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He rushed to her place.
I was shocked.
Mom,usually pristine,looked haggard.
Upon seeing Nathan, she lunged forward. “Tell me what’s happened!”
“I called her all night—no answer.”
“I don’t believe it…”
Nathan’s silence confirmed it.
I was dead.
Mom collapsed,wailing.“No!It can’t be!How could she die…”
She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
“My Claire…Mommy’s sorry.Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She didn’t realize that our last meeting would be our final one.
But Mom,I tried.You didn’t listen.
I watched her cry,moved but detached.
It didn’t matter.
A dead woman cares little for the living’s regrets.
Mom,why did you shun me when I was alive but mourn me now?
In Oregon,I’d wondered if my life was worth living.
My happiest memories were early—loving parents,harmony.
Then their fights began, tearing my childhood to shreds.
Dad died,Mom remarried,and I was an orphan nobody wanted.
Claire,were you born to suffer?
More than anything,I wanted to live.
I died bitterly, my soul at unrest.
Nathan helped Mom up,struggling to console her.
“Mom,I’m sorry.”
She clung to him,desperate.“Did she leave anything?Her body,her ashes—where are they?Can I see her…one last time?”
Pain crossed Nathan’s face.“Nothing.She left nothing.”
My ashes were in the sea.
The last trace of my existence was gone.
I watched their grief,recalling their coldness when I lived.
The two I’d cherished most now wept together.
I felt a sense of lightness in my soul.
Was I leaving?
But the drama wasn’t over.
Mom left,broken,her mental state crumbling.
Her daughter, filled with fear, ignored her.
I wanted to follow,worried,but was tethered to Nathan.
He brought me home.
His mom,cautious,stayed quiet.
Emily sidled up.“Nathan,still mad?”
Her voice was soothing.
He looked at her,wondering how his“true love”became this.
He touched her face.
Emily leaned in eagerly, but he held her back.
“Emily,did you know I’m infertile?”
The words shocked her—and me.
No wonder I never got pregnant.
Six years,everyone blamed me.My tests were fine,but no one suspected Nathan.
He was selfish,allowing me to bear the shame.
Emily stammered,“No way!”
He looked at her with a predatory gaze.“So,you still think that kid’s mine?”
“One night,and you’re pregnant with my child.”
“Six years with Claire, and not a single thing.”
“Emily,are you that dumb,or am I?”
