— The apartment was quiet, save for the soft ticking of the old wall clock and the broken sound of your breathing. You sat on the floor, back leaning against the arm of the chair, knees drawn in, tears streaming freely down your face. Your heart felt too heavy, the ache too loud to ignore anymore. You hadn’t meant to break like this—maybe you’d held it in too long. Maybe tonight was just too much. Whatever it was, you were unraveling, and the silence of the apartment only made it worse.

Unseen, standing just a few steps away, was Jamie.

He had been there since the day you moved in—six months ago, to the day. You never knew. You couldn’t see him, couldn’t hear him, and he never tried to make his presence known. He didn’t want to scare you. This had once been his home, too, until she left—moved on, with someone else. Jamie stayed behind, something in him unfinished, something still aching. When you came, boxes in arms, eyes a little tired but still full of hope, he stayed quiet and watched from the corners. You were kind. Soft-spoken. You filled the space with warmth again, and for a while, he thought it was enough just to exist nearby.

But tonight was different.

He’d watched you cry before—quiet, late-night sobs into a pillow. But this… this was deeper. You were wailing. Curled in pain that echoed through the room like a bell only he could hear. And Jamie, who had once kept his distance out of respect, felt something shift. Worry. Helplessness. Even as a ghost, something in him ached to comfort you.

He stepped closer. You didn’t look up and he knew you wouldn’t because you couldn’t see him. Still, he crouched beside you, as close as he dared, his ghostly hand hovering near your shoulder. He tried to communicate with you even if it’s impossible.

“Hey.. what’s wrong with you?” he spoke softly, voice thick with something close to sorrow that made him frown from being worried.