Charlotte tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. After wrestling with herself for a long time, she finally picked up her phone and sent a message to Sean.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
A long time passed without a reply.
She didn’t know if he had fallen asleep or was still busy dealing with everything at home.
Charlotte sighed, her chest tight with unease.
She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but deep down, she knew that she still hadn’t truly let go of Sean.
And now, with everything that had happened to the Jasper family, she couldn’t help but worry about him.
He must be heartbroken.
It wasn’t until the sky began to brighten that Charlotte finally felt sleepy. Just as she was drifting off, her phone screen lit up.
It was a reply from Sean.
“I’m fine. Get some rest.”
Charlotte stared at the message. The words didn’t ease her worry.
How could he be fine?
He had just lost both his father and his grandmother.
She wanted to say something to comfort him. She rubbed her eyes and forced herself to stay awake. She started typing. Then deleted it. Typed again. Deleted again, one word at a time.
In the end, she said nothing at all.
Because no words could make any of this better.
Sleep finally overtook her. Phone still in hand, she fell into a deep sleep.
And she dreamed.
In the dream, a little boy stood in the distance, watching as his father held another child in his arms. His eyes were filled with sadness and longing.
Charlotte walked closer and was stunned to see that the boy’s eyes looked exactly like Sean’s.
“Sean…” she murmured.
The boy lowered his head, looking completely heartbroken. In a soft voice, he said, “I’m his son too…”
A sharp ache spread through her chest.
She reached out and gently patted the boy’s head. Her voice was warm and soothing.
“It’s okay. One day, you’ll meet someone who will love you deeply someone who’ll be
your salvation.”
The boy looked up at her. “Is that person you?” he asked.
Charlotte felt a dull, crushing pain in her chest. It was hard to breathe.
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
There was thunder and rain, the storm raging all around.
A man stood in the downpour, alone and desolate.
11 was Sean. He was an adult now.
Charlotte walked closer and saw that his eyes were red. His face was filled with sorrow.
“He’s gone,” she heard him whisper.
Then he said something else, a quiet sentence that carried a heavy sense of regret.
“There won’t be another chance in this lifetime.”
Charlotte immediately understood what he meant.
He would never again have the chance to feel his father’s love.
She wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Sean stood there in the rain, completely still. He looked like a statue, cold and unmoving.
“Sean…” Charlotte murmured, and suddenly woke with a start.
The pain in her chest lingered, raw and real.
Sunlight filtered through the crack in the curtains. A new day had begun.
$25 BONUS
Three days after James’s suicide, Charlotte finally saw Sean.
It was a stormy night
Lightning lit up the sky. Thunder crashed. The wind howled, and rain came pouring down in sheets.
Outside, tree shadows twisted and swayed, clawing at the windows like ghostly monsters.
Charlotte slipped out of bed and walked to the window in her slippers, planning to close the curtains.
But just then, she saw someone standing outside in the rain.
She recognized the figure instantly.
It was Sean.
The scene looked exactly like the one from her dream.
Her hand paused in mid–air.
She stood there for a moment, quietly watching the man in the storm.
At last, she let out a soft sigh, turned around, opened the door to her hospital room, and made her way dow.airs.