Too Late to Love Me

My soul followed Winnie to a private clinic.

Soon, my fiancé, Ian Zander, rushed in.

He went straight to Winnie and grabbed her hand. He anxiously examined the scorpion sting on her palm. He was full of worry.

"What happened? What did the doctor say?" he asked.

Winnie choked up but forced a smile. She replied, "Don't be like this, Ian. It wasn't Winona's fault. She only wanted to surprise me. She must have grabbed the wrong gift. You know she's a medical researcher and keeps many small animals for experiments…"

She pretended to be understanding, and Ian looked angrier.

He looked up and asked angrily, "Where is Winona? Where is she hiding now? Don't be scared, Winnie, I'll make this right for you!"

'You don't have to look for me, Ian. I'm right next to you. You can't make this right for her because I'm dead. Of course, you can choose to discard my body and refuse to buy a grave to punish me,' I thought.

Ian called me after leaving the clinic. No one answered, so he left a voice message.

"Winona, how could you be so cruel? You deliberately put a scorpion in a gift box to hurt your sister? I always thought you were kind. I can't believe you would do something like this out of jealousy!" he said angrily.

"I was on my way to give you a family heirloom necklace as a gift for your award, but now, you don't deserve that. Consider this your punishment. You'd better pray that Winnie is fine… Otherwise, the engagement is over!" he added.

I listened to his accusations with indifference because I was too exhausted.

I knew he would side with Winnie.

When we first met, he learned how I was neglected at home and swore to make it up to me with his love.

He gave me beautiful jewelry, accompanied me to classes, and would drive me to work and from work.

Somewhere along the way, things changed. He kept defending Winnie and reminded me that she was eight years younger than me. He said that my younger sister was someone I should care for and forgive.

I suspected he had feelings for her. When I questioned him, he only said, "You think too much. Winnie is like a sister to me."

His indifference made me feel like a hysterical fool.

However, I loved him too much.

I believed he was a gift from heaven, someone who would belong only to me.

How wrong I was.

My parents favored Xavier and Winnie because they were more outstanding, but I wondered why Ian loved her. I no longer have the answers.

Whether I fell or bled, I would no longer feel any pain. I was dead. A soul could no longer sense the wounds of the flesh.

My parents and my brother finally returned home, and they were worn out.

I hovered in the corner of the living room. I heard my mom sigh.

She said, "It's a shame that Ian's family isn't compatible with Winnie. Otherwise, they'd be the perfect match. You saw how attentive he was at the clinic."

My heart clenched.

My dad added, "Yeah, Ian is competent, and I think Winnie likes him too. It would be perfect if they were together."

My mom shook her head and disagreed, "No, Ian is perfect for Winona because of his family. He can also take care of Winnie if he marries Winona."

Her tone was casual, but it struck me like a knife in my chest.

Suddenly, my dad frowned and said, "There's a strange smell in the house. It smells like blood."

Xavier followed my dad towards the basement.

"What is that?" my mom asked. She also followed them.

Xavier pushed the door open.

A heavy stench of blood rushed out. A body with eyes half-open lay silently in a pool of blood under the dim light.

Xavier froze.

His voice was trembling as he asked, "Winona?"