She Died With My Name on Her Lips novel Chapter 21

Louisa didn’t say a word, her eyes full of pain, lost for how to begin.

In the end, it was Stephen who broke the silence.

“We made it back, both of us,” he said softly. “Everything from our past life—we’ve paid for it. Can’t we just let it go now? Leave it in the past and try again, start fresh?”

Before Louisa could answer, he pulled her into his arms, holding her like he’d just found something he’d thought was lost forever.

“Louisa, I can’t go through losing you again. I regret everything. I’m so sorry…”

He held her tight, as if he could fuse her into his bones, as if that would keep her from ever slipping away.

But Louisa just felt empty inside, so tired she could barely stand up straight.

She let Stephen hold her for a long time, but her arms stayed limp at her sides. She never hugged him back.

The silence between them grew heavy, and Stephen felt his heart sinking, dropping lower until it felt like it might never stop.

“Stephen,” Louisa said finally, her voice small and tired, “I’m so tired. Can we please just… stop being tangled up in each other’s lives?”

She looked up at him, her eyes pleading, and a single tear slid down her cheek—falling straight into Stephen’s heart, leaving a deep, aching bruise.

The other people in the room quietly slipped away, knowing this was something only Louisa and Stephen could work out. They were family, but this wasn’t anyone else’s battle to fight.

After everything that happened in their last life—after death itself—there was no resentment left. Everyone who’d made mistakes had paid for them.

But even with a second chance, could they really go back to how things used to be? The cracks were there, and no matter how close you forced two people together, could they really be happy like that?

They were all afraid—afraid that, even if there wasn’t a car accident this time, some other disaster would tear them apart. That kind of pain was something nobody wanted to feel again.

There was no more hate between them, but it was impossible to return to the way things once were.

Maybe letting go was the best thing for both families.

When the door closed behind everyone else, the room fell completely silent. All that was left was the sound of their breathing, barely filling the space.

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