I hovered above it, detached, watching the scene below. Strangely, I didn’t feel sadness. Death had become a release, a final escape from everything that had weighed me down.
I’m not sure how long I stayed in that strange in-between place, drifting in and out of awareness, until Charles showed up.
He arrived with a group of police officers, snapping photos and talking to the witnesses. One officer said, “We found traces of gunpowder. Looks like someone made a homemade bomb. We don’t know the victim’s identity yet, though.”
Charles frowned and gazed down at my lifeless form.
For a brief moment, something stirred in my chest, something like hope. Would he recognize me? Would he regret everything when he realized it was me?
I watched him closely, waiting for a flicker of recognition, a flash of familiarity in his eyes.
But nothing. He just stood there, expression cold and detached. “Looks like a female. Judging by the clothes, she’s probably in her twenties or thirties. We’ll check missing persons reports.”
He glanced at one of the officers. “Get the forensic team in here.”
My heart sank. Of course, he didn’t recognize me. Why would he? We were nothing to each other now.
After they finished at the scene, my body was taken to the police station. I followed, lingering in the back seat of Charles’s car.
Charles sat up front, his colleague and best friend, David, driving. David broke the silence, glancing over at Charles. “Hey, your phone’s off. The boss called looking for you.”
Charles rolled his eyes, clearly irritated. “It’s just Lily again. I told her not to call me while I’m working. Does she ever listen? No.”
I’d heard him say those words a thousand times, but seeing the disgust on his face still stung. It tightened something inside me, like my heart was being crushed.
David sighed. “Charles, maybe she’s just worried about you. Don’t be so hard on her.”
Charles snorted, not bothering to respond. He focused on his phone, turning it on.
My text popped up immediately. “Goodbye forever.”
My heart lurched. Maybe… just maybe he’d realize something was wrong.
But no. He read the message, then his face darkened with irritation. “This is what she calls ‘caring’? Goodbye forever?”
He tried calling me, but of course, I couldn’t pick up now.
When he couldn’t reach me, his frustration grew. “Fine, Lily. If that’s what you want, stay gone. Never come back.”
Without a second thought, he blocked my number.
The ache in my chest dulled, numbing into something much worse. I should’ve known. Charles never cared. He never had.
Why was I still holding on to the hope that he’d come back for me?
I followed my body to the police station, where Charles gave the order for the autopsy. My soul lingered outside, watching as he stood over my body, preparing to examine it.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, from the moment I saw him, I couldn’t tear myself away. My soul was tethered to him, unable to break free.
