Home / The Fading Light Never Lingers / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Fading Light Never Lingers: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My older brother, Toby Ellis, put out his cigarette and said in a low voice, "Are you done making a fuss?"I looked at him. When I was little, I used to be afraid of needles, and he would always hold me in his arms to cajole me, telling me not to be afraid because he was there for me.However, now that I was really sick, he no longer asked me if I was afraid or hurt. I nodded at him. "All right. I'll stop making any fuss."Everyone was taken aback to hear my reply, and my mother, Karen Ellis, looked at me cautiously. "What do you mean, Tessa?"I replied, "Nothing. I'll just stop making a fuss."Henry Smith started tearing up. "Don't do anything stupid again, Tessa."I started feeling tired as I looked at him. "I won't."However, none of them believed me. I returned to my room to get my identification papers, but Henry came into the room the moment I pulled out a drawer. He grabbed my wrist. "What are you planning to do with them?"I tried to pull my hand away from his. "Let g

Chapter 2

When I woke up, I smelled disinfectant. My cheek was swollen, and my back hurt so much that I felt like it was broken. Stacy was the first person I saw when I opened my eyes, as she was right next to my bed. "You're finally awake, Tessa." Her eyes were red from all the crying, and there was a faint red mark on one side of her cheek. "All I wanted was to talk to you. Why did you hit me and purposely fall to scare everyone?"I looked at her and said nothing.The room was filled with people. Dad and Mom were standing at the end of my bed, Toby was leaning next to the window, and Henry was sitting in the chair. There were dark circles under Henry's eyes, and he looked at me with exhaustion.Mom spoke first. "Tessa, Stacy went to visit you late at night because she was worried about you. You can't hit her even if you're mad at her." My throat was dry, and it hurt. "Are you really going to believe everything she tells you?" I turned to Toby. "Check the security cameras. There are ca

Chapter 3

I stayed in the hospital for three days, and no one but the nurse's aide came to see how I was doing. On the fourth morning, a nurse came by for the hospital bills, and that was only when I found out that I owed the hospital money. I asked, "Didn't any of them pay the bill?"The nurse looked like she had been placed in a difficult position. "They applied for a temporary discharge from the hospital and said they would pay the bill at a later time."I waited until night came, but my phone did not ring once.That night, Stacy posted a picture of her standing under the sunset with a straw hat on her social media account. The location indicated that she was at a hotel by the beach. Henry was holding her bag, while Mom was putting a coat on her.Dad stood at the side, carefully shielding her from any incoming danger, and Toby had a camera in his hand to capture every memory he could of Stacy. The caption read: [This is the first time I'm seeing the sea.]My fingers froze mid-scroll wh

Chapter 4

It became chaotic at home since Henry jumped, and I was ignored during the chaos.My forehead was covered in cold sweat as I stood outside the emergency room. The insides of my stomach clenched with pain, and the back of my waist hurt so much that I could hardly stand. I leaned against the wall and waited until daybreak, even though I was not needed or even wanted.When Toby got out of surgery, he glanced at me. "Are you happy now, you malicious woman?! You should just die for causing so much harm to everyone around you!" I did not reply. Instead, I nodded. "You can believe whatever you want."Their watch over me tightened over the next few days. Someone was always with me wherever I went.Henry was admitted to the VIP room at the hospital with a serious leg injury. Stacy stayed by his bed and cried while he comforted her instead. Despite my parents saying that nothing bad would happen again, they glared at me like I would be causing problems soon.…Three days later, Dad hande

Chapter 5

On the day my death was announced, silence befell the Ellis family.Mom cried in the hospital corridor until she passed out, and when she woke up, the first thing she asked the doctors was if they could try to revive her daughter, but they did not answer her. She grabbed a doctor's sleeve and refused to let go. "She's only 27. She used to be very healthy, doctor. Just take another look at her. She might be gone yet."The doctor looked at her for a long time before replying, "The patient was in terrible condition when she was wheeled into surgery. She was suffering from severe depression, which resulted in long-term somatization. "Her liver and kidney functions had been failing, and her immune system had been compromised for far too long. Please accept my condolences."Dad stood at the end of the corridor, smoking stick after stick of cigarettes. It took several attempts for him to light each cigarette, and he did not react even when the ashes fell onto the back of his hand.Hen

