"Sigh... I can't believe you left me all alone in this big world." Sam looked down at the grave and started to clean the area around the gravestone.
It has already been a year since the accident that took his father's life. He was now all alone without any blood-related family members.
"Mom, you should take care of Dad properly. Don't hit him too hard, okay? Even though he got married again, you shouldn't blame him. He was lonely without you, and it's just that he got lucky to have another shot at love. That's rare, right?"
Sam started talking like the person was there, not minding if he was looked at weirdly.
His mother died five years ago from cancer. After the incident, his father never smiled and seemed depressed until one day when he brought this beautiful woman and introduced her to Sam as his new bride.
At first, Sam wasn't sure how he felt about this sudden development, but his father looked happier than before, so Sam supported him with all his heart.
There was also another surprise for Sam after his dad announced that he was getting married to this woman. It was that she also had a daughter and that she was his classmate at the university.
The thought that they would be living together, along with his new stepsister who would also attend his class, was surreal. But life was full of surprises, and it was better for him to take this new development in stride than sulk in his room like some spoiled child.
After the wedding, everything was fine and great. His father was so happy that Sam couldn't bear to see him that way. His new stepmom was a kind and considerate woman. And his new stepsister was so beautiful that sometimes he thought he would die of nosebleeds if he stared too long.
Sam shook his head from his thoughts and sighed again.
"Well, Mom and Dad, I have to go back now. See you soon."
***
On his way back, Sam took the bus that would pass near his apartment building. The trip took around twenty minutes, and then he needed to walk for a few more minutes to get there.
The apartment was not a luxury one but was spacious enough for three people to live comfortably. There were three bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, and a living room.
Sam took out his key and opened the door.
"I'm home."
The living room was empty and quiet, so he knew that both women weren't back yet. His stepmother, Alia, worked in an office while his stepsister, Chloe, liked to hang out with her friends. Sometimes she didn't come back until after midnight. Sam always tried to remind her to take care of herself since she was a woman, but Chloe didn't really pay attention to his words.
"Looks like I'm going to be alone for dinner tonight." Sam shook his head as he went to his room and changed into more comfortable clothes. He then proceeded to the kitchen to prepare dinner for himself.
When dinner was ready, he went to the dining table and sat down. Just like usual, he turned on the television and randomly watched whatever show was on.
It was just him being all by himself now, and it was kinda lonely.
Sighing again for the umpteenth time, Sam forced himself to eat his food.
"Maybe I should start looking for a girlfriend. Then, I wouldn't feel lonely all the time. Yeah... That might work. But who will want to date an average guy like me?"
Sam looked down at himself. He didn't look bad, but he was on the average side. The only thing he could boast of was that he had a good height of one hundred and eighty-five centimeters. Other than that, he looked just fine, neither ugly nor handsome.
The only problem he had was that his eyes were naturally sad-looking. When people saw him, they thought that he was always depressed, and no girls wanted to get close to him for that reason.
"Even if I try to look for a girl to date, who would even agree? Aish!" Sam ate his food with a sigh.
The show on TV was showing a romcom movie, and he scoffed.
"It's easy to be loved if you look like that."
It was just so unfair that beautiful people were treated differently compared to others. Even if they're jerks, their beauty would blind people.
After finishing his dinner, Sam cleaned up and sat on the couch, continuing to watch the show on TV. His eyelids felt heavy, so he leaned back and let himself fall asleep.
Not long after that, he was woken up by a loud bang and shouting. Sam was so startled that he jumped and almost fell to the floor.
"What's going on?!" He ran to the door to see his stepmom standing near the door with an angry expression. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red.
"Mom, are you okay?" Sam immediately went to help her stand properly. She looked unsteady, like she might fall anytime soon.
Alia didn't reply but looked at the open door and screamed, "You stupid woman! How dare you say those things! Who do you think you are?!"
Sam followed his stepmom's gaze and saw another woman standing there. She was around the same age as his mom, and she was sneering.
"Oh? I'm not wrong. What I said is the truth. Your husband died, and now you're looking like a hungry ghost, trying to seduce my husband with that slutty dress of yours!"
"What did you say?!"
Sam held Alia before she could pounce on the other woman. This was not the first time this had happened. It was actually getting tiring for Sam, who had to endure the same scenario repeatedly for a whole year.
"Mom, just ignore her. She's just a jealous woman who can't accept that her husband looks at other women more than her."