Chapter 238: If You’re Here, Blow the Candle

Blowing out the candles was the only way I could answer him.

Lewis remembered everything. Once, during a quiet conversation, I had casually mentioned that when I was upset, the wind around me would react. It was one of the few things I could still control as a spirit. I had said it without thinking, never imagining he would hold on to that detail. But he did. He remembered that the wind moved when I was near. He remembered that flickering flames meant I was there. He stored every small thing I ever told him, even the words that seemed meaningless at the time. Now he was using that careful attention to search for me in the dark. I could only imagine how much pain he must have been hiding behind that calm voice.

The room was swallowed by darkness after the candles went out. I could almost feel the fear crawling up Julian and Theo’s arms. If I were in their place, I would have been terrified too. Even if the spirit in the room belonged to someone I loved, that wouldn’t erase the chill running through my body. In the heavy silence, they couldn’t see me, but they knew something unseen was there.

Julian’s voice trembled. “Elena… you’re really here.”

Theo quickly turned the lights back on. As the brightness returned, I saw Lewis clearly. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He hadn’t cried, but his eyes told the truth his face refused to show.

The sight pulled me back to another memory the first time I entered Riley’s body. I had opened the bedroom door and found Lewis collapsed on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles. He had crawled toward me, his eyes swollen and raw from crying. That was the day he believed I was gone forever.

Back then, he thought I was dead.

Now, he knew I was still here.

We stood so close to each other, yet it felt like an ocean separated us. He slowly extended his hand into the empty air, and I knelt in front of him, gently placing my hand over his. He couldn’t see me, but I wanted him to feel something anything.

His voice was hoarse. “Elena, I know you’re here.”

“I’m here, Carl,” I whispered softly.

He slowly curled his fingers as if trying to hold mine. Maybe he felt the faintest shift in the air, because with his other hand he reached forward again, searching carefully. He wasn’t sure where I stood, so his hand brushed over my shoulder instead. Even though he couldn’t touch me, I felt the warmth of his intention.

“Elena,” he said gently, “don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll bring you back.”

My chest tightened painfully. This sweet, stubborn man. Even in his fear, he was thinking about comforting me.

“Okay,” I whispered, forcing calm into my voice. “I’m not afraid.”

Lewis looked exhausted, but his tone remained soft. “Will you stay with me this time?”

I nodded quickly even though he couldn’t see it. “Yes. I’ll stay. I’m not leaving you.”

Julian watched everything quietly. I could see the understanding settle in his eyes. He knew that in moments like this, he had already lost. It had happened before. When Julian had been distracted with Camilla, Lewis had been the one to notice the truth first. He had been the one to comfort me without hesitation. He understood how frightening it was to exist between worlds. I had explained to him once what it felt like to be a spirit the loneliness, the coldness, the helplessness. He remembered.

Even now, while fighting his own fear, he focused on soothing me.

The thought that he might worry I would leave with Julian made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. He was so good to me. If I had to disappear completely, I would want my last moments to be beside him.

Lewis straightened slightly and looked at Julian. “If you’re fine, you can leave. I’ll stay here with her.”

Julian hesitated. “Uncle, I just remembered something.”

“What?”

“When Elena was tied to me, Camilla and I saw her in strange situations. One stormy night, Camilla saw Elena standing at the foot of the bed. And when I was extremely weak, I saw her too.”

Lewis’s expression changed instantly.

“liora,” he said sharply.

Of course. Grandma had been close to death once. Not only had she seen me, she had heard my voice. I had told Lewis everything about that night.

Without wasting another second, Lewis turned to Theo. “Get more bodyguards. Make sure my wife’s body is protected at all times.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Prepare the car. We’re leaving.”

He wanted to take me to Grandma. If anyone could see or hear me again, it would be her. Julian chose to go with him. On the outside, Lewis looked calm and controlled. But I knew him. Inside, he was just as anxious as I was.

He carried a candle with him in the car. Every ten minutes, he would glance at it and ask quietly, “Elena, are you there?”

Each time I focused, the flame would flicker and die. For a brief moment after, his tense expression would soften. He was afraid I might stop following him. Afraid I might disappear along the road.

Such a careful man.

I remembered telling him once that I adored only him. But I had wanted to say more. I had held the words back, thinking there would be time.

Lewis, I love you.

The thought burned inside me. I was suddenly terrified I would never get the chance to say it aloud. I finally understood why Silas left that final message before he ended his life. He didn’t want regrets. Especially not with Camilla.

I had believed that once I entered Riley’s body, I would never leave again. I was so focused on revenge, on uncovering the truth, that I selfishly accepted all of Lewis’s love without fully giving mine in return. I thought we had years ahead of us. I was only twenty. There would be time to grow closer. Time to say those heavy words.

I told myself it was too soon. Too risky.

But life doesn’t wait for the perfect moment.

If I had known this would happen, I would have held his face in my hands and told him everything without hesitation.

I love him.

I truly love him.

Now even the chance to confess felt impossible. He was so focused on reassuring me, when he was the one shaking inside.

I’m sorry, Lewis.

The car drove for what felt like hours through narrow mountain roads. I knew he had hidden Grandma carefully, but I didn’t expect the place to be this remote. It was past eleven at night. Birds cut across the dark sky, and snow drifted across the road under the pale moonlight. The forest around us looked enormous and silent, like something alive and watching.

When we reached the mansion gates, the bodyguards only allowed entry after recognizing Lewis. This place was heavily guarded. Professionals had been assigned to care for Grandma and ensure her recovery.

She was already asleep when we arrived, but that didn’t stop Lewis.

Mrs. Lambert came out in a robe, rubbing her eyes in confusion. “Mr. Hale? What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I need to see liora,” Lewis said firmly.

Seeing the urgency in his face, she stepped aside and led us in.

The moment I entered Grandma’s room, my heart tightened. The space was warm, comfortable, carefully arranged. Lewis had taken good care of her. I had wanted to visit her for days, but I was afraid that revealing her location might put her in danger. So I stayed away.

Now I rushed to her bedside.

“Grandma,” I whispered desperately, “I’m back.”

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