Chapter 2

My body lay inside the hearse beneath a white sheet.

Charles sat close to me.

All he had to do was lift the sheet, and he would see the face the truck had crushed beyond recognition.

Charles stared at the sheet for a long time.

Every time he moved even slightly, the other three watched him.

They were terrified he would lift it and recognize me.

Suspicion flashed across Charles’s face again.

Then, while no one was prepared, he suddenly yanked the sheet back.

“Ugh—”

After only one second, he snapped his gaze away.

He covered his mouth, his face twisting.

Gladys gave a strained smile and carefully pulled the sheet back into place.

“The truck ran over the body. The face was destroyed.”

Charles stiffened.

Then, without saying anything, he shifted farther away.

I stared painfully at my own body.

The memory of being crushed beneath the truck came rushing back.

My entire soul began to tremble.

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

Even my soul hurt.

And yet, when I was dying, the only thought in my head had been that I still hadn’t seen Charles one last time.

But now, looking at the four people in front of me, I suddenly felt exhausted.

“Charles, how’s Lydia been lately?” Gladys asked.

“Is she still throwing up a lot?”

Gladys pulled Charles over to another seat.

“She’s always been fragile. You need to take good care of her.”

Charles nodded.

“She’s been much better these last couple of days. She can finally keep food down.”

“Last night, Lydia said she missed all of you. She was wondering when you’d come visit.”

As he spoke, he took out his phone.

He opened his photo gallery.

It was filled with pictures of Lydia.

There were photos of her sitting at the dining table eating.

There were photos of her asleep in bed.

I stared at every one of them.

Almost like I was torturing myself.

Then I caught sight of a handwritten note.

It carefully recorded how many times Lydia had gone to the bathroom that day.

Whether she needed to drink more water the next day.

Or less.

The longer they talked, the happier they became.

It was as though they had forgotten they were sitting inside a hearse.

As though they had forgotten my body was lying right beside them.

My vision blurred.

Countless memories flashed before my eyes.

Every one of them looked almost the same.

I would wake from nightmares sobbing so hard my body cramped.

Charles’s name would spill from my lips again and again.

Gladys would break open my locked bedroom door.

Her wrist swollen, limping badly, she would rush to my side and pull me tightly into her arms.

“Katherine, I’m here.”

“Mom will always be here.”

She told me that even if Charles disappeared forever, my family would always be my safe harbor.

I would cry and tell her no.

I would insist that I had to find Charles.

And she would agree without hesitation.

Even in the middle of the night, she would drag Oliver and Mark out of bed to help me search.

But in the end, all of it had been a lie.

Grief.

Pain.

Confusion.

Every emotion tore through me at once.

And at that moment, the tears I had held back for so long finally poured out.

They struck my heart.

So hot they felt like they were burning holes through it.

Another video of Lydia appeared.

She was whining sweetly.

“When is Gladys coming?”

“I miss her.”

The last trace of grief in Gladys’s eyes vanished.

She took the phone from Charles.

She scrolled through Lydia’s pictures one by one, her gaze full of affection.

“Charles.”

She suddenly looked anxious.

“How is Lydia feeling today?”

“If we go see her, will we interrupt her rest?”

Charles smiled, his voice indulgent.

“Mom, Lydia would be thrilled to see you.”

“How could you possibly bother her?”

The moment he finished, Gladys called toward the driver.

“Pull over up ahead.”

Oliver instinctively straightened his clothes.

Mark was already looking up what they should buy to bring Lydia.

The only one who hesitated was Charles.

“Mom, what about the body...?”

Gladys froze.

Without even looking up from his phone, Mark said, “Charles, forget about that.”

“We don’t even know the dead person. We’ll just pay the driver extra to take the body to the funeral home.”

“That’ll be enough to help Nelson out.”

I had gone numb.

I couldn’t even cry anymore.

Mark sent the driver another five hundred dollars.

Then he hurried out of the hearse.

Charles casually shut the door behind him.

Bang.

The sound seemed to make my heart ache.

I watched their backs disappear.

And swallowed the bitterness in my throat.