He Said I Couldn’t Leave. Then I Died Chapter 02

A gust of sea wind made Tessa shiver and wrap her arms around herself.

Graham immediately turned to her.

“Tessa, are you cold? Come on. Let’s go home.”

Tessa gave me a coy look.

“But she’s filthy. What if she gets your car dirty?”

Evan stood in my way, his expression completely indifferent.

“Easy. Make her walk the whole way home. She needs to learn to stop making a scene. Call it more desensitization.”

I looked to Graham, silently begging him to intervene.

But he only smiled.

“Be good, Lily. A little exercise will be good for you.”

I closed my eyes to hold back my tears.

“I can get a cab home myself.”

Graham frowned and rejected the idea immediately.

“Don’t be difficult, Lily. Look at you. You’re covered in red stains and can barely get your words out. How could I let you go off alone?”

Tessa waved a phone in front of me.

“Lily, isn’t this yours? How are you going to call a cab without it?”

I froze.

My mother’s last voice messages and videos were on that phone.

Whenever I felt I couldn’t go on, watching Mother’s videos had kept me going.

I lunged for it, my eyes burning.

“Tessa, give me my phone!”

Evan grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop.

Tessa tilted her head with a taunting smile.

“You’d better behave. Otherwise, I can’t promise it won’t accidentally fall into the ocean.”

I turned my tear-filled eyes to Graham.

He knew exactly what that phone meant to me.

Yet he merely sighed, looking put upon.

“Lily, Tessa’s doing this for your own good. Let her hold on to it for now. You’ll get it back when you finish running.”

“Those are the last things Mother ever…”

He interrupted me.

“I know. So you’d better run fast.”

I studied his face. He looked exactly as he always had.

Once, when nightmares jolted me awake, he’d pull me into his arms, pat my back, and whisper, “I’m here,” over and over.

He’d hidden everything red in the house, even the ketchup, so I wouldn’t have to see it.

When I couldn’t stop crying, he’d kept wiping away my tears.

“Lily, whatever happens, I’ll always stay by your side.”

Now, in that same gentle voice, he took away my last hope.

I had no choice but to watch them climb into the car, leaving me to make my own way home.

Maya slid into the back seat, smiled, and gave me a little fist pump.

“You can do it, Lily!”

Graham took the driver’s seat.

“Don’t be scared, Lily. I’ll drive slowly.”

The car began to roll. Dizzy and disoriented, I forced my legs to move.

Tessa’s laughter rang out from inside.

“Look at her limping! That’s hilarious.”

I stumbled and fell, leaving my knees sore against the rough pavement.

Graham stuck his head out the window.

“Lily, you okay?”

I staggered to my feet and took a few steps before falling again.

It happened again and again until black spots swam before my eyes.

Every breath felt strained. All I could hear was my pulse racing.

By the time we finally got home, there wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t hurt.

Yet none of those aches came close to the pain inside me.

Evan approached me with a grin as I struggled to catch my breath.

“See? You finished. You’re still standing, and you’re perfectly aware. Tessa’s method clearly works.”

I wiped at my face and walked straight to Tessa, holding out my hand.

“Give me my phone.”

She lifted it above my reach.

“Don’t rush me. Let me take a couple of pictures first. You’re such a rare research specimen right now.”

She aimed the phone at my battered face and snapped several photos.

At last, she held it out to me.

I let out a breath of relief.

Then she deliberately opened her fingers.

The phone dropped right in front of my eyes.

“Oops. Slipped.”

It hit the floor. I immediately bent to grab it.

But Tessa’s foot reached it first.

Her shoe came down hard, grinding against it. I heard the screen crack.