Chapter 2

I wanted so badly to close my eyes and cover my ears, but ever since I became a soul, closing my eyes didn't shut out the world, and covering my ears didn't block out the sounds anymore.

So I watched, powerless, as my adoptive parents calmly accepted the news of my death. I could no longer deceive myself into believing that, despite not being blood-related, they still loved me.

I crouched desperately at George's feet, grief crushing me from inside. I reached out, clutching his pant leg, pleading over and over again, "Please, take me away from here."

But no one in this world could hear me.

George swallowed hard, completely baffled by what he was seeing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the family photo on the living room wall. When he saw Nova's radiant smile in the picture, his heart, which had been briefly touched, turned cold again.

George forced a cold smile. "Chloe was my wife. Even though she's gone, she's part of the Green family. I'm taking all her belongings."

His original plan was to wait until the Lewis family was completely broken by their daughter's death, then mercilessly take away everything that reminded them of her.

Jasper and Luna exchanged a glance, nodded, and said nothing more.

"Lucy, take Mr. Green to Chloe's room," Luna said.

George went up to the second floor. As he was about to open a door, Lucy stopped him. "You're in the wrong room, Mr. Green. That's Nova's room."

George frowned.

This room had the best lighting and location in the whole villa, second only to Jasper and Luna's bedroom.

He remembered that this was the room Chloe used to live in.

Did Jasper and Luna actually let Nova have her old room back after she returned?

George raised an eyebrow and let out a soft scoff. They had a shred of conscience.

"Chloe's room is over here." Lucy led George down the hall to a small room at the very end of the second floor.

When he opened the door, George saw that the room, though cozy, was so cramped and tiny that it was barely bigger than a bathroom.

"Is this a storage room?" George asked.

I trailed after George into my own bedroom, feeling a wave of nostalgia as I looked around at everything inside.

This tiny room was something I decorated bit by bit with money from my college part-time jobs. It was the only spot in the Lewis residence that ever made me feel safe.

The day Nova came back, Jasper and Luna forced me to move out of my room.

But Nova didn't want to fight with me. She spent nearly a month persuading me, saying a guest room would be fine for her.

I was already wracked with guilt over the whole mix-up, so in the end, I practically dragged her to take back the room that was rightfully hers.

After that, Jasper and Luna never brought up setting up a guest room again.

I was scared they'd change their minds and send me away. So, being tactful, I found this room for myself at the very end of the second floor. I ended up living here for three years.

Ever since I got married, I had never had the chance to come back. I never thought the first time I'd return would be for a reason like this. I let out a bitter laugh.

"Should we really take all of Mrs. Green's stuff?" Leo asked, his voice cautious.

Having worked with George for years, Leo could tell George wasn't in a good mood at all.

George closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his expression was cold. "Take everything."

"George, are you seriously planning to toss all my stuff?" I followed him, like before, quietly murmuring in that soft tone I always used with him. "Could you burn it all for me instead?

"I've used these things for years. If I could take them with me when I leave, that'd be pretty nice."

I had this gut feeling that I could only find peace once I let go of whatever I was still clinging to. But I wasn't even sure what that was. Maybe it was all this stuff I couldn't let go of.

George was really pissed off. Ever since he left the Lewis residence, he'd been on edge for no reason.

He punched the steering wheel hard. Leo and I, sitting in the back, jumped at the noise, both of us pretty shaken.

Of course, if Leo ever realized he had me riding shotgun with him, he'd probably be scared out of his mind.