Chapter 6
James hunched over, burying his face in his hands as his shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him cry.”
When our parents died, he wouldn’t even look at me–he just turned his back, hiding his pain. Now, for the first time, he let his guard down right in front of me. Was it because of me? I couldn’t figure it out.
Ever since Mom passed, I hadn’t felt a hint of warmth from family or friends. Strangely, it was the kindness of strangers that managed to break through the darkness I carried.$
After leaving the house with Mom’s photo clutched tight, I just sat on the curb, lost and numb.
A familiar, comforting smell drifted down the street. I followed it and spotted a tiny food stall steaming with fresh buns.
Without thinking, I found myself standing in front of the stall.
The owner was busy, barely glancing up as she called out, “What can I get you, miss?”
I looked down at my nearly–empty wallet, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
That’s when she finally looked up and noticed me. She paused, her voice softening. “Would you like a bun?“)
I shook my head, feeling awkward. “No, it’s okay. I… I don’t have any money, and I’m not really hungry anyway.”
Of course, my stomach chose that moment to rumble–loud and impossible to ignore.
lowered my head even more, about to walk away, when the owner stopped me.
“Hey, wait a sec!” She quickly grabbed two hot, fluffy buns and handed them to me, her smile warm. “Eat up, all right? If you ever need anything, just come find me. I can’t give you much, but a couple of buns? That’s no problem.“}
Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes again. I managed a smile as I took the buns, mumbling my thanks.
The warmth of the food in my arms slowly melted a little bit of the cold inside me.
Dr. Louisa, the receptionist at the photo studio, and the kind woman selling buns–each of them had given me some tiny bit of comfort.
Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the rest of the Roman family arriving.”
James had already slipped back into his usual cold, distant self when he heard the commotion.
Yvonne gasped, covering her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears almost instantly.
“Louisa… How could this happen to her?”
Her voice shook, thick with tears, making everyone around her ache.
Tim wrapped his arms around her, whispering, “Don’t cry, Yvonne. Everyone has their own fate.””
What a joke. “Everyone has their own fate.” I never bought into that, but sometimes it felt like fate just loved to mess with me, like it was determined to make me the unlucky one.
Then I caught a sly smile at the corner of Tim’s mouth. He was actually happy–like my death was good news.
They all stood around my photo and urn, silent for what felt like forever. Maybe the sight of my smiling face, frozen in that picture, or the thought of my ashes in that little box finally hit them.
James finally broke the silence, his voice heavy. “This afternoon, Louisa called me.”
“She said she was dying. She wanted us to have one last meal together
He turned to Robert. Did she tell you anything?”
Robert looked genuinely uneasy for once, guilt flickering across his face. The excuse he’d given me that morning–about some auction, about needing to help James with work–was all a lie.
It was only then, listening to them talk, that I realized the truth: they’d gone out to celebrate Yvonne’s kitten’s birthday together.
In the end, I didn’t even matter as much as a cats
I pressed a hand to my chest, a weird, aching feeling spreading through me. How could I still feel anything? Wasn’t I supposed to be dead?”
After Yvonne was comforted and sent upstairs, the three men fell silent again
Robert stared at my smiling photo, his eyes distant. “Did we do something wrong?”
I saw the other two nod, just barely
Tim finally spoke, looking a little lost. “She planned all this ahead of time. Maybe she knew… she didn’t have much time left.“%
