“Let me stay with Bernard!” she cried, her screams echoing in the solemn air as she struggled against the men holding her back. She nearly broke free, but other church members rushed to restrain her. Her world had collapsed entirely.

The choir’s hymns filled the air, moving everyone to tears. The deceased had been a good man, now existing only as a memory. After the hymns, the priest poured a few handfuls of sand over the coffin, and the pallbearers began to cover it. Mary desperately wanted to tell them to stop, to let her see her husband one last time, but others gently pulled her away from the graveside.

Mary had a wonderful history with her late husband. At 19, she moved from Africa to the US, becoming one of the few resilient, smart, and intelligent black women in her community. At 20, she was admitted to aviation college, where she studied flight administration. Five years later, she landed a job at the airport and loved every moment of it, always smiling and attending to the passengers on the plane. As a strikingly beautiful black woman, she caught the eye of many men on flights. Some even expressed their romantic interest, but Mary valued the sanctity of professionalism and refused to mix business with pleasure

.

Everything changed, though, when she met a man in the business class section of a fateful flight that morning. While on duty, Mary stepped into the business class and froze. She saw a handsome man with dark hair, blue eyes, and a charming smile. He was sipping coffee and reading a magazine. They exchanged a glance, and he gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen, sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She quickly walked away, trying to focus on her work. Throughout the flight, she fought the urge to talk to him. However, whenever she passed by him, they exchanged smiles. After the flight landed, the man handed her his business card. His name was Bernard, and he was an attorney at the Supreme Court. Mary promised to call him after work.

That evening, she called him, and they began chatting. Despite living in different cities, they managed to make their relationship work. Bernard called her his African queen. He loved her cooking and everything about her. He was fascinated whenever she spoke her native language and even made her teach him a thing or two. After a few months of dating, Bernard proposed, and they had a grand wedding. He relocated to her city, and they settled into married life.

When Mary was 27, a few months into their marriage, she noticed Bernard’s sudden weight loss but attributed it to work stress. She made sure he ate well at home and even prepared lunches for him to take to work. Despite this, he continued to lose weight, leading Mary to suspect a health issue. She occasionally saw him taking medication but waited for him to open up about his condition. However, Bernard remained secretive about his health.

After months of suspicion, Bernard finally revealed the devastating truth. One night, Mary had just finished showering when she walked into the room and found Bernard in tears. Her heart shattered; she had never seen him cry before, and she instantly knew something was horribly wrong.

“I’m sorry. Can I get a hug, please?” Bernard’s voice trembled. Mary quickly wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead.

“Just tell me what’s wrong. We can face this together. You know I would do anything for you, right?” Mary said, her eyes searching his for answers. But nothing could have prepared her for what came next.

“I’m dying,” Bernard confessed, sending an icy shock through Mary’s veins.

“No, don’t say that! You can’t die! We’ll find the best doctors, the finest hospitals. You’ll get the best treatments. We’ll empty our savings if we have to,” Mary gasped. She was still trying to reassure him when Bernard suddenly whispered, “It’s already too late. I have colon cancer. I’m dying.”

Bernard’s words hit her like a sledgehammer. Mary’s knees buckled as she clung to Bernard, tears streaming down her face.

“No,” she whispered frantically. “We’ll fight this, Bernard. There’s always hope.” Despite the terror in her heart, Mary kept whispering reassurances, desperately trying to convince herself as much as Bernard. However, Bernard’s distant gaze showed he had already lost hope. He had been battling cancer for over 10 years, which was why he married in his late 40s. He didn’t see the need to get married and then die shortly after, leaving his wife in a pool of sorrow. Luckily for him, the cancer had gone into remission before he met Mary. Unfortunately, it returned after their wedding. This time, it was worse.

Despite the grim diagnosis, Mary remained optimistic, believing he would survive much longer. They visited the hospital, where Bernard was placed on chemotherapy. Mary prepared delicious meals for him and often spent nights at the hospital, determined to support him through his treatment. Unfortunately, just three months later, Bernard passed away in his hospital bed. The hours Mary spent staring at his body being prepared for embalming felt like a nightmare. She was traumatized, depressed, and sick with grief, teetering on the edge of losing her mind. Her family had to keep a constant watch to prevent her from taking her own life. The airport authorities also granted her two weeks of paid bereavement leave.

