Read The Protect Her Box Set: Parts 7-9 for Free Online Page A

people who lived long and vibrant lives wanted to spend eternity here,” Benjamin said. “For someone like me, I can appreciate the idea of having a peaceful afterlife even if it is something that I would likely never have. The gravestone is what is left behind to encapsulate their lives, and it is breathtaking to see the level of detail that some families create to remember their loved ones who have passed on.”
    “I understand that,” I said as my eyes scanned the pieces of paper. “But why teach me that?”
    There was a long pause. “There are only so many things for a young woman to do on an isolated island. When you first came here, I was afraid that one day I’d wake up, and you’d be gone. There was nothing tethering you to this place. You had a passable interest in the island’s history. I thought that if you came to appreciate the uniqueness of the island the way that I did, you’d want to stay even if your memories came back.”
    I forced myself to ignore the rawness of the emotion underlying his words. Then my eyes came to rest on a rubbing that was buried near the bottom of one of my walls. I always told myself that I kept it more out of sight than the others because it was one of my first clumsy attempts at rubbing. In reality, it was for an entirely different reason altogether. I crossed the room and reached out my fingers to touch it.
    “Mission cemetery,” I said without looking at Benjamin. “That’s where we need to go.”
    “You are certain?”
    “Yes,” I said. I looked over my shoulder at him. “Although I’m not sure you would classify it as a happy memory.” Surprisingly, Benjamin’s expression was serene.
    He nodded. “Of course. I should have thought of that before.” He reached out his hand, and I took it. I barely even noticed the swirl of the scenery around us as it changed. We were standing above a massive, flat gravestone. On it, there was a listing for the members of an entire family. The detail around the edges of the stone was immaculate, even though the last family member had been buried over a century ago. It was one of the oldest stones in Mission cemetery.
    “Martin and Rose Draton,” I said. “You told me about how Martin’s family wanted him to marry a well-to-do socialite to cement their status in society. Rose’s family were servants to the Draton family. Martin and Rose fell in love, and Martin lost his inheritance when they got married. He moved them all the way across the country to build a life for his new family. They had four children but lost them all because they were stillborn. But Martin’s love for Rose was unwavering, and when he died Rose passed away just a few days later. You knew them, didn’t you?”
    “Yes,” Benjamin said. “I was fascinated by them. In all my time on this earth and Heaven, I had never felt the depth of emotion that they clearly felt for each other. It was the first time in my life that I felt truly alone. Something stirred inside of me when I watched Rose move on and reunite with Martin in Heaven. I knew then that there was something missing in my life.”
    I knelt down on the ground and reverently touched the stone. “I remember listening to the story, and I felt like I knew them. You’ve always been an amazing storyteller, and now I know why. You incorporated little details that brought the story to life, and you could do that because you were there.”
    “I will take that as a high compliment.”
    I forced myself to look up at him. “That day, you told me the story, and then you told me that you thought that you might feel the same way about me.”
    Benjamin turned his face away from me. “Yes, and you told me then that you didn’t think that you could feel the same way about me.” He took a breath that seemed to shake his entire body. “You asked me why that would be a happy memory. It’s because, despite the fact that you rebuffed me, I had already realized I didn’t need to be alone anymore. I had it