Both siblings exchanged glances, wondering if one of them was expecting another visitor tonight, but from their expression, it was clear they didn't. For a moment, Renee could feel her heart race at the thought of Caden coming over after she already sent him a break up text, but when her brother answered the door, she was somewhat relieved to see it was someone else.
"Uncle James." Renee could hear her brother greet the middle-aged man who wore an ivy cap. He stood at the entrance of the door, holding a box of chocolate and other gifts in his hands. He responded to Cyrus's greetings with a warm smile, but didn't step into the house when he was invited in.
"No child, sadly I won't be staying for long today. I wanted you and your sister to have this, as I couldn't be there for the funeral. Accept my condolences, and if you two ever need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door." He said earnestly, handing the boxes to Cyrus who looked grateful.
Renee smiled subconsciously as she watched them interact, and she also headed to the door to say hello. When they were little, her parents would leave them both under the watchful care of uncle James, and he was a father-figure to the both of them.
"Thank you so much." Renee showed her gratitude with a slight bow. Her brother always wondered where she learned to greet like that, but surely, she had passed it down to him, because he was also bowing respectfully to uncle James.
"Thank you."
After the quick exchange of pleasantries, he finally left, and Cyrus placed the boxes on the dinner table. They had received so many gifts today that he grew tired of collecting them. They had been a good source of distraction, especially for the little dummy he had as a sister, but now, all he wanted to do was get some rest and start tomorrow with a new energy.
He was sure his parents would want the same thing, and even if he had to pick up his life from where he left without them in it, their memories together will forever remain etched to his heart.
"I'm going to bed." He said to his sister who nodded. "don't stay up late for too long, and don't call that bastard either. I'll see you in the morning." Wishing his sister a goodnight, he went up the stairs to get some sleep.
Renee gazed mindlessly at the boxes on the table for a while, but she made no attempts to touch any of it. She sat at the table, and unlike earlier, her heart felt light. Perhaps speaking with that stranger had helped her too? She couldn't really tell, but it no longer mattered as she doubts they'll be running into one another again.
"Bzzzzzt!! Bzzzzzt!!" The vibration of her phone on the table snapped Renee's thoughts to the present, and she frowned when the caller's name displayed the name of the last person she wanted to talk to. She sent him a text and he finally calls her after how many months of ignorance?
"What do you want?" Renee didn't wait for him to speak before dropping the question at him. She was too infuriated to give him that chance. "The reason you called is probably to confirm if I meant my text or not. As much as I'd prefer we do this in person, you've made it absolutely clear that my presence does not matter to you in any way, so I've given you what you want. Happy?"
"Happy? When did I ask for this??" The male voice on the other end sounded very displeased, "Renee, this relationship isn't over until I say it's over. What has gotten into you?? Requesting for a breakup over a trivial matter that we can handle like proper adults? I assumed you were smart enough to understand!"
"My parent's funeral was today." Renee reminded him in case he'd forgotten, "I lost my parents, Caden, tragically. I still came to you despite that but what did you do? You shut me out like I no longer matter to you. I was hoping you'd at least make it to their funeral, I hoped you'd be considerate enough to be here, with me. Forget about coming over, you've never even called to ask if I was still alive or not. I stupidly did the chasing while you simply laid back and rubbed mud on the relationship I tried to sustain. The least you can do to spare me from the troubles is to tell me you don't want this to work anymore."
"This discussion on the phone is irrelevant," he said instead, rather than giving her the apology she wanted to hear.
"you and I are going to–"
"Sweetie, aren't you coming to bed?" A female voice resounded curiously from the background, stopping Caden in his attempt to respond, and Renee felt a pang of pain in her chest, but she smiled instead at the realization.
"Please hurry up and come to bed, it's late." The feminine voice added, and the background went eerily silent.
"Renee, listen, this isn't–"
"You wanted me to be smart enough to understand what is going on. I wasn't before, but now I am. Goodnight Caden." Renee ended the call and blocked his number without thinking twice about it.
Was she hurt? Yes, but she felt more like a fool now. It was so obvious that he had to be seeing someone else behind her back, and he probably used her parent's death to cheat on her while she grieved. Sadly enough she hadn't expected this behavior from him, and maybe that was why it hurts. He was the only friend who stood by her for a long time now, she really thought he was different, but clearly, the men in this world aren't to be trusted.
When they say they love you, it could mean a whole new different thing.
The men in this world aren't as faithful in love as those in her previous world. Though she hadn't been in a relationship even in her previous life, she had seen enough love bloom to testify to it, or maybe it was just her cursed fate making a grand appearance; to ensure she stays unhappy, cause what's the use of rebirth if she's going to have to experience the same tragedy all over again?
Is it possible to say that her existence was just allergic to peace?
....
In the heart of the suburbs, the pouring rain had reduced to a drizzle, and the man named James safely made it to his front porch. His eyelids were heavy, and he was tempted to fall asleep right there on the carpeted floor, which he mistook for stress.
With a tired sigh, he reached for his key and tried to insert it into the door lock, but his hand froze mid-way when an unexpected surge of pressure hit him in the brain, and a sharp pain shot through his head.
"Ah!! Ssss…!!"
He winced. Turning the door knob and stepping into his house, he froze when a sudden torrent of blood gushed from his nostrils, staining his shirt and the floor beneath him.
Startled, he stumbled back, gripping the door frame for support. The metallic tang of blood filled the air, and with one hand covering his nose, he tried to use his other trembling hand to reach into his pocket, knowing he had a tissue in there.
Panic struck when the blood refused to cease, sending him to his knees. The blood soaked his carpet, his whole body quivering as his heart rate began to slow down. Craning his neck up till he was gazing at the ceiling, his eyeballs went completely white, the life they once bore completely gone from it.