To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 59
“Emily, how are you feeling?” Her mother showed a worried face and spoke to Emily, who had just woken up.
“Mother… I…” Emily, her consciousness still hazy, realized she was in her room.
“Ah… for now, rest without thinking about anything…”
“……” Emily heard her mother’s voice and fell asleep again.
“…”
“Mmm…”
“Emily… how long are you going to sleep?”
“Mmm… Alec…?” Rubbing her eyes, Emily saw Alec smiling in front of her.
“You're still a late sleeper as always.”
“Alec~!” Emily hugged Alec, who was always smiling, and Alec hugged her back.
“What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”
“A dream… yes… I had a dream that you left me.”
“I left you?”
“I had a dream that you became cold to me after my sister passed away… Because of Paul too… Ah!” Emily said her fiancé Paul's name aloud and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Ah, that matter with him is resolved, isn't it? There's no need to panic.”
“Eh!?… I-is that so?… That's right…” Emily was relieved that Alec wasn't showing an angry face.
“There's something I haven't told you… There's someone waiting to see you, Emily.”
“Eh? Me!?”
“Let's go meet them.”
“O-okay…”
Seeing Alec smiling and offering his hand, Emily was happy that he had returned to his usual gentle self.
Leaving the room, Emily, as always, took Alec's arm and walked close to him down the familiar hallway.
As Alec and Emily walked down the hallway, Emily saw a maid sweeping the floor. She tilted her head.
(That maid… somewhere…)
The dust from the sweeping flew towards Emily, and she cried out in surprise.
“W-wait, what are you doing!? I'm walking here! The dust is getting in my eyes!”
“Hehe… My apologies.”
Emily's face turned bright red at the maid's chuckle, and she complained to Alec.
“Alec, that maid is terrible. She's throwing dust at me.”
“Be careful.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Eh? That's it? She threw dust at me!”
“Haa~…”
“Eh… Alec?”
“It's tiring to repeat the same things… The maid is cleaning. I don't want you to make a fuss over trivial things.”
“……”Emily recognized the sigh that Alec let out… it was the sigh he used to give to her sister, Sophia.
“Alec…”
“Sophia wouldn't have done something like that…”
“ Wha…!”
“Emily, there are many people who say they want to meet you. Please listen to what they have to say.”
“Eh…” Looking at Alec opening a door, Emily was surprised at what she saw inside the room.
“Hey, it's been a while.”
“A… why… is this…” Emily's face turned pale as she saw the three men she had been dating as friends sitting on the sofa.
“What are you so surprised about? Did you think we wouldn't come?”
“That's…”
“That's terrible~, Emily was hiding from me that she was meeting other men~.”
“N-no…”
“Well, it's a good thing I didn't get involved with you. It would have become a problem.”
“That’s right… When it was my turn, I was only pressured into a kiss, but… what about you?”
“Nothing happened to me, but her shopping was terrible~. When I told her I didn't have money, Emily stopped meeting me.”
“Ah…”
“That's terrible…”
“That's awful…”
Emily's face turned pale and she trembled under the three men's glares.
“A…ah…”
“We came to get back the money we gave you.”
“That's… money…”
“You have a fiancé, don't you? We'll have him pay it.”
“W-we broke up…”
“Then, we'll have your parents pay it.”
“I think your father was a school teacher. Since he knows us, he might pay us.”
“I-it's impossible… He's going to pay for the wedding expenses…”
“Then, let's have your sister's husband pay.”
“Eh!?” Emily looked at Alec, thinking he would help her.
“Haa… It's an embarrassing story, but I was also betrayed.”
“Eh!? A-Alec…”
“What? You too!?”
“What a terrible person.”
“To take her sister's husband, she really was a terrible person.”
“A…ah…”
“I’m talking to many people like my father.”
“!?” Hearing a child's voice, Emily turned around and saw a girl about five years old standing there.
“Eh…” Emily touched her stomach and looked in surprise, thinking, "Could it be…?"
“Ah… that’s right…” Alec stood close to the girl, holding her in his arms. Seeing this, Emily smiled, realizing it was her child.
“Your surroundings are lively, but it’s not something to show a child.”
“Ah! Mother!”
“Eh… Mother?” Emily was surprised to see Sophia beside Alec and the child.
“S-sister…” Suddenly, the surroundings of the room and the three men disappeared, and even Alec beside her vanished. In the dark space, Sophia stood before her, holding a child.
“I'm taking this child with me…”
“ Sister, that child is mine! Give her back!”
“……” Sophia didn't say anything to Emily and started walking, still holding the child.
“Sister… wait!… I’ll apologize… I’ll apologize as many times as it takes, so please don’t take her… I… without her…”
“You used not only me, your sister, but even this child… You told me, didn't you? To take care of this child…”
Emily's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her child sleeping in Sophia's arms.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Sister, please don’t take her…”
Emily knelt down, lowered her head, and continued to apologize to Sophia with tears streaming down her face, but her wish was not granted.
“……” Emily woke up, her face wet with tears, repeatedly saying aloud…
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Sister… I’m sorry…”