He Saw My Ghost All Along, And Grew Tired Of My Clinging Chapter 05

He Saw My Ghost All Along, And Grew Tired Of My Clinging Chapter 05

Sometime in the middle of the night, I found myself at the doghouse.

A small dog was lying inside.

Scout. Reid and I found him by the side of the road four years ago.

He was filthy. Reid hated the mess, but he let me carry him into the car anyway. He took him to the groomer himself and bought the best food he could find.

He’d looked at me and said, “If we’re taking him home, he’s family.”

Even after I died, Scout could still sense me.

Every time I drifted over, he’d curl up at my feet and press his nose against the air where my ankles

should be.

He was one of the only good things I had left.

Scout lifted his head, barked at nothing, and wagged his tail.

I crouched down and ran my hand over his head.

“At least you don’t think I’m a nuisance.”

The words came out as a whisper. I tried to smile. It didn’t take.

The next morning, Nadine was up early, pulling Reid out for a walk in the garden.

He stayed close, looking at her like she was made of glass.

I kept to my corner. The last thing I wanted was to give him another reason to look at me the way he

did.

A scream tore through the garden.

“Ah!”

My whole body seized. Reid’s face changed in an instant. He was already running.

Nadine was on the grass, white–faced, one shaking hand pointing at something ahead of her.

Scout had bounded over from somewhere, tail going wild, just trying to say

hello.

Nadine was terrified.

“Hey, hey, are you okay? Did it hurt you?”

Reid pulled her to her feet and ran his hands over her arms, checking everywhere.

She sagged against his chest, shaking. “Reid… there was a dog… I thought it was going to bite me…

Scout froze. His tail drooped. He let out a low whine, like he knew he’d done something wrong..

Reid’s face hardened. He looked at Scout, and his eyes went cold.

“Get rid of it. Now.”

He snapped at one of his guards. “Drive him out and take him somewhere. Away from the estate

Far. I don’t care where.”

Every part of me went cold. I threw myself toward him.

“Reid, no! You can’t be serious!”

I put myself between him and Scout, screaming. “He’s been with us for years! You can’t just throw

him away!”

Reid looked right through me and barked at the guards again.

“What are you waiting for? You want her to get scared again?”

Two guards moved in with a slip lead and looped it around Scout’s neck.

Scout knew. He started thrashing, yelping, the sound high and desperate.

“No! Please, Reid!”

I was sobbing. I clawed at Reid’s arm, but my hands went right through.

“At least find him a home! You can’t just dump him. He’ll die out there!”

Reid didn’t even turn around. He rubbed Nadine’s back, voice low. “It’s okay. I’m handling it. It’s already gone.”

I tried to stop them, but there was nothing to grab, nothing to hold. And for one second, one fraction of a second, I thought I saw something crack in Reid’s expression. Then it was gone.

I must have imagined it. There was nothing left in him for me but disgust.

They already had Scout pinned. The leash bit into his neck.

Scout whimpered, his paws tearing grooves into the grass. He looked at me. His eyes begged me to do something.

Reid didn’t look. He scooped Nadine into his arms.

“Let’s get you inside. You need to rest.”

“Reid! That’s Scout… You can’t just…”

I reached for him, but he was already through the door and up the stairs, with Nadine against his

chest.

He never turned around.

Outside, they’d already shoved Scout into the trunk. The door slammed shut.

“Let him go! Let him go!”

I threw myself at the guards, clawing, screaming. My hands went through them every time. I couldn’t do a single thing.

All I could do was watch them drag him into the car.

I stood there, tears streaming, and the world turned red.

I touched my face on instinct. My fingers came back smeared with crimson.

Not tears. My spirit was bleeding.

I looked down at myself. Most of my body had gone see–through.

The guards came back that evening.

One of them came up to Reid, voice low. “It’s done, Mr. Vaughn. We left him far enough out. He

won’t find his way back.”

Reid nodded. Not a flicker on his face.

“Got it.”

Whatever hope I’d been holding onto died right there.

The man standing in front of me was a stranger. I didn’t know him anymore.

I sniffed. There were no tears left, just dried streaks of crimson cracking across my face.

Nadine wandered over and draped herself around his neck. “I’m bored. Come watch something with

me.”

He took her hand, and just like that, his whole face warmed. “Sure. Pick up where we left off last night?”

Nadine grinned. “Yes.”

He swept her up into his arms and touched his nose to hers. “Let’s go. I’m all yours.”

I watched them disappear into the living room. Their laughter echoed down the hall.

I turned around and drifted upstairs. One step at a time.