Home / I Came Back Five Years After My Death / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Came Back Five Years After My Death: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

25 Chapters

Chapter 1

Across the living room, Ethan stood by the window, talking on the phone."I know."His voice was rough. He was obviously exhausted."Once the house sells, I'll get you the money next week."After he hung up, he stood there in silence for a few seconds.Then he turned around and looked at me.His dark eyes were filled with exhaustion he couldn't hide."Lena, how are you feeling today?"I didn't answer.He came over anyway."The doctor said you can't skip your meds."He sat on the edge of the bed, picked up a glass of water from the nightstand, and poured the pills into his palm."Take these first, okay?"I looked at the pills he was holding out to me.Suddenly, comments flooded my vision.[He sold his wedding ring to buy Lena this bottle of pills.][He acts like it's nothing, but he's been scrambling nonstop to pay for her treatment.][The house is his last safety net, but he's selling it for her anyway.]My gaze slowly drifted to Ethan's hands.His fingers were red from the cold wind,

Chapter 2

That afternoon, Ethan got a call.He only said a few words before grabbing his coat and rushing out.Not long after, someone started pounding on the door.Bang! Bang! Bang!The flimsy apartment door shook with every blow.I pushed myself up, went over, and opened the door.It was the landlord.The second he saw me, his face darkened."Mrs. Grant, the movers just told me you have terminal cancer. Is that true?"He sounded annoyed."Why didn't you tell me when you signed the lease?"He stayed in the doorway, making no move to come inside."If somebody dies in here, I'll never be able to sell the place!"I was stunned for a second.The landlord kept going."I'm giving you two options."Either you pay an extra six months' deposit right now, or you're out by tonight."I held on to the doorframe, trying to stay on my feet.Again and again, I explained our situation, apologized, and begged him to give us a little more time.But he wouldn't budge.In the end, he kept the remaining $500 of our

Chapter 3

The apartment was tiny.There was only one narrow double bed.That night, after I washed up, I got into bed first.I turned my back to Ethan and pretended to be asleep.But the pain in my stomach quickly returned.One wave after another.It felt like someone was twisting my stomach into knots.I bit down hard on the corner of the blanket to keep from crying out.After what felt like forever, Ethan finished putting things away, turned off the light, and climbed into bed beside me.Then his voice came from behind me."Lena."I tensed.But I didn't answer.I kept pretending to be asleep.Ethan carefully moved closer.He moved carefully, as though afraid of waking me.Then his arms slid around my waist from behind.He pulled me tightly against him.A drop of something warm landed on my skin.I froze.I'd never imagined Ethan could cry."Lena..."Don't leave me."Please... don't leave me."Tears flooded my eyes.But I didn't dare turn around.I didn't dare open my eyes, either.Behind me, E

Chapter 4

Chloe stopped and turned to me."Hi. Is there something I can help you with?"I looked at her young, bright face and managed a small smile."I'm Ethan's wife."Before she could respond, I bowed deeply to her."I need to ask you a favor."She quickly reached out to steady me."Please, don't do that. Just tell me what's going on."I lifted my head and looked at her."Please take Ethan off the list for the second phase of the trial."His body can't take any more."Chloe's eyes welled up.She nodded."Don't worry."I won't let him do phase two."Given his condition, the trial team won't approve him anyway."When I heard that, the weight finally lifted from my chest.I looked at the young woman in front of me."Thank you."I turned to go.But Chloe called after me."Lena."I looked back.She regarded me with open sympathy."Honestly, in your condition, you should be in the hospital."If it's about money..."She hesitated."I could put you in touch with the hospital's financial assistance pr

Chapter 5

Ethan stared at the notice for a long time.Then he shot to his feet.He strode onto the balcony and made a call."Nurse Evans."He kept his voice low.But he couldn't hide his agitation."Why did the hospital suddenly revoke my eligibility for the trial?"Did you say something to them?"I sat on the bed, staring at his back.A few seconds later, I got up and went over.Before he could react, I took the phone out of his hand.I ended the call.Ethan whipped around."Lena?"I met his eyes."I'm the one who asked Chloe to have you removed from the trial."The room went silent.Ethan's expression slowly shifted."I saw the trial agreement in your pocket."His face grew paler by the second.It was as if every secret he'd been hiding had just been exposed."So what?"Lena, do you know how much money that was?"Sixty thousand dollars."Sixty thousand would have covered most of a year of your treatment."He stared at me.For the first time, I saw him on the verge of losing control."What give

