died my

11

gone.

I collapsed, tears flooding my eyes once more.

An overwhelming wave of grief crashed through my soul, tearing at my very being.

Leaning against the wall, I broke down, my sobs echoing in a void where no one could hear or understand my pain.

In that moment, I wanted to rip Terry apart to avenge my mother.

The love I once felt for him had twisted into a hatred so intense I could taste it.

Yet here I was, as powerless in death as I had been in life.

A mere ghost, drifting aimlessly between worlds, capable of nothing but sorrow.

I longed to see my mother one last time, but my spirit remained inexplicably tethered to Terry.

He suddenly crumpled to his knees before my lifeless body, his eyes a storm of regret and emotions I couldn’t begin to decipher.

12

Time blurred as the Shanes arrived at the morgue.

Linda approached my body, her fingers gently tracing my face. She pulled out her phone and handed it to Terry.

“Watch this. The doctor just sent it to me.”

Terry’s eyes widened as he watched, his pupils constricting. I peered over his shoulder at the screen.

It was a viral cancer documentary and there I was, one of its subjects.

The me on screen was gaunt, hair thinned from chemo. Terry stared in disbelief, having always thought I was faking. When cancer had ravaged me, I’d longed for his presence but