---- Chapter 19 "| understand," Dr. Adams said, his voice laced with resignation. He didn't push. "The cat," | said, a pang of sadness in my voice. "Is Snowball...?" "He's fine, Sarah. Mr. Vance pays for the best of everything. But he won't let the cat be adopted. He says he's waiting for you to come home." Another chain, another gilded cage. "| can't take him with me," | said, the words heavy with regret. "It's not safe." | hung up the phone and looked out the window of my small, sunny apartment. For the past three years, | had built a new life. A quiet, peaceful life. | had a small flower shop, a circle of friends who knew me as Anna, a woman with a quiet past. | was happy. Or at least, | was content. But | had to go back. Just for a few days. My grandmother's old house, the one she had left to me, was being sold. | had to. sign the final papers. It was the last tie to my old life, and | needed to sever it. Daniel Chen, my friend, my savior, had arranged everything. He met me at the airport. He had become a successful architect, his quiet confidence a soothing balm to my scarred soul. ---- As we drove out of the city, we passed the veterinary clinic. | saw him. Ethan. He was getting out of his car, holding the stone urn. He looked... smaller. Thinner. His expensive suit hung on his frame, and his face was etched with a deep, abiding sadness. He looked like a ghost. | felt a flicker of something, a ghost of an emotion | couldn't name. It wasn't pity. It certainly wasn't love. It was a cold, detached recognition of a shared history, a past that had almost destroyed us both. He wasn't grieving for me, | knew. He was grieving for his own loss of control. He couldn't stand the idea that | had been the one to leave, the one to win. His pain was not born of love, but of a shattered ego. "Drive faster," | told Daniel, my voice tight. | didn't want him to see me. | didn't want to be dragged back into his orbit. We arrived at my grandmother's house, a small, simple cottage at the edge of the woods. It was just as | remembered it. Daniel had taken care of it, keeping the garden weeded and the paint fresh. He helped me inside. "There's something | need to show you," he said. He led me to the fireplace and took down a framed photo of my grandmother. Behind it, there was a small, hidden compartment. He reached inside and pulled out another stone urn, identical to the one Ethan carried. "He never destroyed her ashes, Sarah," ---- Daniel said softly. "He couldn't do it. The ashes he poured on the floor... it was just dust from the fireplace. He replaced them. | found these here a few weeks after you left." Tears streamed down my face as | took the urn from his hands. It was my grandmother. She was finally home. "Thank you, Daniel," | whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "Thank you for everything." The next day, after signing the papers, we headed back to the airport. As we neared the city, | saw a familiar convoy of black cars up ahead. Ethan. My heart leaped into my throat. | pulled on a pair of sunglasses and a scarf, hiding my face. "Just keep driving," | told Daniel, my voice a nervous whisper. "Don't stop." We managed to get past them without being seen. | didn't breathe until we were on the plane, the city shrinking below us. Back in my quiet little town, | felt a sense of peace return. It was my birthday. Daniel surprised me with a small cake and a gift, a delicate silver locket. | opened it. Inside, there was a tiny, expertly engraved picture of my grandmother and Lily, smiling. "Happy birthday, Anna," he said, his voice soft. | thought of all the birthdays | had spent with Ethan, filled with extravagant gifts and empty gestures. This small, thoughtful locket meant more to me than all his diamonds combined. ---- We made a plan to visit a local animal shelter the next day. | was finally ready to have a pet again, to have something to love. That night, | walked into my apartment, my heart full of a quiet, hopeful joy. And there he was. Sitting on my sofa, as if he belonged there. Ethan. He looked up as | entered, and a slow, triumphant smile spread across his face. The ghost had found me.