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 for

you." Nothing changed; she did not move at all. She was like a

"Who is it?"

a sound came from behind me. I thought I was hallucinating,

in confusion. She felt like a kind person. I figured she was someone easy to get along

pearls. With that, I assumed she was not any ordinary person; perhaps

Shirley had

not a registered couple. They did not have a wedding either. Without credentials,

be tryin's friend, right? Shirley never mentioned you before." The woman's eyes were clear. Her presence and the way she carried herself indicated that she was a capable woman.

"Im Janet, Shirley's mother."

She lifted her arm and tried to pull her up, but because she

and reached out to help. It took me a lot of effort to

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

and warmth in the presence of her mother.

didn't want to disturb