My Heart Beats On Inside Him

It was then that the light in my former bedroom lit up.

It was Diana Chadwick, my family's former housekeeper. She had insisted on coming to clean my bedroom every week for years. She must have been exhausted from the wake during the day and accidentally fell asleep in my bedroom.

Diana yawned as she went to open the door.

I, on the other hand, looked at Kendrick in a panic. He had already stopped in his tracks, staring fixedly at the silhouette on the window. He then asked coldly, "Do you regret it, Jasmine?"

Diana's hand stopped mid-motion on the doorknob.

"I came today to tell you that I'm getting married," Kendrick said as he took out a photo from his pocket, and under the moonlight, one could see clearly that it was Yvonne.

"She was the one who stayed with me through every heart attack during these past five years. Her father even mortgaged his property to fund me when the Ziegler Group went after the Fisher family."

He lightly touched the photo and asked with a faint chuckle, "Do you think I should marry her, Jasmine?"

I suddenly recalled who Yvonne was. Kendrick had been poisoned by Daniel in the past, which had caused his heart condition. Mom had arranged for Yvonne to work as a secretary in the Fisher family, protecting Kendrick while covertly replacing the counterfeit medication supplied by Daniel.

"Why aren't you congratulating me, Jasmine?" Kendrick asked, his voice snapping me back to reality.

I was in a daze, thinking that since Mom had arranged for Yvonne to be there, she would at least remain faithful to him.

"Did you lose your tongue, Jasmine?" Kendrick suddenly took a large stride forward and tried to push the door open after not getting a reply for a long time.

He could have learned the truth once he opened the door. He, however, paused the instant his hand made contact with the door panel. He smiled wryly, his knuckles pressing hard enough against the doorframe to leave deep indents in the wood.

"I hated you with everything I had, Jasmine. I hated that you walked away, and I hated that you kept provoking me even though you knew perfectly well that a heart attack nearly killed me. It's all in the past now, though."

He hesitated slightly before saying softly, "It's completely over between us, after all."

He withdrew his hand and turned away, the hem of his coat brushing across the scattered white lilies on the floor. "I will live a good life, and I hope you will, too."

I felt something in my soul shattering in that instant as I cried uncontrollably. I had so much I wanted to say, but I could only bring myself to say a few sentences. "You'll live a good life, Kendrick. You're going to achieve great things and make it to the top."

Diana collapsed onto the floor inside the bedroom. She waited until the sound of Kendrick's car receded before crawling frantically over to my memorial photo, her hands trembling as she lit a candle for me.

"That man you've been waiting for four years finally came over, Ms. Lawson. He looks so healthy now. He's doing so well now, so your heart wasn't wasted on him."

She smiled as she wiped away her tears, unable to bring herself to repeat his words about it being completely over between us.

Kendrick invited all of our former classmates to the banquet the morning after the celebration party, specifically emphasizing that Daniel and I had to be there.

Those former classmates of mine had no idea that I was already dead, so they kept murmuring among themselves, anticipating the moment Kendrick would publicly tear down "that materialistic Jasmine" who used to look down on the poor.

I had no business being there, but I couldn't stop myself from drifting toward the place. I saw Kendrick holding hands with Yvonne, looking perfect together.

That sight mirrored the exact scene I had pictured in my dreams a thousand times—only someone else was playing the part.

Daniel, holding his glass of wine, sidled up to Kendrick's side like a lapdog. "Jasmine acts all proud and aloof on the surface, but she's actually just a whore, Mr. Fisher. She'll sleep with anyone as long as she gets paid.

"She was truly infatuated with me, though. She hauled cement at construction sites by day and worked lines at bars by night until she was throwing up blood just to pay off my gambling debts, Mr. Fisher!"