The 99th Life

To escape Calvin Luke, I have assumed ninety-nine different identities. From a rural embroiderer to a city bartender, each new hiding place has only marked the beginning of his relentless pursuit. This time, when I opened my eyes, I became Ruby Wade—the woman he indirectly caused to die, yet who remained his eternal first love. Clutching Ruby Wade's pearl bracelet, in the wind of the old alley's mouth, my heart tightens. Footsteps come from behind, heavy as if pressing on my nerves. I turned and locked eyes with Calvin Luke. He shuddered all over; the creases in his suit remained un-smoothed. The madness and obsession in his eyes were instantly overwhelmed by a deluge of sorrow, darkening his pupils. "...Don't follow me." Hoarse-voiced, he nodded to his bodyguard, "Leave her alone for a few days." Fallen leaves brushed against my shoe tips as I watched his departing figure and breathed out in relief. Perhaps this time, he will truly let me go. As nightfall spread, beneath the apartment building's shadows curled a solitary figure. It was Calvin Luke, like an abandoned dog, clutching Ruby Wade's medical records. "Each death costs you a year of your life!" He lifted his head, his eyes terrifyingly red. "How many days do you have left?" I have gazed upon this handsome face for ninety-nine lifetimes, resenting it all ninety-nine times. In the first lifetime he shattered my easel; in the ninety-eighth he severed my brakes—each time, using 'love' as a lock to trap me until my life was spent. "Ninety days." My voice was calm, without a trace of emotion. Calvin Luke swayed slightly; his tall silhouette seemed to lose its very backbone. "Ninety days... each time subtracting a year..." He reached out, his fingertips lingering in midair before withdrawing. Those hands that once gripped my neck now trembled violently. "Come home with me, Ruby." He spoke Ruby Wade's name, his tone as soft as cotton.