“W-what no... you are joking... right?” I said, my voice shaking as my world started spiraling. My chest went tight, suffocating me. I wanted to rip my own heart out of my chest. This couldn't be true. It was impossible. “I'm sorry,” Richard muttered, looking at the floor. “But... We’ll have to move you from this case.” “WHAT? NO! No, you won't! I need to get to the bottom of this!” This was the first time a coworker had ever seen me lose my composure like this, but I had absolutely no control right now. The room was spinning. “So please... I beg of you... Let me stay on this case.” I wanted to throw myself to the floor and just let the tears run down my face, but I forced myself to restrain the urge. I had to be professional. Richard let out a long, heavy sigh. “Fine. But if your emotions get the best of you, I'll have no choice but to remove you,” he claimed, a frustrated face pulling at his features. “Thank you, thank you so much.” I felt a massive wave of relief, but at the same time, my brain hadn't even processed the reality of the situation. The man I mourned... is he still alive? How? What? I didn't understand how that was even possible. I saw him. I distinctly remembered seeing him lying there lifeless. Then, the reality set back in. “Are you okay?” Richard asked, watching me closely. “Y-yeah, sorry,” I said, forcing myself to swallow the rising stress down my throat. “The evidence we found matched your... well... your husband,” Richard said, genuine pain bleeding into his voice. I wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve, took a deep breath, and tried to force my mind to refresh. “Do we have anything about his whereabouts right now?” I asked, my voice suddenly firm. I wasn't here to be emotional anymore. I had a job to do.