Part 1My Dead Boyfriend

My boyfriend, Ethan, is dead. They pulled his body from the river.

My roommate, Jessica, said I couldn’t handle seeing him like that. Said I just… passed out.

Except…

When I woke up, I’d lost my memory of that entire day.

The doctor called it selective amnesia. Said the shock was too much, that my mind refused to accept the reality of it.

The police closed the case quickly. Just another tragic suicide, they said.

My roommates keep telling me to face facts, but I can’t trust them. Not really.

Because deep down, I suspect every single one of them could have been the one who killed my boyfriend.

To find the truth, I started digging, piece by piece. And in the end, I uncovered the earth-shattering secret Ethan had been hiding.

* * *

Ethan Cole and I had been together for two years. I fell for him the second I saw him freshman year. Fell hard. I went after him relentlessly, and it didn’t take long to win him over.

Nobody thought we’d last.

Ethan was the golden boy, Northwood University’s campus king, always top of his class in Law School. He turned heads everywhere he went.

And me? Sarah Jenkins. About as plain as my name suggests. Average looks, average grades. Even when I started chasing him, I was mostly just shooting my mouth off, trying to impress my friends.

Even I was shocked when he actually chose me.

After we got together, the campus forums were buzzing. People started betting pools on how long we’d last. Three days, some said. A week. The longest bet was a month.

They all lost. Nobody predicted we’d make it three whole years.

We went from having zero supporters to being voted the campus forum’s favorite couple. Our bond just kept getting stronger.

Ethan was incredibly thoughtful, always putting me first. He loved burying his face in my neck, telling me how good I smelled, a scent I couldn’t even detect myself.

He couldn’t handle spicy food; I loved it. Every time we ate out, he’d order mine extra hot, wincing but never complaining.

Whenever I got mad, right or wrong, he’d apologize first, curling up against me, breathing in my scent.

I hated studying. Before every final, he’d patiently tutor me. Thanks to him, I never failed a single class.

We even got each other’s names tattooed on our collarbones. It was Ethan’s idea.

Ethan was always so cheerful. The day before he died, he was talking about us getting married right after graduation, dreaming about our future together.

I was ecstatic. He really, truly loved me.

I only had one more year until I could marry him. But now… he’s dead.

I just don’t believe Ethan would kill himself.

I asked the cops if maybe he just accidentally drowned. They just patted my shoulder, saying lots of couples hang out down by Whisper Creek, that the safety rails are solid, inspected regularly. No way he just slipped. Based on the footprints, they said, he jumped.

I don’t buy it. They just wanted an easy case closure.

Ethan was murdered. I know it.

I begged the police to reopen the case, pleaded with them. They just kept saying the conclusion was clear, urging me to accept it.

I feel so helpless.