

(Maybe it really was just a bad dream), Aliana thought, still shaken by the supposed dream she had.

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was her friend Lilith calling. Aliana answered.

"Let's go out and have some fun today, girl!" Lilith said over the phone.

"What?" Aliana replied, confused.

"Don't worry, friend. I know you just woke up and haven't had breakfast, so let's go to a restaurant so you can eat something delicious," her friend said.

"Do you have cameras or something? How do you know I haven't gotten up yet?" Aliana asked, surprised.

"It's not that I have cameras; it's just that I know you well enough to know what you do all day. You know I'm good at that," she said cheerfully 😉.

"Yeah, you're right. You could probably guess what a deer is doing in the middle of a forest."

"Don't exaggerate, I’m not a psychic. Anyway, get dressed—I’m waiting for you at your front door."

Aliana sighed. "There’s no helping you, Lilith. Wait for me, I’m coming down."

Aliana dressed quickly. Our protagonist, with her brown hair and brown eyes, opened the door. There was Lilith, her best friend for years, a pretty girl with white hair and purple eyes who knew her better than anyone. Although they were both very studious and hardworking, they always found time for concerts or karaoke whenever they were free.

"You know it's rude to come over without calling first, right?" Aliana scolded.

"Oh, girl, you know we're past that. I could even show up while you're showering if I wanted to," Lilith replied with a mischievous smile.

"Please, don't do that! You know perfectly well I won't open the door if I'm in the shower."

"Well, friend, we have to go, or we’re going to be late," her friend said with a smile.

"But it’s barely morning," Aliana replied.

"Well, hurry up! Catch me if you can!" her friend said playfully.

"Wait, don't run! We aren't kids anymore, and definitely not in that dress."

"Oh, don't worry, the restaurant is very close by."

Aliana and Lilith walked to the restaurant. They were about to enter when, suddenly, they saw a car accident right in front of them.

.

.

.

.

Aliana froze when she saw that one of the cars was her husband's.

Aliana was shocked to see her husband's car in the accident.

.

.

There was a total uproar at the scene; people were screaming in worry. The police arrived to calm the crowd and began identifying those involved in the crash. An officer checked the belongings inside the car and found Aliana’s husband's ID card.

The officers then asked if anyone knew the man named Carlos Riveras. Upon hearing her husband’s name, Aliana couldn't hold it back anymore and began to sob. Her friend, standing beside her, started to comfort her.

"Ma'am, do you know this person?" the officer asked.

"Yes," she replied through her tears, devastated by his death.

"He is my husband."

"Are you a relative, or perhaps his wife?" the officer followed up.

Aliana calmed down slightly and took a deep breath. "I am his wife." She wiped her face, which was covered in tears, and asked, "By the way... did the other people die too?"

"Unfortunately, only two people survived—the ones in the other vehicle involved in the accident," the officer said with a somber expression.

Her face changed instantly upon realizing her husband was the only one who died. She covered her mouth with her hands in shock and grief. "It can't be..."

Seeing her reaction, the officer looked even sadder. "I am very sorry for your loss, ma'am. I've already called an ambulance to tend to the other injured people."

"Wait, how many people were in the accident?" Aliana asked.

"Four people were involved, and only two survived," the officer replied.

When Aliana heard there were four people involved, her first thought was that there were three people in the other car, but that wasn't the case.

"So, only one person died in the other car, right?" Aliana asked, surprised.

"No," the officer said, shaking his head. "In the two cars involved, there were two people in each vehicle."

.

.

.

Hearing this, Aliana’s face went blank. What? she thought. She knew her husband was supposed to go to work alone. If he were traveling with someone else, he would have told her immediately. She felt something was wrong. She needed to know who that other person was.

"Can you tell me who was in the car with my husband?"

The officer agreed and began searching the other body for an ID. He found a card; the person’s name was "Carolina Watson."

Aliana didn't recognize the name at first. Her first thought was that she must be a coworker. But even then, it felt strange. She kept insisting to herself that her husband would have mentioned carpooling with a female colleague. Suspicion began to grow.

Aliana was so focused on her suspicions that she momentarily forgot the pain of her husband's death.

"Aliana... I think it’s best if we go home. We should let the police do their work and handle the case," Lilith said.

.

.

.

"I think you're right," Aliana said, her mind racing through every possibility. "I need to rest."

(I really need to rest to clear my head and figure out what’s going on, because this is no longer a dream—this is reality), she thought with determination. She was going to get to the bottom of this.