Chapter 1

In the fifth year of our marriage, I died saving Sylvia Butler.

The only thing I left her was our son, only four years old.

After that, Sylvia raised our son alone, living day by day guarding the memories of us.

Until she met Egbert Simmons, who pursued her relentlessly.

No matter how Egbert confessed his feelings, Sylvia gently turned him down.

"I promised Hudson that I would love him for the rest of my life, and that he would be my only husband."

I watched from the side.

Silently praying that Sylvia would keep her word.

But before long...

Egbert, heedless of the danger, saved our son from a fire and then fell into a coma.

Sylvia could think of nothing else. She knelt by the hospital bed, begging Egbert to wake up.

But Egbert didn't wake.

Instead, beyond my control, I possessed his body, opened my eyes in his place, and saw Sylvia.

She didn't recognize me.

She just choked out a confession.

"Egbert, I love you."

...

For a second, I even thought I had misheard.

But Sylvia immediately said it again.

"Egbert, I love you."

"I already told my parents. Once you're out of danger and wake up safe, we'll start planning the wedding."

"Thank God you're all right..."

She pressed my hand to her cheek and looked at me with such devotion.

But I didn't know how to tell her that I wasn't Egbert.

I was her husband, Hudson.

Much less did I know how to face the fact that she had truly fallen in love with Egbert.

Seeing that I said nothing, Sylvia apologized to me in a flustered rush.

"I'm sorry, Egbert. It was all my fault before. I clearly had feelings for you but didn't dare admit it."

"I swear, from now on I'll love you with all my heart, okay?"

Those words were exactly what she'd said when she proposed to me, back then.

At the time I'd held her in my arms and said with a laugh:

"Then it's a promise! If you ever change your heart, I'll never forgive you, not even in death!"

But now that this moment had actually come.

All I could do was dig my nails hard into my palm and force the words out through the ache.

"But I'm not Eg—"

Before the name "Egbert" left my lips, someone came running into the room.

"Daddy! You're finally awake!"

A tremor ran through me.

I watched, helpless, as my son's small body clung to me, his eyes red and swollen from crying.

I felt his warm little body against me, and for a moment the overwhelming joy went to my head, my voice even trembling.

"What... did you call me?"

"Say it again, okay?"

It had been so long since I'd heard Eustace call me Daddy.

But before Eustace could speak again, Sylvia covered his mouth and patiently corrected him.

"You can't call him that, Eustace. Your Uncle Egbert hasn't agreed to marry Mommy yet!"

"He's not your daddy yet."

Those words doused me like cold water, and it hit me all at once.

Right now, I was "Egbert."

Even Sylvia hadn't noticed anything strange.

So how could my young son possibly know that I was his father?

My nose suddenly stung.

I lowered my head and tried again to explain.

"Actually, I'm Eustace's da—"

But Sylvia misunderstood me. She grabbed my hand and asked, excited.

"So that means you're agreeing to marry me, right?"

I froze, just about to shake my head.

And Eustace threw his arms around me, delighted.

"That's wonderful! So from now on Uncle Egbert is my daddy, right?!"

I looked at the joy in their faces.

The truth on the tip of my tongue could no longer be spoken.

In all the three years since I died, this was the first time the two of them had been this happy.

They truly loved Egbert.

As for me...

A man dead for three years—no matter how unwilling, how could I take away the happiness they wanted?

My eyes burned. I turned my face away in a panic and nodded.

"Mm."

I didn't know when I would disappear.

Since the only one they wanted to see was Egbert.

Then I would give them their wish.