Stella sat in the front row, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. She had broken down earlier, begging to join her departed husband, George, in the afterlife.

“I can’t bear it! He was my world!” she sobbed aloud.

Her outcry echoed in the filled funeral hall. People surrounded her, trying to offer solace. Her simple black dress seemed almost too humble for a billionaire’s wife, making her grief all the more poignant.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her voice raspy as she’d obviously been crying for hours.

Many guests, initially against Stella and George’s union due to the considerable age difference, had rushed to comfort her. They had once labeled her a gold-digger when she, a 19-year-old, had married 64-year-old George, a billionaire business tycoon.

But after witnessing six years of genuine affection and love between the two, even skeptics admitted that their love was real.

Seeing Stella’s profound grief, George’s family members, who once doubted her motives, now rallied around her. “It was his time, Stella,” Jane, one of George’s younger sisters, tried to console her.

But Stella’s grief was relentless. “He promised me more years,” she lamented, her face blotchy from tears.

Soft conversations filled the hall.

“They were truly in love,” one murmured.

“Age didn’t matter to them,” another added.

Amidst these whispers, Stella’s sorrow continued, her face almost ghostly.

One by one, attendees paid their respects. Many took a moment to comfort Stella. When it was Stella’s turn, she staggered, almost falling if not for a nearby helping hand.

“Thank you,” she whispered, not turning to see her helper. Wanting to face this moment alone, she added, “Let me go,” and Jane reluctantly released her.

With shaky steps, Stella approached George’s casket. Holding a crushed flower in her grip, she softly cried out, “George,” reaching to touch his face one last time.

But then, a sharp gasp escaped her lips, and she recoiled in horror.

Jane and Sarah, George’s older sister, rushed to her side. “What happened?” Jane inquired urgently, feeling Stella shudder uncontrollably.

Stella’s gaze remained fixed on the casket, her voice barely audible, “He blinked.”

Jane dismissively said, “That’s impossible! He’s dead,” while others, including Sarah, looked towards the casket skeptically. But their skepticism turned to shock when they, too, saw George blink.

The hall echoed with gasps and murmurs until exhilaration replaced the confusion.

“It’s a miracle!” someone shouted. Others echoed that statement as cries of delight replaced the confusion.

As George began to rise from the open casket, Jane and Sarah eagerly approached, their tear-stained faces breaking into smiles.

“You’re alive!” Jane exclaimed, breathless.

Blinking rapidly, Sarah asked, “Are you really alive?”

He nodded, “Yes, I’m alive.”

At this, Stella, who had fallen back during the commotion, ran into her husband’s arms, “Darling, I’m so glad you’re alive!”

But as she reached to touch him, George startlingly slapped her hand away. The sound was thundering in the hollow hall of the funeral home. Ignoring everyone, he fixed his cold gaze on his wife only.

“You can stop acting now; I know what you did,” he almost growled.

Jane and Sarah intervened, frowning at their brother. Their other siblings, Henry and Michael, joined in, defending Stella from George’s anger.

George asked his brothers to help him get out of the casket while his cold eyes remained steadily on his wife. But his face cleared as he let out an unexpected gush of air, adopting a faraway look and recalling what began a year ago…

***

George’s health unexpectedly deteriorated despite being in excellent shape in his late sixties. And with Stella by his side, he felt younger and better than ever.

She was dedicated to charity work and agreed to marry him only a few months after meeting each other. His siblings were more worried than him because George, the middle child, had never been married before, as he had focused on work for decades.

Still, George was sure they would change their minds. He loved her dearly and didn’t even demand a prenup. For five years, their marriage was blissful. However, the sudden change in his health changed their relationship.

Stella accompanied him to the doctor after they had a mild scare when George fainted. After a full check-up, Stella’s frown revealed her concerns. “Doctor, how is my husband? Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Ma’am, trust me on this. With how healthy your husband is, I’m sure he might be able to live at least thirty more years with the best care,” the physician, Dr. James, reassured her. “This episode seems like a fluke.”

They left his office and started walking to the car. George laughed breathlessly at the prospect of living a long life, but he looked at his wife. Her smile had faded slightly, and she was scrunching her nose. Why? he wondered.

“Thirty years is too short; what should I do for the rest of my life?” Stella whispered, shaking her head as she opened the car door and sat inside.

George felt his shoulders sagging in relief as he took the driver’s side. She truly does love me. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll protect you, no matter what,” he promised, holding her hand. He had decided to leave her half of his estate in his will.

In the weeks following, Stella became more involved in George’s health and activities. He was pleased to see her taking an interest. They even started playing tennis together, with Stella delighting at George’s physical capabilities despite his age.

At his next medical check-up, George noticed she seemed less worried. Their relationship appeared stronger than ever.

