That woman, still my wife in name, had just shamelessly flirted with another man.
My throat tightened, the sensation of fire building within me.
I began coughing again, this time violently, stars dancing in my vision.
"Silas, let’s move farther. It’s too noisy here," Amaris’s voice floated in from outside, laced with impatience and scorn.
Silas’s voice, lazy and dripping with disdain, followed, "Let him sleep. Sick people need their rest. It’ll be quieter for us outside."
Their footsteps faded and the room fell into silence once more.
Only my labored breathing served as a reminder that I was still clinging to life.
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open. Caelum had returned.
Caelum, my child with Amaris, at least, that’s what I had always believed.
But in my last life, the words I overheard in my final moments had cast a shadow of doubt.
"Dad, where’s Mom?"
Caelum pushed open the door, scanning the house, impatience clear in his voice.
"She had something to do and went out."
"Has Uncle Silas come yet? The school keeps asking for a parent and you’re an embarrassment looking like this. What am I supposed to do?"
Caelum tossed his school bag onto the table, frustration seeping from him.