Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

I turned around to slip back into my room, but Cassie walked up to me with a smile."You must be Ally! Adrian has told me a lot about you. I'm glad I finally got to meet you today."She took out a light gray scarf from the gift bag and gently wrapped it around my shoulders. "This caught my eye when I was away on a business trip. It's cashmere, so it's really soft. With how fair you are, this color suits you perfectly."The scarf smelled nice.I froze in place, my toes curling subconsciously. "Thanks, Cassie."Adrian and Mom stood to the side, their expressions tight. Lowering my head, I tried to step away."Sorry, but I made plans today, so I won't be joining you guys for the meal."Cassie gently rested her hand on my shoulder and said, "You know, I came over a few times before, but I never got to see you. Now that we're meeting at last today, I'd love to be able to chat with you and get to know you better."She turned to Adrian with a smile. "Wouldn't that be nice, Adrian?"A

The next afternoon, my phone rang. I took a deep breath and used my toes to answer the call.Dad's face appeared on the screen. In the background was a makeshift work shed and an overcast sky. He'd gotten a lot more tanned and had lost a ton of weight."Have you eaten yet, Ally? How are you doing? Are you still in any pain?" he asked.I forced a smile and did my best to keep my tone light. "I did. I feel really full now. You lost so much weight, Dad. You're a lot darker, too."He brushed off my concern for him. "I'm fine. Your dad's a tough man. This project is almost complete. Once I get paid, I'll come home and find you the best prosthetist there is."Just then, someone on the other end called Dad's name, urging him to go back to work."Go on, Dad. I'm fine, really. Make sure you look after yourself, okay, Dad? Don't fall sick, and don't go hungry. Dress warmly…"Dad chuckled as he heard me rattle off instructions for him."Alright. I'll get back to work. Be good and listen t

The police officers and the staff from the funeral home came forward. They attempted to pull Mom and Adrian away from my body. Mom clung so tightly to me that several people had to work together to drag her off.She struggled against their grip, shrieking like a lioness who'd lost her cub.My body was carefully removed. Parts of it had already stuck to the ground and needed to be scraped up with special tools.A young funeral home worker had to turn away. He couldn't resist the urge to vomit.I drifted in the air, watching everything. The heavy sense of shame that filled me now made it hard for me to lift my head.I kept apologizing to the people who had to handle this horrific scene I'd left behind."I'm sorry. If I had known it would be such a burden for everyone, I would've chosen a neater way to go. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."In the end, my body was placed inside a dark body bag. A long cardboard box served as a temporary coffin.When the funeral home staff ask

My funeral was held three days later. The sky was overcast, and a fine drizzle fell like tears from the sky.All of the family's friends and relatives came. They were mostly relatives on Mom's side, along with some of Dad's old colleagues. Dressed in black, they showed up with solemn expressions and spoke in hushed voices.Mom looked like she'd aged two decades overnight. Dad's hair looked a lot grayer now as he stared blankly at the tombstone.The funeral service felt depressingly long.Mom almost had to rely completely on Dad to remain standing. She no longer had any tears to shed, her eyes now swollen and filled with emptiness.Dad held her tightly, his back straight. However, anyone who looked closely would realize that his hand trembled as it rested on her shoulder.Mr. Lewis showed up as well. He didn't use an umbrella, allowing the rain to fall onto his shoulders. He came forward with heavy steps, holding a bouquet of white lilies in his hand.He walked up to Adrian, who