Chapter 2

2

I didn't have to try very hard to win Beau over. He had been starved for affection his whole life.

When I showed him kindness, he surrendered his heart almost instantly.

I never took his love for granted. In a way, we were saving each other.

I found a sense of home in Beau, and he experienced a level of love he'd never known before.

The disaster struck four years ago. I was suddenly diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer.

I was terrified that Beau wouldn't be able to handle the news. So, I made up a shallow excuse to break his heart.

I still remember the day we broke up. It was snowing heavily.

Beau stood right in front of me, shivering.

"I'm sorry, but I need to be with someone who can actually help my career," I told him.

Beau bit his lower lip so hard it bled. Snow piled up on his hair, and his nose was bright red from the cold.

"So, you're throwing me away too?" he asked, his shoulders trembling.

Those words were like a blade carving out a piece of my heart. The cold wind rushed into the wound.

I gritted my teeth and gripped my medical report hidden in my pocket. I forced my voice to stay flat.

"You can't even afford a decent engagement ring. What use do I have for you?"

I didn't dare look at his face. I was afraid I would break down and pull him into my arms. I turned and walked away.

But I couldn't just leave him. I followed him from a distance to make sure he got home.

That day, on a path that usually took ten minutes, Beau fell down several times. It took him an hour to get back.

Every time he hit the ground, my heart shattered a little more.

I hated myself for not telling him the truth, but I couldn't be selfish enough to let him suffer through my death.

Now, seeing him return so successful, my heart was a mess of joy and crushing sadness.

My soul followed him as he drove away.

The only perk of being dead was that I could finally see clearly.

I didn't expect the second place Beau visited to be his old flower shop.

The bell on the door chimed softly as he entered. A young boy turned around to greet him.

It felt like a lifetime ago. That boy looked a lot like the old Beau―innocent and naive.

The shop hadn't changed at all.

A bitter ache rose in my chest. Most of our happiest moments were spent within these walls.

This shop held all my beautiful memories. It meant everything to me.

Beau looked around the room. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the corners of his eyes turn red.

"Can I help you with something, sir?" the boy asked.

Beau pulled himself together, bought a random bouquet of lilies, and turned to leave.

As he reached the door, his expression turned cold and indifferent. He turned to his assistant.

"Buy this place. I don't care how much it costs. Then, tear it down."

His voice was so calm, yet it chilled me to the bone.

"But sir, business seems to be quite good here..." the assistant stammered.

Beau's face twisted with disgust.

"This place is a monument to my shame."

My heart throbbed.

He hated me so much that he couldn't even stand the sight of the place where we fell in love.

Within a week, Beau bought the shop. He came in person to watch as the bulldozers tore it apart.

I stood in front of the shop, waving my ghost arms, trying to stop them. I screamed until my throat burned.

"No! Please, stop! Don't do this!"

But my voice grew fainter and fainter.

I had forgotten that they couldn't see or hear me.

Beau used to cherish this shop more than anything. It was his life.

Once, some thugs came by to demand protection money. Beau couldn't pay, so they threatened to wreck the place.

He blocked the door with his thin body. Even though he couldn't see, his stance was firm.

They kicked and punched him until he couldn't get up. Even covered in bruises, he refused to let them in.