Blood on face of corpse

After Lowell left, Ms. Anastasia sat and cried by Emily's body for a while. Her crying face looked like a ghost in the white light of the room. She was in her nightgown, hair wild, and clothes rumpled from the crying fit that had followed his abrupt departure. The tears she had shed only minutes ago felt fresh on her cheeks. She had been through so much already – loss, death, pain… all for nothing.

Why now? What good had come of it all after twenty years of trying to build a life where she could be happy with her and where her granddaughter would never know the pain she was experiencing now?

The tears came again, as if some invisible force were squeezing her heart and making her lungs burn. Her whole body shook from the effort of keeping them down, but there was no escaping the pain. She then got up and took out the cake from the fridge. "Look at these red mooncakes, you liked them a lot. Today, I have brought a special one for you. Happy birthday, Emily, my darling. Eat this."

"You d