Just two days after her husband’s burial, Mary was determined to return to work, fearing that staying indoors would worsen her depression. On the day she returned to work, she was assigned to a flight heading to Newcastle. As the flight was about to take off, Mary conducted the routine checks. She wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. If only she knew she was about to get the shock of a lifetime.

When she went into the business class, she suddenly froze in shock. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she wondered if she was hallucinating. Her heart pounded so hard she feared it might burst from her chest. She couldn’t believe the frightening sight before her. Sitting by the window was her late husband. He held a cup of coffee and the newspaper, occasionally glancing out the window. Sweat gathered on her forehead, and her body trembled with fright. A colleague noticed Mary’s distress and walked over to her. Mary continued to stare at the man, hoping he would disappear, but he kept flipping through the magazine, oblivious to her turmoil.

“This isn’t real,” she assured herself. She almost slumped, but her colleague quickly helped her stay upright. Laura, Mary’s colleague, gently pulled her into the cockpit and advised her to calm her nerves. Laura assumed Mary was still grieving and thought the memory of how she met her husband was still fresh in her mind.

“You need to take a deep breath, Mary,” Laura advised. Mary stood there, utterly transfixed. Her mind raced with countless thoughts. She was skeptical about supernatural phenomena, so she dismissed the idea of seeing a ghost. Yet, she was certain of what she saw. The man was her late husband. He just had to be. She knew how much he loved the view of Earth from the window of a plane. Maybe he had come to warn her about something. She knew she had to act.

Mary quickly got up, stepped out of the cockpit, and headed to the business class to demystify the scene. As she walked there, she found herself believing that he could indeed be a ghost. That man, her husband, in the business section, was all the proof she needed that ghosts really exist. When she got to the business class section, she walked over to him, noticing he was still intently reading his magazine, just like her late husband used to do during flights. Certain it was him, she moved closer and touched his shoulder. Instead of vanishing, he lifted his gaze in shock, noticing the fear on her face.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” he asked. As soon as she heard his voice, goosebumps appeared all over her body. That was definitely her husband’s voice. Mary wanted to scream his name, but she couldn’t find her voice. The man, noticing her strange behavior, shifted away from her. Mary coughed, cleared her throat, and apologized for her behavior before asking who he was. The man grew stiff and buried himself in his magazine, refusing to look at her again.

Just then, Mary noticed that the man was avoiding her gaze. Mary looked closer and realized he had even broken into a sweat. She also realized he was tapping the magazine. Her husband often did that whenever he was greatly troubled. Clearly, something was wrong. Everything was just too overwhelming, so Mary decided to take a break to gather her thoughts. As she walked away, the man immediately stood up and rushed to the bathroom. His tense shoulders and frequent glances over his shoulder set off alarm bells. Mary knew something was sinister about this man. Mary rushed towards him, but he quickly entered the bathroom. She waited by the door, determined to ask him questions.

Thirty minutes passed, and then an hour,

and he still hadn’t come out. She kept knocking on the door. Finally, the man opened the door and forced a smile.

“Who are you?” Mary demanded, but he ignored her and walked back to his seat. He ignored Mary and sat down, his eyes fixed on a magazine he wasn’t actually reading. Mary backed off, taking a few steps away but keeping a close eye on him. His brows furrowed in deep thought, and he glanced around the room slowly, clearly troubled. Sensing that he was hiding something, Mary watched him closely. When he stood up and headed to the bathroom, Mary quickly followed, determined to uncover what he was hiding. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“Stop following me,” he charged.

“Not until you tell me who you are,” she whispered. The man moved towards the bathroom door, but Mary wouldn’t let him leave. In a flash, she positioned herself in front of him. He looked at her with intense anxiety, puzzled by her behavior. Though she wanted to scream, Mary fought to steady her breath and calm her nerves. Her eyes darted anxiously, and her heart pounded in her chest.

