I Came Back Five Years After My Death のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 25

My hand was on the door handle."You barely have anything here." His voice was level, and he didn't look at me. "Move in. The guest room's empty."I didn't hesitate. "Okay."I moved in on a weekend, and for once, Ethan stayed home.When I carried my few belongings into the guest room, he glanced up but said nothing.But when I went to the kitchen for water, I noticed he'd quietly folded my T-shirt and put it in my backpack.After dinner, he worked in his study, and I sat on the living room couch reading an old magazine.As I flipped through the magazine under the floor lamp, I came across a profile of Ethan.It was called "Ethan Grant of the Grant Group: The Loneliest Builder of Our Time."It said that in three years he'd put up more than a dozen buildings and helped design four landmarks, but he'd never shown his face at a single ribbon-cutting.At the end, the article quoted him saying, "None of the buildings belong to me once they're finished, so I don't care whether I see them or n

"I won't." I took hold of his fingers. "Ethan, I'm not leaving again."He looked down and closed his hand around mine.His hands were warm and dry now, the knuckles strong and defined.But I knew the old scars were still there, even after five years.Then he spoke softly, his voice barely audible over the night breeze. "The morning you left..."I searched every corner of our apartment. You were wearing that cream-colored coat when you left. I remember buying it the year we got married."I asked, "Do you still have it? That coat?"He looked up at me, his eyes red-rimmed in the moonlight."No. The water ruined it. The funeral home made me sign a form authorizing them to dispose of it."I couldn't bring myself to throw away the pieces. I kept them in a file folder for three years. Then I lost them when I moved."I squeezed his hand. "It wasn't worth much. I'll just buy another one."He shook his head. "It's not about what it was worth."He didn't finish, but I understood.That coat was th