Hearing this, Jamie finally exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

She focused on arranging Winnie's funeral, even though the weight of it was almost too much to bear.

The dead take the past and all the pain, mistakes, and regrets with them, leaving behind only memories worth keeping. But the more Jamie remembered, the more it hurt.

Ben had steadied her, calm and supportive. "If you need to cry, just cry. Your sister is gone, and everyone knows how much this hurts."

Jamie shook her head. She had cried enough. Now was the time to stay strong and see the funeral through, to send Winnie off properly.

The funeral lasted a long time, though few people attended. Winnie hadn't had many close connections in life.

"Where's Jack Green?" Jamie suddenly asked midway through.

He hadn't shown up.

Winnie had held onto her feelings for him until the very end. How could he not be here for her funeral?

Jamie's heart began to race with urgency. "Ben, can you contact him? If he comes now, there's still time-" "Jamie, don't worry-"

"How can I not worry?" Jamie cut him off, her anxiety mounting.

Ben was startled by her reaction but forced himself to respond calmly, albeit with a bitter edge. "He probably won't come."

He couldn't help but notice that something seemed off about Jamie's state of mind.

Jamie froze, staring blankly at the people continuing with the burial. For a moment, she didn't know whether to feel angry or heartbroken on Winnie's behalf. Even now, the man Winnie had loved wouldn't come to see her one last time.

Anger surged within her. "No, I have to replace him."

Ben caught her arm. "It's no use. We don't know what happened between them or what kind of relationship they truly had.

"Maybe it wasn't what we thought at all."

Jamie faltered, her expression dulling as if all the strength had drained from her body.

""You're right," she murmured.

She walked back to the grave, standing silently before it, her lonely figure heartbreakingly fragile.

Ben couldn't bear to watch. He stepped forward, gently taking her hand. "At least she called you in her final moments. That shows how much you meant to her. You being here to send her off would have made her happy."

Jamie leaned into him, her body shaking with suppressed sobs. "I don't have a sister anymore..."

When the funeral was over, Jamie returned home in a daze. Winnie was buried, but there were still her belongings to sort through. Jamie, however, couldn't summon the energy to deal with it.

Ben suggested she rest. Charlie was being looked after at the hospitalby Mrs. Lucas, and everything seemed stable for now. Jamie was the one who needed attention most urgently.

Thinking back to the earlier phone call, Jamie remembered Mrs. Lucas's steady tone and felt slightly reassured.

She locked herself in her home, refusing company except Ben.

Initially, she didn't want to see him either, but he stubbornly refused to leave.

When she shut the door, he held it open with his hand.

When she ignored him, he simply followed her.

Finally, Jamie snapped, "What do you want? I don't have the energy to talk about anything else right now."

"I know," Ben said quietly. "I'm not here to make you talk. I just want to be here for you.

"Pretend I'm just a piece of furniture. You don't have to acknowledge me."

With that, Jamie had no choice but to let him stay.

That night, she came down with a high fever. Luckily, Ben was there to take care of her. Outside, the rain pattered against the windows.

Jamie stirred awake in bed, her body heavy and weak, her limbs aching. Her throat felt so dry it burned, and she struggled to call out, "Ben..."

Before she could finish, the door opened.

Ben approached, holding a glass of water and some medicine. In the dim light, his usually sharp features appeared softer and gentler.

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