“Why do you look so much like my husband?” her voice was broken.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied.

“Stop pretending. Who are you?” she demanded again. The man was first amazed, then terrified by her boldness. He had no idea what she was talking about. Mary was determined to get answers from him and wasn’t about to just let him leave. The man, however, showed no intention of speaking. He tried to push past her, but she stood her ground. Her eyes locked into his, and she saw the fear in them. It was clear he was running from something. Trusting her instincts, which had never failed her, Mary ignored caution and grabbed his wrist firmly.

“What are you hiding?” she thundered. The man flinched and took a step back. That was all the confirmation Mary needed to know something was wrong.

“I’ve seen you acting suspicious. Who are you, and what are you hiding?” she demanded again, this time with a louder voice. The man wanted to leave, but Mary wouldn’t let him. Her grip on his wrist was surprisingly strong.

“If you walk out that door, I’ll call the cops,” Mary shouted.

“You wouldn’t,” the man said weakly.

“Try me,” Mary shot back, her eyes blazing with determination. “Tell me what you’re hiding, or I’ll call them right now. You have five seconds. What are you hiding?” Mary yelled. “Spill! You have three seconds left. One second,” Mary thundered. The man shut his eyes and groaned.

“I just can’t,” he yelled. Then he began to unbutton his shirt slowly. Mary’s heart pounded as she watched him.

“What is it? Just tell me! Speak,” she demanded again. But nothing could have prepared her for the shocking secret this man was hiding. Suddenly, he yelped in frustration and ripped his shirt open, revealing the bomb strapped to his chest.

“I can’t do this. I can’t let the bomb go off,” he said, his voice trembling. Mary gasped, her eyes widened in horror.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, her grip loosening but her resolve firm. “We have to stop this. Tell me how we can stop it.” The man’s eyes filled with tears as he looked at her, the weight of his decision crashing down on him.

“Help me,” he pleaded desperately. Mary stifled the scream, fearing it would throw the plane into chaos. She slowly backed away and returned to her partner, Laura. As Laura drew closer, she nearly screamed, not because of the bomb, but due to the man’s uncanny resemblance to Mary’s husband. Mary quickly explained the situation, and the women decided it was best to inform the authorities. The flight captain was notified, and two Air Force officials approached the man. The Air Force officials swiftly handcuffed the man and escorted him into the cockpit. Fortunately, an FBI bomb squad member happened to be on the plane. He received an urgent encoded message and was brought to the cockpit. Upon inspecting the bomb, he noticed that the timer had been stalled and altered twice. It could detonate at any moment. Acting quickly, he expertly disarmed the bomb, allowing the entire crew to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Interpol and the police were alerted and instructed to be on guard.

Meanwhile, Mary listened intently as the man was interrogated. His name was Bennett, and he was a member of a notorious terrorist group. After their last operation, which involved bombing a popular worship center, Bennett decided he wanted out. He sent secret messages to the FBI about their next operation, but unfortunately, his cover was blown. The team decided to punish him by forcing him on a suicide mission. If he failed to do so, they would wipe out his entire family. When Mary asked if he had a twin brother, Bennett nodded. He had a twin brother, Bernard, but they had long been separated due to Bennett’s involvement in crime. Bernard had always tried to change him, but Bennett refused. Now everything made sense to Mary. She wanted to introduce herself as his sister-in-law, but the timing wasn’t right. She couldn’t understand why Bernard had kept this from her.

With little else to do for the rest of the flight, she headed to the cabin and sat there, consumed by grief. Seeing Bennett brought back memories of her husband. If not for her vigilance and Bennett’s humanity, the plane would have gone up in flames. The FBI couldn’t let the plane reach its destination. They needed to remove Bennett and conduct emergency checks on the aircraft. The pilots were informed, and the passengers were surprised by the announcement of an emergency landing. Interpol in the area was already on standby. As the plane touched down, the passengers were asked to disembark. The anti-bomb squad conducted thorough checks, and Bennett was taken away in a waiting van. Mary watched as the van drove off, feeling a mix of relief and sorrow. The entire crew thanked Mary for her vigilance and persistence. Forty minutes later, the plane landed at Newcastle. Mary couldn’t stop thinking about Bennett and his mention of his family. Maybe he was married with kids. A strong desire to connect with him overwhelmed her, and she waited patiently until the flight returned home. Luckily for her, she could still use the remaining one week out of her bereavement leave, so she boarded another flight to the city where Bennett was arrested.

