Chapter 7
Samantha’s body swayed unsteadily.
With Isaac’s support, she made her way to the morgue.
Before signing the authorization form, she insisted on one last look at my body.
The staff had complex expressions, as if silently thinking, “Late love is worth nothing.”
When the white sheet was pulled back, the sight of my decaying body overwhelmed everyone. The stench of decay made the staff
cover their mouths and noses, making them hesitant to approach.
Even Isaac recoiled in horror, stepping back a few paces.
But Samantha, it seemed, was oblivious to it all. Of course, her allergic rhinitis flared up, so she couldn’t smell anything.
My body had been handled by the mortician, but the stitching was far from perfect.
Samantha stared at me blankly with an expression I had never seen in my lifetime. Perhaps it was frustration, regret, guilt, or
even sorrow, but it certainly wasn’t love.
Slowly, she leaned over and reached out her trembling hands to touch my corpse.
“Do you know? It all came back to me last night. Everything. I was so weak. After all that happened, I couldn’t accept it. I could
only blame all the hurt on you.
“It felt easier to imagine you as the sinner. It seemed like it would make me feel better. If I just took my revenge on you,
everything would be over.”
She raised tear–filled eyes and slowly turned to face the empty space where I was floating.
Her trembling finger pointed toward the air as though she could see and touch me.
“I was so unreasonable and so cruel to you. Why didn’t you ever try to defend yourself?”
When her finger touched my face, I recoiled, just as she had countless times when she had rejected my touch.
How laughable. I felt disgusted by her after death.
A strange surge of energy seemed to stir. Samantha seemed to sense something. She collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably.
“On that stormy night on the cruise, you came to save me, but I blamed you for everything! I made you out to be the villain, someone unforgivable! I fabricated a memory and allowed myself to sink into it. I was wrong, terribly wrong!”
Large tears fell, splashing as she continued, “Actually, I had told myself that when you’re released from prison, I’m going to pick you up and face everything. I’ll make amends for the past.
“But for some reason, when I stepped onto that cruise overseas, all those shameful memories came flooding back. I couldn’t take
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it, so I convinced myself again. I’ve branded you as a sinner.
