Chapter 4

All I needed to do was jump down from here. The police would find my body tomorrow.

The only pity would be that my body would be mangled.

But that was still better than me having to suffer through life.

Still, the undertaker panicked after hearing what I said, and his voice quivered even more, “Maria, old people say that if you’re not given a proper burial, you won’t be able to rest in peace, remember? Do you really want to suffer even after death?”

Being unable to rest in peace was not as scary as living, honestly.

“Are you listening?”

I snapped out of my thoughts and sat on the parapet. Cheekily, I decided to scare him a little. “You’re delaying my plans to die.”

The undertaker was silent for a moment.

Then, I heard him running even more hurriedly before I heard a loud shout.

“I never owe anyone anything! Since I took your money, I’m going to be responsible for giving you a proper burial! I don’t want to owe a ghost a favor!”

Just as I was wondering why he sounded like he was so close by, I turned around and saw a man in an ironed white shirt standing at the door to the roof. His hair was a mess, and his face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

He had his hands placed on his hips as he stared at me. Then, he reached out to me.

“Please, come back. No matter what you want to do, I’ll do it with you.”

I sat on the parapet quietly.

His voice was still coming through my phone, as if it served as a reminder to me that there was still someone in the world who cared about me.

“Maria, you’re not as horrible as you think you are.” I thought, and for some reason I could not quite understand myself, I reached out.

In the next second, the undertaker grabbed me and pulled me down. Both of us fell on the roof.

My head rammed against his chest, and I heard him grunt.

Feeling apologetic, I wanted to say something, but he laughed.

“Thank goodness…”

He arrived on time.

Both of us lay on the roof while exhausted.

Liam Xavier, the undertaker, brushed against the blood on my wrists, and he stilled.

But he was not disgusted by it. He just helped me bandage it.

“I’ll bring you to the hospital.”

I told him there was no need for that. I had no more money left.

My family had already frozen my bank account, and I spent the rest of my money to hire him.

Liam patted my head and said gently, “You don’t need to spend a single cent.”

He was worried that I was still suicidal, so while on our way down, he held my hand tightly.

I asked, “Does this mean you’ll collect my body?”

Liam froze but did not turn his head around.

Still, I heard him say, “I will, but I won’t collect the body of a living person, so please… do your best to live on.”

In the end, I still went to the hospital with Liam.

There was no other reason for it, really. It was simply because he was the only one who reached out to me when everyone else wanted me dead.

He did not want me to die.

I was actually quite a subtle person. I would remember all those who treated me kindly forever.

And since Liam was so kind, I did not quite want to die anymore.

When we arrived at the hospital, it was much quieter and not as crowded as it usually was during the day.

Liam asked me to sit down and wait for him, so I did.

After some time, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Maria?”

At some point in time, Aaron had shown up behind me. He walked over with a stern face and in his long, white coat.

“It really is you. Did you delete the group chat? Do you have any idea how worried Lydia is? She heard about what you were planning to do and won’t even celebrate her birthday anymore. She just wants to find you.

“But to think you were hiding here… Is it because you think threatening suicide doesn’t work anymore?

“Or are you trying to cause trouble during your own sister’s birthday so that we will give you our attention?”