Meanwhile, Bennett was in police custody, undergoing intense interrogation. He was terrified to reveal the gang’s location, fearing for his family’s safety. However, Interpol assured him of protection and a lighter sentence. Reassured, Bennett disclosed the gang’s location, and the force sprang into action. Drones surveyed the area, and Interpol stormed the hideout, arresting the terrorists. When Mary arrived in the city, she went to the Interpol office where Bennett was being held. After answering a set of questions, she was allowed to see Bennett. Bennett was shocked to see her and wondered why she had come. They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply staring at each other. Bennett saw profound concern in her eyes and waited for her to speak. Mary cleared her throat and stared at Bennett, the splitting image of her late husband. She struggled to find the right words. Bennett remembered her asking about his resemblance to her late husband, so he figured it had to do with her sudden appearance. After what seemed like forever, Mary finally opened her bag, took out two pictures, and pushed them towards him, carefully watching his reaction. His eyes widened as he stared at the pictures of his twin brother. He looked up at Mary, still confused about everything. Mary cleared her throat again and revealed the news that shocked Bennett to the core.

“Bernard is my husband,” she said. Bennett’s mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at Mary. His gaze then fell to the table, and his expression grew somber. He remembered how much Bernard had tried to help him turn his life around. While Bernard went to law school, he had been caught up with criminal gangs, robbing and assaulting people. Every time Bennett was arrested, Bernard would come to bail him out, but Bennett refused to change. He couldn’t imagine starting his life over; he had made half his earnings through crime. Eventually, Bernard grew fed up with his behavior and left, hoping Bennett would come to his senses. However, Bennett wasn’t ready to change. After running with small gangs around town, he eventually joined the terrorist organization. They made him rich, but it came at the cost of countless lives. When he finally grew tired of causing havoc, he decided to lay low. Bennett got married and had a child, keeping his family secret from his fellow terrorists. After a heist that resulted in multiple deaths and rendered him guilty, it tipped off the FBI. Unfortunately, the information leaked and was traced back to him. The terrorists initially wanted to get rid of him quickly but decided to send him on a solo suicide mission to kill two birds with one stone.

As Mary listened to his tale, tears filled her eyes. Bennett’s only concern was for the safety of his wife and son. He made Mary promise to look after his family, and she agreed.

“Tell my brother to forgive me,” he said with a downcast gaze. At that moment, it dawned on Mary that she hadn’t told him about his twin brother’s passing. She took a deep breath and delivered the heartbreaking news.

“Bernard died of cancer. He died only a few weeks ago.” Silence filled the room as Bennett struggled to process what he had just heard. When reality sank in, he broke into tears. He cried so hard that the guards came in to see what was wrong. Bennett knew he had betrayed his brother and felt a deep, overwhelming pain in his heart. It crushed him to know he wouldn’t be able to pay his last respects.

“

Brother, forgive me. I will change,” he screamed in agony. The guard had to take Bennett away while Mary watched in grief. Weeks later, he was arraigned in court. While the other terrorists received death sentences, Bennett was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The following week, Mary visited Bennett in prison, bringing a meal that Bernard used to love. As Bennett tasted it, he savored the familiar flavors. They talked about Bernard, and Bennett shared stories from their childhood, which moved Mary deeply. After an hour of conversation, she told him to stay strong and promised that she would visit him again.

Mary kept her promise and visited Bennett’s wife and child, ensuring they had a good life. When his wife needed funds to expand her business, Mary provided the money. Every month, Mary visited her husband’s grave. She would happily tell him all about his brother and how he finally had a change of heart. She knew her husband would be proud of them both.