Chapter 7

James accepted Colette's gift with a dubious look on his face. "You can save the congratulations message for the engagement party." Too bad she would not make it to his engagement party. Head hung low, she neither explained nor retorted. She left after handing James the gift and sat in a corner. James did not pay her much attention. He continued parading Sophie through the crowds with a soft smile, patiently introducing to her all the guests who came forth to congratulate them. Soon after, the couple disappeared into the crowds after greeting all the guests. Colette stayed around alone for a while before leaving the hall. As expected, Colette still could not adjust to social events. She had hated crowded events from a young age. James would often leave events halfway with her, and that habit still stuck, except that he left with Sophie instead of Colette. The event hall opened up to a huge space outside. Colette recalled there was a greenhouse nearby, and she made her way there. Before she could step inside, she saw two figures in the greenhouse—James and Sophie. "James, I want a greenhouse of my own after we're married. Is that okay?" Sophie cooed. James replied dotingly, "If you want it, you don't have to wait until we're married. I can make that happen now." "Is that for real?" Her eyes sparkled with surprise. Blushing, she planted a kiss on his cheek. He turned his face away last minute, and her kiss landed right on his lips. Her blush deepened after his unexpected action. As she frantically tried to pull away, he pulled her closer and kissed her deeper. Colette watched the scene unfold before her eyes, but she felt peace instead of heartbroken, perhaps because she was essentially a dead person, or maybe because she had decided to give them her blessing. She quietly walked away from the greenhouse to avoid disturbing the couple. Then, she wandered aimlessly until she reached the pool, where she stared at the clear water and spaced out. After what felt like forever, she heard a familiar voice speaking to her. "That must have hurt." Colette turned around and saw Sophie standing beside her. She was a little confused by Sophie's random remark. "James told me about your feelings for him. To be fair, it was only normal that a teen like you would fall for a perfect man like James." Even though Sophie expressed her understanding, the hatred in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. "But it doesn't feel normal. No normal girl would fall for her uncle." Colette was shocked and embarrassed to learn that James had revealed her budding feelings for him to Sophie. It was one thing for James to turn down her affection. It didn't matter since she was dead anyway, and she'd decided to give the couple her blessings. But why did he have to humiliate her? Colette perched by the poolside in silence, but Sophie wasn't about to stop. She continued, "James does not like you, and I'm not bothered to act like I do. I will marry into the Zeller family soon, and I would hate to share a kid with him. I can pay you to move out. You're an adult; it's about time you live independently." All the color drained from Colette's face. After a prolonged silence, she finally rasped out, "Don't worry. I'll be gone in three days." She gave in, but her action only fueled Sophie's hostility. Sophie demanded. "Why is it three days? Why can't you leave right now?" Colette struggled to explain to Sophie that she would leave not just the Zeller family but the world in three days.