Chapter 7 He Married Sophie

The sudden change in my mother-in-law's behavior surprised me, though it made sense in a way. I mean, even if one raised a dog, one would eventually grow attached, right? But why was she grieving only now that I was gone? Why couldn't she have treated me better while I was still alive?

"I'll go ahead and pack up Isabella's things. She doesn't need them where she's gone," she suggested.

"I've already packed everything," Henry replied weakly from the couch.

Maybe she didn't hear him, or maybe she just wanted to check everything herself. She ignored him and continued toward the room.

"Henry, come here! Quickly!" she suddenly called out, her voice sharp and urgent.

I floated toward her voice.

Ah, she had opened the door to the nursery. She must have seen the surprise I had left for Henry. What was once meant to be a gesture of love now felt hollow.

There was a scarf I had painstakingly knitted for Henry. Last autumn, his social media was flooded with posts about "the season's firs