He suddenly coughed violently. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth as he raised his head. He wiped it away carelessly and continued softly, “What goes around, comes around. The doctor told me I only have three months to live–it’s late–stage lung cancer.”
He put the pendant into my mailbox. Then, he rubbed his palms and looked at me almost pleadingly. “Can I ask you for a favor? Could you bury me with our baby’s ashes after I’m dead?”
He’d hurt me so deeply that I couldn’t bring myself to move past this so easily. He seemed to realize this. His eyes reddened, and tears of regret flowed down his face.
Instead of saying anything else, he slouched like he had a heavy weight on his shoulders. Then, he turned and limped away. The streetlights elongated his shadow until he turned a corner and disappeared from my line of sight.
I entered the house after throwing the gold pendant away. My baby was like me—we didn’t want love that was too little, too late.
1/2
Chapter 9
+25 BONUS
Three months later, I was celebrating with my colleagues after completing yet another big project. That was when I received a call from a funeral parlor. They asked me whether it was convenient for me to collect Benjamin’s
ashes.
I looked at the calm surface of the lake outside my window and chuckled softly. Then, I said, “You can just pour them down the drain.”
I hung up after that. The final dark spot in my life had been erased, and I felt light–hearted and free.
