Sparks of Vengeance

"Luna, I know you're sad, but my colleagues and I already tried our best to save him."

My brother-in-law passed a blood-stained talisman into my hand, with a pained expression on his face. "My brother must have loved you a lot… This was in his breast pocket when the accident happened, but he was wounded too greatly…"

A chill ran down my spine as the fog in my brain cleared.

I had obtained this lucky charm from a mountaintop, going through the rites of kneeling all the way there, and it was exactly because of this talisman that I've never questioned the love between Louis and me.

Back then, I only took one look at the talisman before I passed out crying. By the time I came to, Johnny told me that his brother had been cremated and took me to the crematorium to claim his ashes.

Back then, I hugged the urn, overcome with grief as I cried, and no one could convince me to bury it.

Later on, the court sent enforcers to notify me that I had to move out of my house within two days, and that I wasn't allowed to bring anything with me except my personal belongings since they wanted to do an assessment for the auction.

That's when I found out that Louis' company was already an empty shell. Even after the house was auctioned, and even after I sold all my accessories, bags, and even my dog, there was still a gaping debt left behind!

Without anything left to my name, I asked Louis' mother and brother for help. "The old fortune teller said that Louis died because he was infected with your bad fortune! I've already been gracious enough not to settle the score with you, and you want me to give you money?"

"My brother's already dead, so you're an outsider to us! Anyway, get out of here and stop bothering us. We're having an afternoon nap!"

In stark contrast to how they used to treat me before, they slammed the door right in my face.

Without a place to return to, I only had the choice to find jobs with night shifts for me to head to after working in the day. When the fatigue was too much to handle, I'd rest briefly in public restrooms so that I could skip on renting a place.

Soon enough, however, I finally pushed my body and mind to the limit. Not only did that cost me my job at the television station, but my health also completely deteriorated. In the end, I ended up like a hag, spending my days begging for scraps at the side of the road.

When Louis showed up in front of me, I felt nothing but hatred when I saw how he was practically radiating with youth and confidence.

Back to the present, my searing teardrops dripped on the back of my hand as my entire body trembled, overcome with emotion.

"Luna, accidents will happen," Johnny said as he handed me some tissues. "Louis would be heartbroken if he saw you like this from the heaven."

Hah.

He'd probably be snickering at how pathetic I was!

I didn't accept the tissues he passed to me, quietly looking up and meeting his gaze. "Let me see your brother one last time."

'Since you want to play dead so much, Louis, you'll surely be happy if it happens for real, right?

'Let me help you!'