My Husband's Final Lie

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I received a call from the traffic police department. The voice on the phone was cold and mechanical, telling me that my husband, Anthony River, had been in a car accident. My hand holding the phone instantly went weak, and the phone fell with a snap onto the floor, the screen cracking with a jagged line. I ran out of the house like a madwoman, grabbed a taxi, and rushed to the hospital. On the way, the driver saw my pale face and asked if I needed help contacting family. I shook my head, tears streaming down like broken pearls, unstoppable. Anthony River had been driving three straight days and nights to get home and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with me. Before leaving, he even video-called me, smiling as he said he wanted to bring the best mooncakes for me and the baby in my belly. He also said that after this Mid-Autumn Festival, he would stay with me properly and wouldn't work so hard on business trips anymore. But now, everything has turned to dust. At the hospital, the corridors were filled with the sharp, suffocating smell of disinfectant. The traffic police handed me an accident report that read, "Fatigued driving, vehicle lost control and plunged off a cliff, died at the scene." Staring at those words, I felt as if the whole world was spinning around me. At that moment, a nurse came over and handed me a damaged cell phone, saying it had been found on Anthony River. The phone screen was shattered, but it could barely be turned on. There was an unsent voice message inside—it was Anthony's voice. His voice was weary, with a faint trace of panic barely disguised: "Sorry, Sabrina, I won't be able to be with you this Mid-Autumn Festival." Hearing his voice, I finally couldn't hold back anymore and collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't know how long I cried until someone gently tapped my shoulder. I looked up and saw my best friend Maria Montgomery standing in front of me, her eyes red as well. "Sabrina, don't be too sad. You still have the baby." Maria Montgomery held me gently and whispered words of comfort. I leaned into her, grasping at what felt like my last lifeline. But before I could even begin to recover from my grief, a group of menacing men stormed into the hospital. At their head was a scar-faced man who grabbed my arm and snarled: "You're Anthony River's wife, right? He owes our company three million. Now that he's dead, you have to pay it back!" He grabbed me so hard it hurt, leaving my mind completely blank: "Three million? What three million? I have no idea!" "You don't know?" The man sneered coldly and pulled an IOU from his bag. "This has Anthony River's signature. See for yourself!" "His company went bankrupt ages ago and was buried in debt. Now that he's dead, naturally you, his wife, have to pay it off!" People gathered around, whispering and pointing fingers, saying all sorts of things. Fear and anxiety overwhelmed me, and tears welled up once again. Maria Montgomery stood in front of me and said to the crowd, "Don't go too far. Anthony just died, and you're already here to collect debts? Where's your humanity?" "Human nature? Why didn't he talk about human nature when he owed us money?" The man didn't yield at all. "This money has to be paid today, or we won't leave!" Both sides reached a stalemate. Maria pulled me aside and whispered, "Sabrina, why don't you just agree with them for now and send them away? Otherwise, if they keep making a scene, it won't help." "Anthony River owes the debt, and as his wife, it's your responsibility to pay it back." I was stunned, staring at Maria. There seemed to be something hidden in her eyes, but I was too flustered at the time to think it through.