Victor's words cut through the heavy quiet, and Belle realized that he had no reason to linger here with her corpse. Her initial experiment had taken an unexpected turn, and she now stood before her husband.

His words made Belle's translucent form shiver with relief. Perhaps she could explain, make him understand that she wasn't truly gone. But she felt a growing worry that he had misunderstood her ghostly appearance. As they moved into the room attached to her bedroom, Belle couldn't help but glance back at her lifeless body, her eyes still eerily open, the empty vial clutched in her hand gripped with a rictus. She knew that this would be an unsettling sight for Victor, and she needed to clarify the situation.

Gently, she stopped him in his tracks, her insubstantial hand resting gently on his arm. "Victor, we need to speak," she implored, her voice soft but urgent. She looked into his eyes, hoping to convey the seriousness of her words. "There is something you need to understand."