My Pretty Sweetheart (Arianna)

In the end, we couldn't bring Irvin back.

The funeral was arranged three days later. Shirley locked herself at home and did not attend the funeral while we dealt with Irvin's post- death matters.

After that, I personally sent Daniel home.

The door was not completely shut. I pushed the door open and led the child in. The house was empty with no one in sight.

When the owner was gone, it was not home. It was just a house.

Dust layered the floor. With every step we took, it left a trail. It seemed that the servants had been dismissed for some time.

We found Shirley in the master bedroom. She was still in the wedding dress she had on the other day. Her eyes were blank, staring out the window, holding Irvin's favorite suit close to her body. "Mom..." Daniel's small eyebrows wrinkled together, and his eyes were filled with pain and surprise.

I let go of his hand, and he trotted over to her. He tried to nudge her arm with his little hand. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Shirley had no response at all. It was as if we weren't in the room with her.

was puzzled and looked at me

to you." Nothing changed; she did not move at all. She was like a statue that had completely fused with

"Who is it?"

I thought I

us in confusion. She felt like a kind person. I figured

was not any ordinary person; perhaps she was one

Shirley had Irvin's

Without credentials, the

were clear. Her presence and the way she carried herself indicated that she was a capable woman. She introduced

"Im Janet, Shirley's mother."

pull her up, but because she was feeble, she had a very hard time

help. It took me a lot of effort to move Shirley to the

you." Janet thanked me softly and focused on dressing her daughter's

was a mess, but probably felt a bit of tenderness and warmth in the presence of her

didn't want to