Chapter 4 One Last Christmas

"Keep pretending, Josiah. I'd love to see how far you're willing to take this little act without actually dying!"

Aleena's mocking words still echoed in my ears when Jeremy finally managed to calm me down. He could see how badly I wanted to go to my parents' house, and after watching me struggle for so long, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Against his better judgment, he got me a wheelchair and took me there himself.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when we arrived.

The house I grew up in was gone. All that remained was a pile of broken concrete, shattered wood, and debris scattered across the ground.

I stared at the wreckage in disbelief, then pulled myself out of the wheelchair and stumbled toward the remains of the house. My injured leg barely held me up, but I didn't care. I dropped to my knees and started digging through the rubble with my bare hands.

"Josiah, are you crazy? You're going to hurt yourself!" Jeremy shouted, hurrying after me.

He tried to pull me away, but I shook my head and kept searching. Tears ran down my face as I moved broken wood and concrete aside, barely noticing the sharp edges cutting my skin.

"My parents' photographs and keepsakes are still in there," I sobbed. "Jeremy, I have to find them. They're all I have left of my mom and dad."

Jeremy froze at my words, tears filling his eyes. He turned away for a moment, struggling to compose himself.

Then, without a word, he crouched beside me and helped me search through the rubble.

We kept digging through the wreckage until my hands were covered in blood. Sharp pieces cut deeper into my skin with each handful, but I barely felt the pain.

I refused to stop until I found what I was searching for: my parents' framed photographs and a few treasured belongings.

"Mom... Dad... I'm so sorry..."

I gathered what I could into my arms and clutched it tightly to my chest. Looking at their photographs, the grief I'd been holding back finally overwhelmed me, and I broke down in tears.

"Well, Josiah, I have to admit, seeing you like this is pretty satisfying."

The familiar voice came from behind me, and I slowly turned my head.

Neil stood a short distance away, his arm wrapped around Aleena's waist. He looked down at me with a smug smile as I knelt crying among the rubble.

"Who would've thought tearing down one lousy house would leave you falling apart like this?" he said with a sneer. "I'd say it was totally worth it."

He glanced at the wreckage, then turned back to me. "Oh, that's right. This was the only thing your dead parents left you, wasn't it? Now that it's gone, I guess you've got absolutely nothing left."

Aleena moved closer and crouched beside me. Her voice was cold and cruel as she whispered in my ear, "How does it feel, Josiah? Now, you know what it's like to lose something you'll never get back."

I slowly raised my head and looked at her. I didn't have the strength to argue anymore, but I couldn't hide the hatred in my eyes.

The moment our eyes met, Aleena's smile vanished. She froze for a moment, then straightened and looked away, as if she couldn't bear to look at me any longer.

"Don't look at me like that, Josiah!" she snapped. "If you hadn't destroyed the gift Quinn gave me, none of this would've happened! You brought this on yourself!"

Her voice grew louder, and I thought I heard a hint of panic beneath her anger. It was as if she were trying to convince herself she was right.

I wanted to tell her that a broken LEGO set could never compare to the home my parents left me. I wanted to ask how she could destroy a place that once welcomed her like family.

…

But before I could say a word, a sharp pain shot through my chest, and blood suddenly spurted out of my mouth. My vision blurred, and my body gave way as the world spun.

"Josiah! Stay with me! I'm taking you back to the hospital!"

Jeremy rushed forward and caught me before I hit the ground. He quickly hoisted me onto his back and hurried toward the car, calling my name over and over in a desperate bid to keep me conscious.

As my eyes began to close, I struggled to look back one last time. Through my fading vision, I saw Aleena walk away with Neil, as though nothing had happened.

She didn't even turn around to look at me.

...

I was unconscious for a long time.

When I finally opened my eyes again, it was Christmas Eve.

The hospital room was silent except for the soft beeping of the medical equipment. Lily sat beside my bed, and as soon as she saw I was awake, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"You're finally awake, Josiah," she whispered, her voice trembling with relief.

I looked at the young woman beside me. Though only in her early twenties, she had been through so much. Her sobs broke my heart. I remembered helping her escape her gambling-addicted father and start over. At least I'd done some good; near the end of my life, I was grateful someone truly cared about me.

With the little strength I'd left, I slowly lifted my hand and gently patted her head to comfort her. "Don't cry, Lily," I whispered. "I'll see my parents again soon. You should feel happy for me."

She shook her head immediately, but I continued before she could speak.

"I've left you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. There's a bank card for you in an envelope inside the small metal box in my closet. Take it and build a good life for yourself."

Lily covered her mouth as another sob escaped, and I waited for her to look at me again.

"There's one last thing I need you to do for me," I said softly. "When I'm gone, please cremate me and scatter my ashes at sea."

I'd thought about it for a long time.

My parents died at sea, and though I could never bring them back, I liked to imagine that a small part of me might drift across the ocean to the waters where they took their last breaths.

Maybe then, in some way, we would finally be together again.

"Josiah, please don't say that," Lily cried, holding my hand. "Just hang on until tomorrow, okay? It's Christmas tomorrow. Please, just give us one more day."

She begged me to stay, promising everything would be fine if I held on a little longer. However, my body had reached its limit, and even speaking was tiring.

I wanted to comfort her, but I no longer had the strength.

Instead, I looked at the wall clock. It was almost midnight, and I could feel myself slowly losing consciousness.

As Lily kept crying beside me, I closed my eyes for the last time.

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer lying in the hospital bed.

I was floating above it.

For a moment, I couldn't understand what was happening. Then, I looked down and saw my own still body, with Lily bent over me, sobbing uncontrollably.

I tried to reach out to her, but my hand passed through her shoulder. No matter how much I wanted to comfort her, I couldn't touch her.

A moment later, Jeremy rushed into the room.

His eyes were already red as he hurried to my bedside. From his expression, I could tell he knew what had happened before he even checked on me.

I watched helplessly as the two people who cared for me most during my final days struggled to accept that I was gone.

Just as the clock struck midnight, my phone rang on the bedside table.

Aleena's name appeared on the screen.

Seeing it reminded me that we were supposed to finalize our divorce that morning. Knowing Aleena, I figured she was calling to make sure I wouldn't cause any more trouble.

Jeremy glanced at the phone, hesitated, then finally answered.

Aleena's familiar voice came through, as impatient and indifferent as ever.

"Josiah, you'd better be at the courthouse at nine this morning so we can finalize this divorce. Don't even think about pulling another stunt to get out of it."

Before Jeremy could answer, Lily grabbed the phone from his hand.

Her fingers shook with anger, and her voice cracked as she shouted, "Aleena Dawson! Are you really still thinking about the divorce? Is getting rid of Josiah that important to you? Do you know what he's been through?"

She broke down again, struggling to speak.

"Josiah's dead!"