Jude woke up with a strong headache. It hurt so much, like something was cutting inside his head. He groaned and turned over, hoping the pain would stop. Then his hand touched something wet.
He smelled blood right away. His heart started beating fast. He looked at his hand and saw it was covered in something dark and sticky. It was blood.
He sat up slowly because he was afraid moving too quickly would make his head hurt more. The room felt strange and heavy. His mouth was very dry. Jude sat there for a few seconds, trying to remember how he got home and why his hand was bloody.
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was his fiancée. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she said. She sounded very happy, like a woman on her wedding day. "Are you awake yet? The makeup artist is here at the hotel. Where are you?"
"I'll be ready soon," Jude said, trying to laugh a little. "I just need to get ready."
"Don't be slow. Today is our day," she said softly. "I love you."
That was when Jude noticed how quiet everything was. It was not the normal morning quiet. It felt like the whole house was holding its breath.
He tried to stand up but almost fell. The room spun around him, so he held the bedpost to keep steady. He looked around, trying to understand what was going on.
Then he saw there was a woman lying next to him.
At first, he did not know who she was. His mind did not want to believe what his eyes saw. Her hair was spread out on the pillow. Her face was turned a little towards him. Her eyes were half open, staring at nothing.
There was blood in the sheets under her, dry at the edges but still wet close to her body.
Jude reached out and touched her shoulder with a shaking hand. Her skin was very cold.
Suddenly, Jude felt so scared he almost fell down. He pulled his hand back quickly, like he had touched something hot. He jumped out of bed, his legs shaking, and had to hold the wall to keep from falling.
He walked to the kitchen, feeling like he needed water and air and something normal. His hands shook as he turned on the kettle. He leaned against the counter, trying not to throw up.
He saw small, dark drops leading from the kitchen back to the bedroom. It was a trail of blood.
Jude stood there, not moving. His mind felt empty and loud at the same time. He kept asking himself: Who is she? What happened? Did I do this?
He looked at his hands again. There were small cuts on his knuckles. He hadn't noticed them before.
"What did I do?" Jude whispered. His voice was shaking.
Memories came back slowly, like broken pieces.
He remembered sitting at the bar, telling himself he would only have one drink. Just one. His wedding suit was at home, ready for tomorrow. By this time tomorrow, he would be married.
"One last night," he had told himself.
He remembered seeing a woman near the dance floor. She was watching him, like she was thinking about something. When she smiled at him, he felt happy and guilty at the same time.
They talked. They drank too much.
She told him she did not like being careful all the time. She showed him her watch and said it was a gift she always wore.
After a while, with the music and her laughter, Jude stopped thinking about tomorrow.
The memory ended there, like a movie that just stops.
Jude put his hands on his face, wishing he could understand.
He could not remember coming home.
He looked at the woman again. She was dead.
Jude knew his life was over. He just did not know how it would end.