Today was the day I went to say goodbye to the small school where I had been teaching.

Although I had only started a year ago, saying goodbye to those dear little ones was no easy task.

If it weren’t for Carlos, I would never have considered teaching children in the first place. Due to my injured leg, I could barely walk a few steps without crutches and had always stayed close to home.

However, Carlos built me a walking aid that enabled me not only to move again, but also to regain my confidence. Thanks to him, I could finally pursue a dream that had once seemed unattainable.

Yet now, I had to say goodbye to that dream as well.

I had planned to take things slowly and savor my last days there one by one. I was still afraid and uncertain of what lay ahead, but Carlos was by my side.

Some might call me selfish.

Nevertheless, knowing that he would stay with me until my last breath gave me the courage I needed.

Courage to face my end.

Initially, even my father had doubted Carlos, wondering why a man would propose to someone with a disabled leg like me.

But after witnessing the tender way in which Carlos cared for me, my father’s heart began to soften. Nowadays, the two of them even went fishing together, laughing as if they had always been friends.

A smile crept across my lips as I made my way home.

I needed to hurry back and make his favorite dish, potato soup.

Perhaps I should sneak in some of the bacon I’d secretly bought.

My father liked potato soup too, and he would surely enjoy it.

With these thoughts in mind, I followed the quiet road towards our small cottage on the outskirts of town.

But just as I was about to reach it, I found myself stopping, not knowing why.

Something felt wrong.

At first, the cabin looked no different to the one we lived in every day. But despite it being night-time, not a single light was on inside.

A faint, sharp, metallic scent drifted through the air. It was just like when Father used to bring home a deer he had hunted.

Pushing down the strange unease welling in my chest, I stepped through the slightly open door.

“Carl? Father?”

The silence was unnatural.

As soon as I entered, I was hit by the smell, it was so thick and nauseating that I had to cover my nose. The interior was dim, with no lit lamps, so it was difficult to see clearly.

Then—squelch.

A wet, sticky sound echoed under my shoe.

Why was the floor wet?

A chill ran down my spine. I slowly lowered my gaze and saw a dark, crimson puddle spreading beneath me. Only then did I realize what that sickening smell really was.

My eyes followed the blackened trail across the floor until they rested on something lying motionless at its end.

“Ah…”

My hands and feet were trembling so violently that I couldn’t scream. My legs gave way, and I collapsed, frozen in horror, where I stood.

Whatever lay there didn’t move.

There was no sign of breath; no hint of life at all.

As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I finally recognized the shape sprawled on the floor.

It was my father.

“Father!”

My body refused to obey me, but I dragged myself forward on my hands and knees.

“Father! Father!!!’

No matter how tightly I held him and shook his body, there was no warmth left in my father.

My trembling hand reached for his nose, hoping and praying to feel even the faintest breath.

“Ah…!”

A strangled sound escaped my throat. I was too devastated to cry out.

It couldn’t be.

It couldn’t be.

Why, Father?

Who would do this to him?

Holding his cold body in my arms, I shook uncontrollably as I looked around in despair.

“Please… someone, anyone… help us…”

Then, suddenly, I thought of Carlos.

The thought of him flashed through my mind.

If Father had been attacked, there was no guarantee that Carlos was safe either.

“Carlos!”

Smearing Father’s blood across the floor, I crawled through the house like someone possessed.

“Carlos! Where are you?! Carlos!”

But there was no answer.

The man who would normally come running the moment I fell over was nowhere to be found.

My mind went blank, and I could only crawl and cry out his name like a wounded animal.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

Before I could think straight, I found myself staggering down the road towards the village, still dressed in blood-soaked clothes.

Maybe Carlos had escaped, maybe he had run to the village to get help.

The short distance felt endless. I fell repeatedly, scraping my knees and rolling in the dirt until I must have looked utterly pitiful.

Limping, I made my way to the nearest neighbor’s house and began pounding on the door.

Melda’s eyes widened in horror when she saw me covered in blood from head to toe.

“Sarah! What on earth…!”

She was a neighbor who had often shared meals and conversation with us, but now she hesitated to come closer.

I could see fear and suspicion flickering in her gaze like shadows.

But I didn’t have time to worry about that.

“Please… help me. My father…”

My knees buckled, and I sank to the ground, tears streaming down my face.

Only then did Melda cautiously approach, her voice trembling.

“Did something happen to Mr Lamont?”

Of course I already knew.

I had seen it with my own eyes: the stillness of my father’s chest, the warmth leaving his body.

“Hh… hhhk…”

I buried my face in my bloodstained palms and cried endlessly.

Melda ran to tell her husband and returned moments later, draping a blanket over my shoulders.

“The villagers will come soon. Try to calm yourself, dear.”

She offered me a cup of tea, but my trembling hands couldn’t hold it steady.

All I could do was summon the strength to ask the only question that mattered.

“Have you… have you seen Carl? Did he come down to the village?”

I didn’t care if he had fled and left us behind.

As long as he was alive, that would be enough.

But Melda’s answer was beyond anything I could have imagined.

“Carl? Who’s that?”

For a moment, my mind went blank.

“M-my husband, Carlos. Hasn’t he come here?”

I thought she must be confused and still in shock from seeing me like this.

But then she spoke again, and her words hit me like a blow to the head.

“Sarah, what are you talking about? You’ve never been married!”

“What?”

I thought I’d misheard her. Of all people, Melda had helped me the most with the wedding after Mother passed away. There was no way she could have forgotten Carlos or the ceremony.

My lips trembled as I struggled to speak.

“Why are you saying that? You were the one who helped me the most with the wedding, Aunt Melda.”

But Melda only sighed, her face clouded with confusion.

“Sarah, I truly don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Did Carlos ask you to keep it a secret? It’s all right, you can tell me. I just need to know he’s alive. That’s all that matters.”

Melda stared at me as if I’d gone mad, her expression flickering from fear to pity. She gently took my blood-caked hands in hers, her eyes welling up with tears.

“You’ve been through something terrible. It must have broken your mind, poor child…”

Just then, her husband, Jack, appeared, ready to leave with the villagers.

I rushed towards him and grabbed his sleeve.

“Sir! You know my husband, don’t you? Carlos helped you with the harvest last year!”

He frowned.

“What are you saying? Everyone in this village knows you’ve only ever lived with your father.”

My heart dropped. Neither Melda’s confusion nor Jack’s denial made sense.

“Why are you all saying this? You greeted him just a few days ago, smiling and laughing. Don’t you remember?”

I clung to his coat, looking pale and desperate, but Jack pried my hands away and patted my shoulder.

“Whatever happened up at your cabin, we’ll find out soon enough. Stay here and rest.”

He stepped outside, leaving me to collapse weakly onto the floor. Melda looked down at me with sorrowful eyes.

“What on earth made you start searching for a husband who doesn’t even exist? Oh, you poor thing…”

A husband who doesn’t exist?

But I could still feel him, the warmth of his hands that morning and the sound of his voice whispering my name.

No, they must be mistaken. Melda and Jack must have got confused in the chaos.

Tomorrow, he would come back. Carlos would return with that worried look on his face, asking what had happened and holding me tight to see if I was injured.

Yes, he would come back tomorrow.