"Mama, I'll be just fine. Don't worry. Miss Evans did an amazing job with the house. You really should thank her," Laila reassured her mother over the phone, her voice filled with confidence.

"I'm so sorry, darling. I wish I could have been there for you," Ana said, her tone laden with regret.

"It's perfectly fine, Mom. I'll see you in just a week."

"Remember, call me if you need anything. I'll ask Hillary to do some grocery shopping for you, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Thanks, Mom."

Knock, knock

"Mom, there's someone at the door. I'll catch up with you later. Bye."

"Take care, sweetheart," her mother said before the call ended.

Laila approached the front door to see who was there. An elderly woman stood, holding her dog on a leash and offered a casserole of delicious-smelling food.

"Hello, dear. My name is Ruth. I'm your neighbor from next door. I noticed you were moving in, and I thought you might need something to eat," Ruth said warmly, her eyes brimming with kindness.

"That's incredibly kind, Ruth. I'm Laila. Please come in, and don't mind the mess. I haven't even begun unpacking yet. There's so much old furniture here; I might have to part with some of it," Laila shared, her voice tinged with both gratitude and uncertainty.

Ruth's expression turned somber. "Mrs. Dickens was very attached to her furniture. In fact, she was possessive about everything in this house. It's hard to see things change around here," she noted, her words laced with a hint of caution.

"You knew my grandma?" Laila inquired with a mixture of curiosity and surprise in her tone.

"Yes, I've lived in this neighborhood for over 60 years. Mr. and Mrs. Dickens were wonderful neighbors. I'm really happy someone is back to live in this beautiful property," Ruth revealed, her voice carrying a touch of nostalgia.

"Do you think I should keep this furniture?"

"If you ask me, yes. It definitely has some sentimental value, if that's something your generation values," Ruth said with a wry smile, her words gently pricking Laila's emotions.

"Would you like to take a look around?"

"I don't want to be a bother. I'll come visit when you're done settling. See you," Ruth replied and left, locking the door behind her.

Left to her own devices, Laila began unpacking her belongings, repositioning the furniture, and grappling with the decision of what to keep or discard. Unable to make a choice, she decided to keep everything, temporarily storing unused furniture in the basement.

As the day transitioned into evening, exhaustion set in. Laila remembered the meal provided by Ruth and savored it hungrily. She indulged in a warm bath for comfort, then retreated to her bedroom, which she had meticulously arranged. Her bed was neatly made, and her clothes were carefully placed in the old dresser that was part of the house. She began to appreciate the vintage items her grandparents had owned.

Finally, sleep beckoned. After a long, tiring day, she drifted into slumber. In the middle of the night, the large clock in the living room rang a loud bell, jolting her awake. Startled by the unfamiliar sound, she discovered a young boy sitting at the foot of her bed. Her fear and confusion were palpable.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a mixture of calm and trepidation. "What are you doing here?"

The little boy slowly turned his head, revealing a face with striking resemblances to her own, featuring little blue eyes and a slender nose.

"Sister, hi," he greeted, rising and moving closer to the side of the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"How did you get in?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued as she sat up in bed.

He chuckled, saying, "I've been living in this house for the past 15 years, and now you've finally come."

"15 years? You must be mistaken. Tell me who you are and how you got in here. I might have to call the police."

"I've grown up in this very house. I promise you, I've been living here for much longer than you can imagine. I'm not lying, dear sister. I am your brother."

"Brother? I don't have a brother."

He laughed heartily. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling the truth. I was even there when Grandma and Grandpa died." His voice carried a sense of intrigue and connection. "I was there in this house when it happened. I saw them die in front of me, tumbling down the grand stairs one after the other and suffering a fatal blow on their heads. I was there."

"I can't believe it. So, you're really my brother? Why have I never heard of you before?" Laila's voice quivered with surprise and curiosity.

"Well, I'm actually your half-brother," Jamie admitted, his tone tinged with a hint of sadness.

"How?" Laila inquired, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I overheard Grandma talking about this one day. She told the story of how Mom had an affair with her old lover a few years after you were born. It was when your dad was away, serving in the army. Your dad didn't know that Mom was pregnant with me. So she came to Grandma's house to keep me safe. I was meant to be born here," Jamie explained, his voice bearing the weight of a family secret.

"I remember staying here for a couple of months as a kid. I thought I was on a long holiday," Laila shared, with a hint of nostalgia.

Jamie chuckled. "I bet you did."

"Why don't you live with your dad? Why are you here all alone?" Laila's concern was evident in her words.

"I don't know who my dad is. He never visited me, and I haven't sought him out either. I just didn't want to," Jamie admitted.

"I'm sorry... um, what's your name again?" Laila said, trying to recall.

"Call me Jamie," he said, offering a warm smile.

"Listen, Jamie. I don't know what to believe anymore. Let's discuss this when Mom comes next week," Laila suggested, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Mom is coming here? Can you do me one favor?" Jamie asked eagerly.

