Restarting Life: Back From the Dead novel Chapter 19

Only a handful of months had slipped by, yet Richard and Marissa seemed to have withered far beyond their years. Their eyes were perpetually clouded with a deep sadness, shadows of exhaustion etched into every glance. The weight of grief had settled heavily upon them, transforming their once vibrant spirits into fragile shells.

Even when Sebastian came to visit, they showed no warmth or enthusiasm. Their greetings were mere nods, distant and mechanical, before their attention drifted back to the framed portrait of Fiona and Felicia resting on the mantle. The room felt heavy with unspoken sorrow, the silence between them thick and suffocating.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lane, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I can prepare something for you,” Sebastian offered quietly, his voice lacking its usual energy, almost robotic in tone.

Richard and Marissa responded with harsh coughs, blood flecking their lips as they waved him off weakly. “There’s no need. The house staff has already taken care of it,” Richard rasped, his voice brittle.

Marissa’s eyes, glassy with tears, reflected a painful truth. “Looking at how things are now, I don’t think we have much time left. Being ill—it’s a torment I never truly understood before. I always wondered how Felicia stayed so strong, pretending everything was fine… What a fool I was to think that.”

At the mention of Felicia’s name, their fragile composure shattered, and they began to sob quietly, the grief pouring out like a flood.

Sebastian lowered his gaze, the weight of their sorrow pressing on his chest. He remembered how Felicia had masked her pain in front of him, how she had smiled through the darkest days. The memory twisted painfully inside him, a bitter ache he couldn’t shake.

“Hmm,” he murmured, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “She was a fool, wasn’t she?”

After a long pause, he spoke again, his voice steady but heavy with emotion. “Mr. and Mrs. Lane, I promise I’ll give you the proper farewell you deserve. Once your funerals are done, I’ll leave this world too.”

They didn’t react with anger or despair. Instead, Richard and Marissa exchanged a soft, almost joyful chuckle, as if the prospect of death was a release they had been longing for since Felicia’s passing.

Though this was their silent wish, they knew deep down that Felicia had wanted them to keep living—to hold on. They had fought to survive, but fate had dealt them the same cruel hand. They had both been diagnosed with the same stomach cancer that had taken Felicia from them. Strange as it seemed, this shared suffering brought a twisted sense of closeness—they would finally understand the pain she had endured before her death.

Some guests approached Sebastian with concern. “Sebastian, are you really thinking of ending your own life?” one asked gently.

“Why would you do this? Once you’re gone, both families will vanish from this world,” another said, worry creasing their brow.

“You’re still young,” a third voice added. “They’ve passed on, but you have your whole life ahead. Why hold on so tightly to one person? If Felicia were here, she’d want you to live well, wouldn’t she?”

“Yes,” yet another insisted, “time heals all wounds. You used to like Fiona, then you slowly fell in love with Felicia. In time, you’ll find someone new. You’ll learn to let go.”

But Sebastian shook his head firmly, his voice cutting through their words like steel. “No. Never.” He looked each of them in the eye. “I liked Fiona, but I loved Felicia. There will never be anyone else for me in this life.”