The Grave Nobody Visited

Chapter 4

When I found Gracie, my footsteps came to a halt.

Her tombstone was overgrown with weeds, covered in a thick layer of dust, and even her photograph had turned yellowish from rain exposure.

I squatted down and wiped away the dust bit by bit. On the cold stone surface, her smiling little face was revealed.

"Oh, miss, how are you related to this child?" A woman dressed in a cleaning uniform walked over carrying a bucket. "It's about time someone came to visit this little girl. I've worked here for five years, and this is the first time I've seen anyone come."

My hand froze. "Five years... no one has ever been here?"

"That's right," the cleaner put down her bucket and sighed. "With the tombstone dirty like this, anyone can tell no one's taking care of it. Sometimes I can't bear to watch, so I wipe it a few times when I pass by. But I have a lot of work to do and can't keep up with it all."

She leaned closer to look at the photo on the stone, her tone softening. "Such a young child, so pitiful. Has her family abandoned her?"

I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out.

During the days right after Gracie passed away, I had nightmares night after night.

The doctor said I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and repeatedly instructed me not to go near anything related to Gracie in the short term, especially the cemetery.

At that time, Leander had held my hand, his eyes red as he promised me, 'Margaux, I will visit Gracie often and talk to her for you. I won't let her be lonely by herself.'

Yet he had never come even once.

I suddenly understood that for these five years, I was the only one trapped on the day Gracie left.

Everyone else had already moved far ahead, including the person I had once believed would guard Gracie's memory alongside me.

I thanked the cleaner, pulled out a few hundred dollars from my purse, and stuffed it into her hand. She couldn't refuse it and accepted it with red eyes.

I sat back down in front of Gracie's tombstone, pressing my face against the cold stone. "Gracie, Mommy came to see you. I'm sorry, Mommy is late."

I chattered on and spoke a lot of words to her. I talked about the candied hawthorn shop she loved most near her kindergarten entrance, and about the succulent plant she kept at home that was still alive.

The sky gradually darkened. I wiped my face and stood up. "Gracie, wait a moment for Mommy. I'll go buy you a bouquet of flowers."

When I returned holding a bouquet of white daisies, two people were standing in front of Gracie's tombstone.

Vanessa was kneeling on the ground, banging her forehead against the hard concrete again and again with thudding sounds. "I'm sorry, Gracie, I'm sorry... It's all my fault. I'm bowing to you, please forgive me, alright..."

Leander stood behind her, his brows tightly furrowed. "Vanessa! What are you doing!" He stepped forward to pull her. "Stop this!"

Vanessa refused to get up, a patch of skin on her forehead already broken and bleeding.

Blood trickled down her face, dripping onto Gracie's tombstone.

"No, I'm going to keep bowing until Gracie forgives me," as she spoke, she banged her head down heavily once more. This time, her whole body swayed, and her face was covered in blood.

Leander finally panicked. He yanked her up from the ground and pressed her tightly into his arms. "Stop bowing, I beg you, stop bowing! Gracie is in heaven, and she will see that you are repenting!"

Vanessa raised her face. "Really? Will Gracie forgive me?"

"She will," Leander cupped her face, wiping the blood from her forehead bit by bit with his sleeve. "She will forgive you."

The flowers in my arms dropped silently onto the ground.

At that moment, the final spark of hope in my heart completely died out. I no longer hated, nor did I feel aggrieved, and I couldn't even shed a single tear.

I turned around and walked toward the cemetery management office. From now on, whatever melodrama they chose to perform had nothing to do with me anymore.

The light in the management office was still on, and the staff member was preparing to leave work.

I stated my purpose, handed my documentation through the window, and signed my name on a relocation form.

The procedures were completed quickly. Before long, a small box was handed to me.

The box was so light it had almost no weight, yet my arms felt so heavy I could barely lift them.

"Gracie, Mommy is taking you home."

The wind blew from the far side of the cemetery. I pulled my coat tighter and held the box closer to my chest.

The small box in my arms was gradually warmed by my body temperature, feeling as if Gracie had returned inside me once again.

When I reached home, I didn't turn on the lights. In the dark, I pulled out my suitcase and packed my belongings item by item, as if picking up my past self piece by piece.

Once packed, I placed the signed divorce agreement on the table, held Gracie's ash box, carried my few belongings on my back, and pushed open the front door.

Outside, the night had turned pitch black. I walked forward step by step, never turning back.