Laila nodded. "Yes?"

"Please keep this a surprise. I want to see the shock on her face," Jamie said, his anticipation evident in his voice.

"Alright," Laila agreed, understanding his desire for the dramatic revelation.

"Thank you, sister. I owe you. Now, I'll leave you to sleep."

"Where do you sleep?" Laila wondered aloud.

"I won't bother you. Don't worry," Jamie assured her before quietly departing through the door.

A week passed, and Laila continued with her daily routine, going to work and returning home to unpack her belongings. She kept an eye out for Jamie, who appeared sporadically during the night, silently observing her activities.

On a Sunday afternoon, Laila's mom came to visit. After catching up on their lives and touring the house, they settled by the fireplace, and Laila broached the subject.

"What do you mean you met your brother?" Laila's mom's face froze in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Jamie told me about the affair, Mom. I'm not here to judge you," Laila reassured her.

"That's... that's not possible," her mom stammered, her eyes filled with fear. "How do you know that name? Nobody knows that name."

"He told me himself. I spoke to him. What happened to Jamie?" Laila insisted.

Ana held Laila's hands and tried to explain to her how she had a miscarriage in my third trimester and how she grieved alone for so long before finally accepting her fate.

"I was relieved that I didn't have to tell your dad," her mom explained.

"Mom! How can that be? I saw him. He looked just like you, with the same blue eyes," Laila pressed.

"It's not possible. If you're telling the truth, where is he now?" Her mom asked, her voice shaky.

"I don't know, Mom. I only saw him that night. It felt so real... was I dreaming or was he a ghost?" Laila's voice wavered as she struggled to make sense of it all.

Laila's eyes widened in terror as she began piecing the puzzle together. Jamie was supposed to be born 15 years ago but died suddenly in the third trimester due to unknown reasons.

"When did you have the miscarriage?" Laila asked cautiously.

"I don't remember how it all started. I had heavy bleeding, and then I began experiencing intense pain. When we saw the doctor, we learned..."

"Mom, whoever you cheated with, did Grandma like him?" Laila inquired.

"No, we were in love since high school, but my parents never approved. We were both married to other people at the time. But somehow, years later, we reconnected, and this happened," her mom revealed.

"Now it all makes sense, Mom. Jamie was never born, but it wasn't just a miscarriage. It was something worse. I think it was murder, Mom, and I think Grandma and Grandpa were involved in it" Laila asserted.

"Why do you think that?" her mom asked, her voice trembling.

"It all adds up, Mom. Jamie was supposed to be born, but something went wrong. And I also think Jamie killed Grandma and Grandpa by pushing them, It all makes sense" Laila said, her voice growing more certain.

"Stop it! That's not true," her mom yelled in frustration. "That can't be true."

"But," Laila began, but Jamie interrupted.

"I'll tell you why," he said, stepping forward.

Laila and her mom turned to see Jamie walking down the stairs, and her mom's face turned ashen with terror.

"Mom, I've been waiting so long to see you!" Jamie exclaimed, his presence hauntingly real.

"This can't be real," her mom muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief, unable to accept what she was seeing.

"Sister, you were right about Grandma despising my dad, but they didn't kill me. It was mom." Jamie confessed, his voice carrying an eerie chill.

"Mom?" Laila looked shocked at her mom, who kept mum and still.

When Ana remained silent, Jamie continued, "Let me remind you, mom. You discovered that I wasn't perfect like you wanted. I was illegitimate and you would have had to care for me for your entire life if I was born with the disability the doctors said, and you didn't want that burden. You wanted me gone."

Laila's mom trembled, her eyes welling with tears as the painful truth unraveled before her. She couldn't deny it any longer.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry." Her voice quivered with remorse. "I was wrong, and I did a terrible thing. I should never have made that choice. But I realised it too late. I should have embraced you, no matter what. I'm so, so sorry."

Tears flowed down Jamie's face, and his spectral form seemed to flicker, as if the truth had granted him some release from his long-standing pain. "Mom, I forgive you," he whispered.

Laila's mom felt a profound sense of relief after her heartfelt confession to Jamie. For the first time in years, she was no longer burdened by the guilt that had haunted her. But she knew that true closure would only come when she shared her painful secret with her husband, Laila's father.

A few days later, she gathered the courage to reveal the truth to her husband. To her surprise, he forgave her for her past mistakes, and they chose to embrace the future with more honesty and love.

Laila's mom wept, this time not out of guilt but out of profound gratitude and relief. Her husband's forgiveness was a balm for her wounded soul, and she realized that their love and commitment could heal the scars of their past.

As they held each other close, their family was finally made whole. Their journey toward forgiveness and reconciliation had brought them closer than ever before. She had, in fact, found love again.

----

I just tried a happier ending this time. What do you think of it?