Carlos’ face darkened when Debbie refused to step inside the vi


    “Don’t you want to know what kind of ce your daughter will be spending her next three days at?” he


    asked. The irritation in his voice was evident.


    However, she didn’t respond. As she stared at the vi, she remembered the ck and white funerary


    couplet hanging on each side of the doorway and Carlos’ ck and white portrait in the Living room.


    The vision was so… terrifying.


    The memories of what had happened three years ago returned to her in waves-the music studio Carlos


    had built for her, their dog Hum, the sunflowers they had nted together… And then James’ vicious


    face popped into her mind, saying, “Debbie, Carlos is dead! Ha-ha! He is really dead!”


    Many nights, Debbie had woken up screaming, troubled by the nightmares of James’ evil face and


    disgusting voice.


    Some nights, she used to wake up crying after dreaming of Carlos tender smile.


    Other nights, she saw Carlos’ cold gravestone in her dreams and used to wake up sweating.


    She was in a strange state of mind as she stood in front of the vi where they used to live together


    happily.


    Her face went pale and her legs became weak. She staggered, almost falling to the ground. Luckily,


    she supported herself by clinging on to her car hastily.


    Seeing her distressed state, Carlos put Piggy down and coaxed her,


    “Evelyn, go find Frankie. I’ll join you soon.”Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Ang’s Library


    “Okay.” Piggy looked at her mom, wanting to say something. But when she saw Carlos walking towards


    her mom, she turned around and ran into the vi.


    Carlos held Debbie’s arm to steady her footing and asked with concern,


    “What’s wrong?”


    Debbie’s eyes were shut. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and pain could be seen so clearly


    in them. She grabbed Carlos’ arm tightly.


    “Carlos…” She held his arm tighter as if she was confirming that he was really alive.


    “You are not dead…”


    ‘Carlos is alive! This is not a dream!’


    Debbie cried and thenughed, which confused Carlos. In between sobs, she said, “I wanted to kill


    myself to give youpany in death. But I had Piggy in my belly, and I couldn’t…”


    Before she had left Alorith three years ago, she had been diagnosed with depression.


    Every time she dreamed about Carlos back then, she would want to kill herself.


    But she had been pregnant with their baby. The baby in her womb was the only reason she didn’t


    commit suicide.


    When she had given birth to Piggy, both mother and daughter cried together—Debbie had missed


    Carlos at that moment the most.


    She still remembered that she had once told Carlos, “If we ever have a baby, I’ll teach it to say ‘Daddy’


    first. Then, the baby would always say ‘Daddy’ when wetting the bed or getting hungry. It would be your


    job to get up at midnight to change the diaper and feed the baby…”