Chapter 3
The police arrived quickly.
Less than ten minutes after I took my last breath, sirens pierced the night.
Mia was drenched in sweat but hadn't shed a single tear.
She stood rigid, directing officers to where I'd been taken.
She meticulously described the killer's face.
Only when they found my body did her composure shatter. She suddenly collapsed beside me.
Over a dozen stab wounds. Blood masking my features.
My lips crudely sewn shut by the deranged killer—a grotesque death.
Even seasoned officers were all so shocked.
But Mia didn't seem to see it.
Like countless times before, she reached for my hand with quiet devotion.
"Mommy, I brought the police.
"We found you.
"I was good, Mom. I'll always be good."
She either didn't know I was dead or refused to accept it.
Usually, I would reach out and pat her on the head.
Then I spread out my palm, and like a magic trick, a candy appeared.
But this time, my hand couldn't reach her.
My soul hovered midair, trembling with grief and helplessness.
Mia was only four.
William didn't know she was born.
And Henry, my father, his condition had worsened recently.
He could barely take care of himself, let alone raise a child.
What would happen to my Mia now?
An officer quickly pulled her away.
A female cop covered Mia's eyes gently.
"Sweetheart, your mom is just sleeping.
"Let's wait in the car, okay?"
Mia didn't resist.
She only nodded obediently. "Okay.
"But can you wake Mama up soon?
"She'll catch a cold if she sleeps outside."
The officer couldn't respond. She carried Mia to the patrol car in silence.
Aside from Mia and William, my so-called husband in the legal sense, my only remaining family was Henry.
The police needed a relative to handle my funeral arrangements.
That night, with no other choice, they brought Mia along to the hospital to break the news to Henry.
I desperately wanted to stop them. I knew he wouldn't survive the shock.
His condition was critical; he was barely hanging on as it was.
But I was just a ghost now.
Even as I followed them frantically, pacing outside his room, I could do nothing.
When Mia saw Henry, she immediately complained.
"Grandpa, Mom fell asleep outside again.
"She'll get sick. Call her, please? She always listens to you."
Once before, after working late on a case, I had passed out on the sidewalk after picking Mia up from daycare.
When I was busy with work, I often neglected my health.
Henry would threaten to leave the hospital and take care of me himself.
That always scared me straight. I'd drop everything and rush to his side, promising to take better care of myself.
This time, Mia's mind seemed to have shut down.
She thought I was just unconscious again.
The officers led her out of the room.
Then, with deep regret, they told Henry the truth.
At his insistence, they showed him the photos of my body.
The heart monitor's alarm screeched.
His clouded eyes stared blankly into space.
He opened his mouth several times, but no sound came out, not even tears.
I couldn't bear to watch. I turned away and fled the room.
The police soon left.
Given Henry's condition, they didn't press further or take him to identify my body.
When I followed Mia back inside, Henry was sitting on the bed, staring vacantly out the window.
Mia ran over and grabbed his skinny, IV-pierced hand.
"Grandpa, did you call Mom yet?"
He didn't move. His hollow gaze remained fixed outside.
Then Mia gasped. "Grandpa, your hand is bleeding!"
In his tension, he had dislodged the IV needle.
Only then did he snap back to reality.
After a pause, he pulled out the needle himself.
Then, with a pale smile, he patted Mia's head.
"It's okay. I don't need this anymore."
He reached for his coat.
He fumbled and trembled as he pulled a bank card from his pocket and stuffed it into Mia's clothes pocket.
I suddenly got a bad feeling.
In that bank card lay all the savings Henry had accumulated over the years, along with my meager salary.
Leaning heavily on the bedrail, he stood up. Then, holding Mia's hand, he walked unsteadily toward the door.
His voice was as gentle as usual, yet it seemed to have lost its soul.
"I'm going to find your Mom now.
"Be good and stay with the nurse, okay?"