”
8
It was true. As a child, I loved candy, but Mom only gave it to Finn and not me. The spoiled brat would taunt me before devouring it in front of me, eventually stopped eating candy altogether.
I took a step back and shook my head.
Flustered, she rubbed her hands together and said, “Right… You’re all grown up now. I still think of you as a child.”
I studied her for a long time before calling out, “Mom.”
“Yes?” she answered immediately before I could speak another word.
Then, I continued, “I don’t blame you, Mom. But I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”
Her fingers twisted into her sleeves as she lowered her head and muttered, “That’s okay. I deserve it. You shouldn’t forgive me,
Afraid I’d lose control, I turned and left without saying a word.
either.”
and I
That night, Hazel received a call. “Your mother’s condition worsened. She bit through her tongue and took her life. She was beyond saving by the time we found her. We’re sorry for your loss.”
With my time nearly up, I visited my grave one last time to give myself an answer. That was when I found Dawn there.
I frowned. “What’s she doing here?”
But she seemed to hear my words. Looking up, tears filled her eyes as she forced a smile and said, “Asher, is that you? Did you see? I avenged you.
“After you died, I visited your home under the pretense of checking on Finn. I found the footage of him tampering with your brakes and gave it to the police.”
That was when I learned that after my death, she’d gone to the crash site. Despite her gentle appearance, she was secretly a car enthusiast and immediately spotted the sabotage.
It turned out she hadn’t betrayed me. After my death, she’d gotten close to Finn to gather evidence and avenge me.
I floated before her and whispered, “I’m sorry, Dawn. I misunderstood you. I couldn’t marry you in this life, but I’ll do it sooner in the next.”
Rolling up her sleeve, she revealed a fresh tattoo. It was a picture of the mock wedding pictures we’d taken.
Smiling through tears, she said, “It’s okay. I’ve married you once. I’ll be waiting for you to marry me again in our next lives.”
With no more regrets, I felt my soul grow lighter and out of control. That was when I could clearly feel that my time was up.
For the first time, I felt at peace. It was a sign showing the living that death wasn’t an end but the start of another journey.
My thoughts drifted back to the day of the crash. The surgery had been a success, and it ended my miserable life.
W 4
4
