On the other end of the phone, there was prolonged silence.

During those silent seconds, many thoughts raced through my mind.

Would Jaylen come to rescue me?

My vision was blurring, and consciousness was slipping away.

My stomach hurt terribly, as if a knife was twisting inside.

“Rachel, I told you, I’m rehearsing with Allison. Don’t overthink it, okay? I’ll be back after we wrap up in a few days, then...”

I didn’t catch the rest of his words.

Amidst the spinning room, all I heard was his refusal.

Jaylen...

Why are you being so cruel…

As Jaylen’s staunchest support, I had virtually no social life.

Dealing with household chores every day, I slowly found myself running out of things to talk about with people.

So now, with him away filming and not coming home, no one even noticed my corpse.

Fortunately, it wasn’t summer, so it wasn’t decomposing.

Until Kathrine, my childhood best friend, came to my house, my body was properly dealt with on the third day after my death.

I watched her standing at the door, anxious and sweating. She banged on it and made frantic calls, unable to reach me.

Finally, she called the police.

The police broke in, and there lay my body in the living room.

She was so terrified that she cried immediately and called Jaylen.

I reached out, trying to wipe her tears, but my ghostly hand passed through her body, touching nothing.

“Kate, it’s no use contacting him. He won’t come...”

The call connected, and Kathrine tearfully informed Jaylen of my death.

There was silence on the line for a few seconds.

“I’m filming and really busy. Tell her to stop being so childish and quit these games, okay?”

Sensing his indifferent attitude, Kathrine was furious and yelled at him on the phone.

She scolded him for neglecting me.

She scolded him for not being there for me.

She scolded him for not fulfilling his duties as a husband.

Jaylen was stunned, then slightly puzzled.

“Did Rachel say something to you? Tell her not to be so petty. Not everyone’s a small-time star with nothing but time at home.”

Kathrine, usually sharp-tongued, was so upset by Jaylen’s shamelessness that she cried harder and hung up the phone.

My parents died early.

Every birthday, only Jaylen was sure to be there with me.

I remember once, he was late because of filming and nearly missed midnight.

When he entered, I was crying.

Seeing my red eyes, he was so distressed; he held me, kissed away my tears, and promised me.

No matter how busy he was, he would never miss any important occasion in my life.

He once said:

“Even if the whole world doesn’t show up, I will.”

But he broke his promise.

He didn’t come to my funeral.

He didn’t even want to see me one last time.

At my funeral, only Kathrine was there.

Usually fond of vibrant colors, she wore black for the first time.

Her usually cheerful face was now utterly desolate.

She was my only friend, and likewise, I was hers.

We were like two lonely souls redeeming each other.

But I left the world first, leaving Kate alone; what now?

She chose a gravesite for me, not far from my parents.

She said this way I could be reunited with them.

At the wake, she called Jaylen one last time.

“Are you coming back or not? If you don’t come now, you’ll never see Rachel again!”

Jaylen was driving.

Hearing Kathrine’s urging, he clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Alright, alright, tell her to cut it out. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

After hanging up, he turned on the navigation.

Then, Allison, sitting in the passenger seat, grabbed his hand.

“Jaylen, my stomach’s hurting; probably because I skipped breakfast and my stomach issue is acting up again. Can you drop me off at the hospital first?”

Kathrine was devastated, and she was speaking so loudly that Allison, who was sitting close by, could hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

Allison was deliberately stirring up trouble, wanting to make it clear that a man as outstanding as Jay wouldn’t end up with someone like me.

Jaylen’s hand was held by her.

Whatever he thought in his mind, he eventually agreed to Allison’s request.

“Okay, I’ll take you to the hospital first. She’s probably just throwing a little tantrum, nothing serious. Your health is more important.”

Little did he know this detour would take a long time.

After the hospital visit, Allison asked Jaylen to take her home to rest.

Jaylen’s phone was left untouched on the side.

The route to Allison’s home was all too familiar; he didn’t need any navigation for that.