George’s trust in her grew, too, and he began to involve Stella more in his business affairs, taking her to his company and discussing his work. But he had not told her about his plans to leave her half of everything.

One day, as they were going down the office building elevator, George fainted again. The last thing he heard was Stella calling out for help. He awoke later in the hospital, disoriented and worried. “How long have I been here?” he asked upon waking.

“You were out for three hours, darling. How do you feel?” Stella asked softly, her hands moving to wrap the hospital blanket tightly around his body.

Dr. James appeared and reassured George that his fainting was nothing. “You’re fine. For now, I think it’s stress. You need rest,” he said, looking at the chart.

When George was discharged, Stella became more vigilant about his health, even cooking nutritious meals. They shifted to bi-weekly medical check-ups with Dr. James, and everything was going well.

However, his relief was short-lived. Back at work, he experienced another dizzying spell and a racing heartbeat. After recovering with the help of his assistant, George thought about life as he overlooked the city from his office window.

He reached out to his friend’s son, Harry, for help. Harry was another doctor, much younger than Dr. James but well-known already. A second opinion seemed like a good idea.

George made an appointment for the following day and decided to keep it from his wife. She’s too worried for me right now. But Stella immediately noticed his pale face at home. He eased her worries, smiling widely and acting normally for the rest of the night.

Instead of going to work the next day, he drove straight to Harry’s private practice for a thorough check-up. After conducting various tests, the young doctor came back with a thoughtful look.

“The bad news is that I found nothing wrong, and it’s bad because there’s something wrong, but I just can’t see it,” Harry explained. “We’ll have to wait for the blood tests. But please, take it easy for now.”

George’s symptoms worsened from then on. The next day, Stella took him to another appointment with their family doctor, who found nothing amiss and prescribed vitamins.

But he was sure that something was wrong with his body.

Finally, George visited Harry to get his blood test results back. His friend’s son sat, sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes beneath his eyeglasses. He began to talk, and George only grew more and more agitated.

“So what you’re saying is that there’s a very toxic metal in my blood, and it’s one that I’ve been consuming in tiny bits. That’s impossible!” George exclaimed, feeling the sweat running down his spine.

Harry suggested some kind of poisoning, and George understood his meaning quickly. “Trust me, Stella is not that kind of person,” he insisted, shaking his head firmly.

His friend’s son, however, remained skeptical and provided George with a pill for his next fainting spell. “This may be able to help next time,” he advised. “But if you let things continue the way they are, I can assure you that you’ll be completely paralyzed in a month, and you’ll be dead in six.”

George returned home to Stella, growing more anxious by the second. When she offered him a cup of water for his nightly medication, he frowned, suspicious, yet he drank it, shaking his head to dispel his grim thoughts.

That night, a sudden chest pain woke him. In agony and unable to speak or move, George managed to take the pill Harry had given him. But as the aching subsided, he collapsed on the floor, paralyzed. No. God, no.

Stella stirred in her bed, and George was sure she would call 911 immediately. But her call was to someone else.

“Dr. James, I-I think I messed up. I might have put too much in his water. The old man is dying,” she said, her voice growing higher. “No, I mean, he’s definitely dead now.”

Those were the last words George heard before losing consciousness. Surprisingly, he awoke in the hospital to see Harry. He told his friend’s son what happened before he could forget.

The young doctor offered to call the police, but George shook his head. “She thinks I’m dead, so I might as well attend my funeral,” George declared, hatching his plan.

***

Present day

The entire room was reeling from George’s story. Jane and Sarah, who had rallied beside Stella after George slapped her, flinched away from her. Then, they began screaming, but their brothers held them back.

Meanwhile, George faced his wife. “Why? What possible reason could you have for trying to kill me?” he asked, his voice low and menacing.

Stella shrugged. “Is it fair for me to spend my entire youth with you, a man over three times my age?”

Those words only fueled the already raging chaos, as everyone in that room loved George dearly. Outraged exclaims were bellowed.

“Golddigger!”

“Murderer!”

George only felt the weight of the betrayal while his family scrambled, some trying to hurt Stella while others restraining them. Finally, it was Harry’s voice that interrupted the horrific moment.

“The police have captured Dr. James. He sang like a canary, and now they have proof that Stella bribed him to poison George. They’re coming now,” he said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Stella’s eyes widened, but it was too late to do anything. The cops arrived quickly, surrounding the grounds of the funeral home. They promptly handcuffed and took her away.

Afterward, George excused himself, feeling too tired to deal with his crazy relatives. Harry accompanied him home.

“Look on the bright side. Unlike the rest of us, you at least got a chance to attend your funeral,” the young doctor commented.

George smiled a little.

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