Jim and Ruby, a couple expecting their first baby, were overjoyed with anticipation. They had spent the last few months preparing every tiny detail—from decorating the nursery in soft pastel shades to picking out names for both a boy and a girl. Every morning started with baby kicks and shared laughter, and every night ended with dreams of the beautiful family they were about to become. As Jim spent most of his time working to cover their expenses, Despite the long hours and exhaustion, he never once complained; it was all worth it for the life they were building.
His sister offered to visit and help them by handling the housework until the delivery, They welcomed the idea and asked her to visit tomorrow.
Jim went through his day as usual—working hard, dreaming about the happiness that lay ahead, and silently thanking God for blessing him with a loving family. He was already planning how he'd care for his child in the coming weeks.
Everything went great at work: his boss and colleagues praised his hard work, and during their break , they celebrated him being "soon to be dad" . Everything looked bright—except one strange thing : Ruby hadn't messaged or called him all day.
She usually sent him cute little texts about her day, but today there had only been silence . He didn't thought much of it, figuring she was just resting due to her recent fatigue. With bad weather rolling in and cold winds picking up, he decided to leave work early anyway.
Driving through the rainy, empty streets, he glanced out at the gloomy sky admiring the strange kind of beauty this storm was holding, "maybe I'll make us some snacks when I get home" he thought.
But the moment he parked his car outside his house, a gut feeling hit him—something was off.
The front door was open. Ruby never leaves the door open, he thought, rushing toward it while shielding himself from the storm.
As he stepped inside, he immediately noticed two things.
First, the entrance lightbulb was shattered—tiny glass shards scattered across the floor—and the house was engulfed in darkness.
Second, a trail of what looked like muddy water led from the entrance all the way to the kitchen.
The main door led straight into the kitchen, with a staircase on the right side of the hallway. He walked in, set his bag on the dining table, and called out for his wife. Maybe she's asleep and didn't notice the open door or thunderstorm rolling in, he thought.
It was so dark he couldn't even find the light switch. The water on the floor really annoyed him. He wanted to clean it up before Ruby woke up; the last thing he wanted was to add to her stress .
Feeling uneasy, Jim stumbled toward the refrigerator and decided to grab a drink to calm himself. He opened the fridge, took out a can of beer, and—
He froze.
A chill shot down his spine.
Through the refrigerator's dim light, he saw something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
That wasn't water on the floor—it was blood.
Everywhere.
And there, beside the refrigerator, lay Ruby—stabbed, a blood-covered knife discarded near her feet.
Jim fell to his knees, a strangled cry escaping his lips. "Ruby...no..." His voice was hoarse, the word barely audible over his gasping breaths. He reached out with trembling fingers, touching her cold cheek gently. She was pale, her beautiful face twisted in a final moment of fear and pain.
He pulled her limp body to his chest, holding her desperately tight. Warm tears blurred his vision, spilling down onto her bloodied dress. "Wake up, please, Ruby. You can't leave me. We have so many promises left to keep…"
The room spun around him, the world collapsing into darkness and pain. Every heartbeat throbbed violently in his ears, echoing the grim realization—his future, their happiness, their child—all shattered in an instant. He shook uncontrollably, grief wracking his body. A scream tore itself from his throat, raw and broken, echoing in the cold, silent room. even with the grim reality he's facing his soul was praying for all this to be just a nightmare, with all the agony in his heart cried "No...this isn't happening. Ruby, please...please don't let this be real."
Then, he heard a sharp crash-a vase fell and crashed onto the floor. His tear-filled eyes snapped open, His head jerked toward the hallway, fixating on a shadow. In a heartbeat, his despair hardened into wrath.
Through the chaos in his mind, he screamed, "YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY WIFE!"
Without thinking, Jim grabbed the knife and charged towards that man.
The man bolted out the door and jumped on his bike. Jim, consumed by fury, raced to his car and sped after him through the storm. Ignoring all the safety signs and traffic lights Jim only wants one thing, that man, his blinding rage just want to get to that man who took away the most precious and valued person in his life.
But during the chase through the blinding storm, another speeding car smashed into his. The other vehicle swerved and regained control—but his flipped, crashing into a pole.
Hanging upside down, bleeding, Jim looked out through the shattered window and saw the biker disappearing into the storm.
He knew he wouldn't make it.
Through Blood loss, Head trauma and Fading consciousness, he began to remember,
His childhood as an orphan.
The day he met his wife at the circus.
The life they had imagined as parents raising their kids.
The future that would now never come.
The Home that was no more.