Chapter 3The Ghost of Us: A Late Crematorium

Holden stared dead at my tattoo. He said, "There's no need. It's her."

He looked so calm, just incredibly pale.

I heard the detective tell him, "The killer was a sociopath, stabbing people at random in the mall. Your girlfriend was trying to pull a pregnant woman to safety but got tripped and fell. She died a hero."

No, I didn't.

I was trying to help the pregnant woman run, but when the killer was right behind us, she shoved me backward to save herself and ran away.

I was stabbed over twenty times by that psychopath. I bled to death.

Just my rotten luck.

I stood in front of Holden and cried.

It hurts so much, Holden. I hurt so, so much.

But thankfully, he didn't let the detective lift the sheet. My body was definitely too mangled to look at.

When Holden walked out of the morgue, he stumbled slightly.

Then he leaned silently against the wall in the hallway.

After a long time, he called my parents, probably to inform them of my death.

No one answered.

This wasn't surprising. My parents divorced when I was very young and had no affection for me. They were probably afraid I was calling to ask for money, so they had cut ties with me years ago.

The police were efficient. An older officer patted Holden's shoulder, handed him a business card, and said, "This is the contact for the crematorium. Have them come pick her up as soon as possible. It's hot out; you can't keep her here for days, and you can't take her home."

From the moment I was murdered to the moment I became a handful of ashes in Holden's hands.

Not even twelve hours had passed.

And Holden handled my post-mortem affairs with chilling calmness. Signing papers at the station, going through the motions, everything perfectly organized.

I opened my ghostly eyes wide, trying to find a single trace of grief on his handsome, pale face.

Just a little bit. Couldn't he shed just one tear for me?

Even if he had kept a dog for this many years, he should have at least faked some sadness, right?

But sadly, I found nothing.