Chapter 9 - The Empty Grave
I stood completely paralyzed, my breath catching painfully in my throat as I stared at the horrifying scene before me.
The soil covering Lily's resting place had been violently disturbed, scattered aggressively across the green grass.
The grave had been completely dug up, leaving a massive, dark hole in the cold earth.
My legs buckled beneath me, and I collapsed onto the damp grass, screaming in absolute, primal horror.
I crawled toward the edge of the pit, frantically searching the muddy depths for the tiny white casket I had purchased with my life savings.
The casket was not buried in the ground; it was resting carelessly on the grass just behind the marble headstone.
I scrambled toward the small wooden box, my hands shaking so violently I could barely pry the brass latch open.
I expected to find the tragic, devastating remains of the little girl I had mourned for months.
Instead, I pulled the lid open and found that the silk-lined interior of the casket was completely, undeniably empty.
My mind violently short-circuited, entirely unable to comprehend how a stillborn baby could simply vanish from a sealed grave.
I frantically searched the surrounding grass, crying hysterically and begging the empty cemetery for answers.
My tear-filled eyes suddenly locked onto a small, sleek black envelope resting perfectly in the center of the empty casket.
My name was written across the front of the envelope in elegant, chillingly familiar silver calligraphy.
I reached out with trembling fingers and tore the thick paper open, pulling out a single, crisp photograph.
It was a picture taken just yesterday, showing a beautiful, healthy baby girl with my exact eye color playing in an expensive nursery.
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A handwritten note was neatly folded behind the terrifying photograph.
I unfolded the thick parchment paper, my blood turning to absolute ice as I read the horrifying words written in black ink.
