Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself floating in midair.

My family should have stormed out in anger. Instead, they were all huddled together in the narrow hallway.

Dad crouched in the corner, smoking one cigarette after another. Cigarette butts were scattered across the floor around his feet.

Mom leaned against the wall, trembling as she cried silently.

Meanwhile, Josephine sat on the stairs with her knees drawn to her chest, her face hidden against them. Her shoulders shook with each sob.

The heavy silence stretched on until Dad finally spoke.

"Did I… go too far just now?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Josephine jerked her head up. Tears streamed down her face, and she snapped, "Dad! How could you say that to Edwin? He just got home, and he's still not well…"

At that, Mom could no longer hold back her sobs.

"It's all my fault! I never should have said those things!" she cried out as she slapped herself. "How could I have said that to Edwin? He'd suffered so much in prison. How could I have treated him like that?"

She pounded her chest, overcome with remorse. "I'm a horrible person!"

Dad caught her hand, his eyes bloodshot.

"Stop. Please. W-We were all under so much pressure. For years, we poured everything we had into his legal case. We drained our savings and ended up in debt.

"We couldn't even go outside without feeling everyone's eyes on us. And at home, we were always afraid that something might happen to him in prison. I… I was just exhausted."

Dad's voice carried a subtle vulnerability. He went on, "I've failed as a father. I couldn't protect my own son, and I took my anger out on him."

Josephine shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. "It's not your fault. It's mine! If it weren't for me, Edwin never would have gone to prison. Our family never would have ended up like this!"

Then, she shot to her feet, as if she'd suddenly remembered something.

"No. I have to apologize to him. I have to tell him we didn't really mean any of those things!"

With that, she moved to open the door.

My heart clenched at the sight, and I instinctively reached out to stop her.

"Don't come in! Please, don't come in!" I begged in my head.

But my hand went straight through her.

I looked down at myself. My body had become a translucent outline, and there was no shadow beneath my feet.

I was already dead. I could no longer feel pain, and I couldn't stop them either.

Just as Josephine reached for the doorknob, Mom caught her arm.

"Don't."

Mom wiped away her tears, and her expression hardened into something unyielding. "Let him have some time alone. He's too upset to listen to us right now.

"Come on. Let's go get something from his favorite place. Once he's cooled off, we'll apologize to him."

Dad stubbed out his cigarette and rose to his feet. "Yeah. And we'll pick up a good bottle of wine, too. We'll start over."

As it turned out, they hadn't really hated me. They'd just been overwhelmed by everything they were dealing with.

I drifted behind them, watching as they supported each other down the stairs.

All at once, a lump formed in my throat.

I wanted so badly to tell my family that I'd never blamed them. I knew what they'd been through and how exhausted they were. That was why I'd chosen this way out.

From now on, they wouldn't have to carry the weight of my problems anymore.

…

Dad, Mom, and Josephine walked into a shopping mall and went straight to a jewelry store.

There, Mom pointed to a gold necklace in the display case. "Just get this one, Charles."

One look at the price tag, and Dad frowned.

"It's so expensive. We can't—"

"It's for Edwin!" Mom cut him off. "When he came home, we didn't even have a gift waiting for him. And then we said those terrible things to him.

"He's always been such a good kid. Ever since he was little, he's always put Josie first. We owe him so much. We'll make this his birthday present."

Just then, Josephine pulled several crumpled bills from her wallet and pressed them into Dad's hand. "Dad, this is what I made from my part-time job. It's not much, but I want to help."

Dad looked at the two of them, then finally nodded.

"We'll take this one. Please box it up," he said to the sales assistant.

They never made it to my favorite restaurant. Instead, they spent every last dollar they had on a necklace for me.

I stared at the elegant gift box, my emotions in turmoil.

I hadn't been a good son or a good brother. I was the one who had dragged my family down.