Chapter 6

After my death, Stacy became the most difficult person to handle in the family.Before, everyone would circle her whenever she cried. If she felt unwell, Mom would stay by her side the entire night to take care of her. If she said she was feeling scared, Dad would comfort her immediately, and Henry would shield her from anything that she was afraid of.However, I was dead, and everyone knew the reason for my death. Stacy's baby was no longer her lucky charm to shield her, but had instead become the painfully clear evidence of this betrayal.The first person who changed was Henry. He was still recuperating in the hospital, and his leg was in a cast, looking even more depressed than before.Stacy visited him with an insulated lunch box, and she sat by his bed, looking like she was about to cry. "I feel terrible too, Henry. I never thought Tessa would die. I never would have agitated her if I knew this would happen."Henry looked up at her. It was the first time he was looking at her

Chapter 7

What truly broke then was when the Mental Health Center delivered my complete medical records. Toby was a doctor and a family member, which made it easy for him to obtain them. Toby turned pale when he looked through the records and came to the last page. When I was in so much pain that I could not sleep at night, my condition was recorded as refusal to cooperate when it came to resting hours. When I coughed up blood, it was recorded as an anxiety-driven bodily reaction. When I requested a proper checkup, it was treated as an outburst from my mental condition.Every page informed Toby that I tried to get help, but they rejected every call for it.That night, Toby lost it at home for the first time and swept everything off the table. The cups broke, and the ashtray rolled to Dad's feet, while Mom jumped with fright. "What are you doing, Toby?"Toby looked up at her with frighteningly red eyes. "We were the ones who sent her there." Mom cried while shaking her head. "We just wante

Chapter 8

They gave me a simple funeral because Dad said it was best not to create a huge commotion over it, but Mom still went through my phone to inform any friends and family in my phonebook. She probably wanted to prove that I was not a child no one wanted.More people than they had anticipated attended my funeral. My university mates arrived, and so did my former colleagues. Several people whom my family did not know were there as well.Everyone stood outside the funeral parlor, mentioning my name in their chats.Mom listened to them talking, and tears streamed down her face again. It was only then that she realized that I was not just someone troublesome in the eyes of others. The classmate who texted me about how she thought I knew the truth attended my funeral as well.She stood in front of my picture and cried for a long time. "I'm so sorry, Tessa. I really wanted to tell you everything, but I was scared of offending Henry and didn't want to be entangled in your family affairs. I

Chapter 9

The family fell apart after the funeral. After Henry was discharged, the first thing he did was move out of the house we were supposed to move into together after we were married.Our bed, which was decorated prettily, was still there, and the shelves were filled with wedding favors that I had chosen for our upcoming wedding. An incomplete guest list was spread out on the table as well.Henry only entered the house once, and when he walked out, he looked extremely pale. His assistant asked, "What would you like to do with all of these, Mr. Smith?"He stood outside the door for a long time before replying, "Seal everything."His assistant did not dare question his decision.The house was left empty after that, and Henry did not move in. He started to visit my grave frequently. Henry initially used a cane to see me, and he continued visiting me after his leg healed. He would bring a bouquet of white flowers every time and sit next to my tombstone for long hours.Once, it was ra

Chapter 10

Everyone regretted what they did for a long period of time, but regret was the most useless thing in this world.Mom regretted that she did not take it seriously and brought me to a doctor the first time I swallowed pills.Dad regretted always demanding that I give in to Stacy, while Toby regretted throwing me into a place where no one believed me when he should have known better as a doctor.Henry regretted crossing the line by being with another woman despite not wanting to let me go.However, no matter how painful they were or how much they regretted, none of it could bring me back to life.Stacy left the city after that, but before she left, she visited my grave. She stood in front of my tombstone while wearing a cap and facial mask. She had no flowers or offerings for me. All she did was look at the picture on my tombstone and speak to me in a low voice."I never wanted you to die, Tessa."There was a gust of wind in the cemetery, but no one answered her. Stacy stood there

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