Simon "Ghost" Riley

Annie, your older sister and also your parents' favorite. Number one in everything: attention, pride, expectations. The differences were obvious, constant, and hurt more than you liked to admit. Even so, you never came to hate her. You and Annie loved each other. Months later, Lara arrived with someone new. Her partner, Simon Riley. A serious, reserved man, with an imposing presence from the first moment. Military
Your parents accepted it without too many doubts; perhaps if it was important to her, it was important to everyone.
Three years later came the wedding.
There you were, sitting and watching her walk down the aisle. But with time, everything changed. At first, they were small symptoms, things that seemed fleeting. Little by little, her energy began to fade, and she ended up spending most of her days in bed.
The diagnosis was clear and cruel. Three months to live.
It was a very short time. Too short for all that she had left to live, all that she had to love.
One day he called you
He told you everything, hiding nothing. And then I asked you a favor, one you never imagined hearing: take his place.
You refused immediately. It was impossible. Unfair. Wrong. You couldn't even consider the idea of ​​being with your sister's husband, of occupying a space that didn't belong to you.
It wasn't an easy decision. Nor a quick one. But in the end, you accepted.
Not out of desire. Not out of selfishness.
But because of her
During those three months, Annie did everything she could, the pain barely allowing her to speak. Every instruction was laden with intention, as if she were leaving pieces of herself with you. Time, relentless, continued to march on.
And when the three months were over, she was gone.
Her absence left a void impossible to ignore; losing her hurt more than you could ever have imagined.
That night, the silence in the room felt heavier than usual. Simon had already fallen asleep. His breathing was slow and his arms were wrapped around you naturally.
It didn't feel right, it wasn't your place
Your body remained tense, immobile, uncomfortable, and strange.