Chapter 6

The apartment was eerily quiet.Only the comments kept scrolling past in the air, line after line.[Ethan's hiding in the stairwell crying right now. He's about to fall apart.][Deep down, he's only angry at himself because he can't save the woman he loves.][Too bad she's not the heroine. So what if he loves her this much now? Ethan's true redemption arc won't begin until she dies.]I looked down and gripped the hem of my shirt.Picturing him falling apart alone somewhere I couldn't see made my chest ache so badly I could barely breathe.About half an hour later, the lock finally clicked.Ethan pushed the door open.His expression changed the moment he saw me.I was still curled up on the cold floor.He didn't even stop to take off his shoes. He dropped the paper bag on the table, crossed the room in a few strides, and scooped me up off the floor."Lena, why are you sitting on the floor?"His voice was still filled with worry."Did I scare you just now?"He set me on the bed and caref

Chapter 7

The next morning.When I woke up, I felt surprisingly light and energetic.The pain in my stomach was much milder than usual, too.Ethan was by the bed, putting on his coat."Ethan."Don't go to work today."I reached out to him."Come for a walk with me."Ethan stood there looking at me for a few seconds.It was as if he were making sure he'd heard me right."You want to go out?"Your stomach doesn't hurt today?"I made myself smile as casually as I could."I think it's much better."Maybe because I've been sleeping better the last couple of days."Ethan studied me for a long moment but didn't press me.He took off the coat he'd just put on and walked back over to me."Then we're not doing anything today."I'm all yours."We went out holding hands.It was a bright, clear day.The autumn mist hadn't fully lifted, and warm sunlight filtered through the trees, scattering dappled shadows across the ground.Ethan held my hand as we walked.Knowing how weak I was, he deliberately slowed his

Chapter 8

Ethan's expression slowly froze.He looked away and blinked hard a few times, forcing back his tears.A long moment passed before he turned back to me."Okay."His voice was already a little hoarse."Then we'll celebrate today."When we got home, we set the little cake on the table, and Ethan got out the matches.Click.The red candle flickered to life.Its tiny flame flickered in the dim room.It lit up our tired, worn faces.For a moment, my mind drifted.It felt as though I were back in college.Back then, we used to sit across from each other just like this.The only difference was that back then, we were young.We had so many tomorrows.Ethan looked at me and forced a smile."Lena."Make a wish."He paused, then gave me the same reminder he always did."Make it a good one."Like getting better quickly."And then..."He swallowed."Stay with me for a long, long time."I want us to grow old together."My eyes stung.But I smiled and nodded.I closed my eyes.I didn't tell him.This

Chapter 9

That night, the apartment was unusually quiet.Ethan seemed to sense something was off.From the moment dinner was over, he stayed right by my side.Wherever I went, he followed.Even when I got up just to pour a glass of water, his eyes never left me.I couldn't help teasing him."What's gotten into you today?"Why do you keep staring at me?"It's not like I'm going to disappear."Ethan didn't laugh.He just looked at me. A long moment passed before he spoke in a low voice."I just want to be with you."My heart ached.But I made myself act casual."Go make us two cups of hot milk, then take a shower."When you come out, we'll drink them together."That seemed to reassure him a little."Okay."Ethan got up and went to the kitchen.Before long, he set two cups of milk on the nightstand.He made sure to remind me."Don't drink it too fast."It's fresh. Careful, it's hot."I nodded."Got it."Once he was in the shower, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two cups for a while.

Chapter 10

I sat down at the table.I took out a sheet of paper.Then I began writing my final letter to Ethan.Ethan,I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. When we got married, I promised we'd spend the rest of our lives together. I'm sorry I couldn't keep that promise. It's not that I don't want to stay with you. I'm just so tired. I can handle the pain of cancer. What I can't bear is watching you give up everything for me.We've already lost our home. You sold your wedding ring. You've even sacrificed your health. And if I stay, you'll only lose more.So please, let me be selfish just this once. Don't come looking for me. And please, don't do anything reckless for my sake again. Stop spending money on treatments I don't need. Take your time paying off the debts.Take care of yourself, Ethan. You deserve a fresh start. I know it might seem impossible to love someone else right now. But I believe that one day, you'll meet someone wonderful. She'll bring sunshine back into your life. She'

PREV

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status