Chapter 9
Samuel collapsed onto the couch. He shook his head repeatedly as he muttered, “Impossible. I haven’t forgiven her yet. How could she die?”
I laughed through invisible tears. So, the reason I wasn’t allowed to die was because he hadn’t forgiven me yet.
He picked up the phone from the floor and reopened his photo gallery to stare at the one and only picture of him and Toby together. As he looked at it, his shoulders began to tremble. Two drops of tears fell onto the phone screen.
Suddenly, he stood up and bolted out of his villa. His hands were shaking as he drove.
Once again, his car stopped outside the small farmhouse where Toby and I had lived. In just a few days, he had been here more times than in all the previous years combined.
I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at that.
This time, he opened the gate and walked straight to the front door of the house. He stood there for over ten seconds before pushing the door that had been closed for three years open.
With a creak, the humid and stale air rushed out, carrying the smell of mold. The interior was just as it had been when I died- neat and tidy, except for some mess on the tables. That mess was from the days after my death, and they were caused by Toby’s mischief.
In the living room and near the wall, there were two chalk outlines–one large, one small. The large one was me. The small one was Toby. I had collapsed on my way back to the bedroom from the bathroom. Toby had died quietly in my arms.
Samuel stared at the two outlines. His expression was dark and terrifying.
His body began to tremble, and cracks started to appear in his stoic facade. They grew larger until he was on the verge of breaking down.
He moved through the house, checking each room. First was Toby’s room, where a small stuffed pig from one of Samuel’s company events still sat on the bed. It was a gift he had brought for Toby. This plushie was the only thing he had ever given Toby.
By the bedside was the photo I had secretly taken of him and Toby. There was also one of Toby’s drawings, depicting three figures -his father, his mother, and himself.
As Samuel held the drawing, his tears fell onto it. He quickly wiped away the moisture with tissues before carefully placing it back where it had been.
Next, he entered my room, which was simple. It contained only a few sets of clothing and some books. Samuel took out my clothes from the wardrobe. He held them in his arms and gently stroked the fabric.
He stared at them for a long time. Most of the clothes were ones he had picked for me back when things were going well between
- us.
+15 BONUS
Chapter 9
His expression was filled with grief. A faint, muffled sob escaped his throat.
Finally, he crouched down. He buried his face in the clothes and cried aloud. He stayed in the house until nightfall.
The power had been cut off three years ago due to the bills being unpaid. It was absolutely dark in the house, and the yard was overgrown with waist–high weeds.
In this house, Toby and I had died. Even as a corporeal spirit, I found the atmosphere chilling.
However, Samuel seemed entirely unfazed. He sat on my bed as still as a lifeless statue.
