Chapter 142 Collapse
As the end of the workday approached slowly, my colleagues all left the office, leaving me alone in the entire company. This scene was so familiar, starting from the first night I created opportunities for Nathan and Katniss. I ordered takeout for myself because only when I'm full can I have the energy and resilience.
While I was eating, that familiar ringtone suddenly sounded. I checked my phone and saw that it was Katniss calling, which brought me a sense of comfort. I had just been wondering if Katniss would call me, feeling quite nervous. But when Katniss called at that moment, I suddenly felt relieved. She must have heard from Nathan after she got home from work that I was working late tonight and not coming home.
I answered the phone with a simple "hello," my voice calm but with a hint of warmth that was different from before, no longer so cold.
"Honey, Dad told me you're working late tonight. Have you eaten? Do you want me to bring you some food?" Katniss said on the other end, speaking cautiously but with a tone full of concern.
"No need, I'm having takeout," I replied with just a few simple words. It seemed like Katniss could sense a change in my tone, that I was no longer as indifferent.
"Then don't work too late, get some rest soon," Katniss, perhaps sensing the warmth in my words, or maybe worried about affecting my work, hurriedly prepared to hang up.
After finishing my meal, I plugged in the encrypted external device to my computer and opened the video software. But at that moment, I hesitated. Should I watch the playback of that night's video first? Or should I check the real-time monitoring at home first? After some thought, I decided to check the home monitoring first. I wanted to see if Katniss and Nathan had any communication and if they would take advantage of my rare absence tonight to make love, to see if my intimidation plan had worked.
I set the video monitoring to the time when Katniss got off work. When Katniss returned home, Nathan had already prepared dinner. It was clear that Nathan was distracted, burdened with something heavy on his mind. When Katniss entered the house, Nathan glanced at her with a look of melancholy and helplessness. After Katniss got home, Nathan informed her that I wouldn't be coming home for dinner tonight. At that moment, I saw Katniss, who had just walked in, freeze suddenly. Normally, when I work late, I would definitely call her instead of telling Nathan. But tonight, when I was working late, I didn't call her.
Upon hearing the news from Nathan, Katniss, who was still at the doorway in slippers, suddenly stopped in her tracks, one foot still raised in the air. Her eyes were vacant, as if all color had drained from them. It was only after Nathan's reminder that Katniss snapped out of it. During dinner, there was no communication between the two of them. Katniss seemed lost in thought the whole time, perhaps not even tasting the food that night, lost in her own thoughts. And Nathan, looking at Katniss, seemed to have something to say but held back.
"Katniss, why does it seem like things are off between you and Kevin lately? What's really going on?" Nathan finally mustered the courage to speak his mind, asking the question that had been weighing on him. After all, tonight I was rarely not at home, giving them a chance to talk privately.
"It's nothing, he's just been stressed because of some issues at work recently," Katniss's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Nathan, and she responded without much direction.
"Could it be that he found out that night?" Nathan asked the question that had been on his mind, his hands trembling nervously as he struggled to hold the fork. Katniss was taken aback by Nathan's question, her lips quivering nervously. This question was exactly what had been troubling her these past few days. She had been too afraid to consider this possibility, but now Nathan had brought it up directly, as if piercing through her last line of defense.
"I don't know, I don't know. He hasn't said anything to me. It's only been two days, but he's driving me crazy. I ask him, but he won't say anything," Katniss suddenly set down her utensils, grabbed her hair, and started to cry. It was clear that Nathan's direct question had shattered her last bit of illusion, and her emotions collapsed when she wasn't facing me.
Seeing Katniss in this state, Nathan would normally try to comfort her, but this time he was stunned. It was as if he had lost his soul, closing his eyes with a look of panic and guilt, pressing his forehead with his hand to prevent himself from collapsing from the dining table. At that moment, both of them, one crying and one distressed, truly began to worry and regret. The only thing that could save them was that last glimmer of hope and illusion.
"Alright, Dad, don't worry. Maybe we're overthinking it. Kevin has been through a lot lately, maybe he's just under a lot of pressure. It may not be that he found out about anything, don't scare yourself," Katniss stopped crying, wiping her tears with a tissue. Seeing Nathan in such extreme distress, she felt that her sudden loss of control had inadvertently caused trouble for Nathan. If she scared Nathan, causing him to fall ill or do something foolish, her responsibility would be grave. Katniss couldn't help but start comforting Nathan.
"I hope we're just overthinking it. If Kevin really found out something, don't bear the blame. I'd rather risk my life to make Kevin forgive you. It's all my fault. I'm not a good father. Why can't I resist temptation? If he really knows, then I'll use my life to atone. I don't ask for his forgiveness for this despicable father, I just hope he can forgive you," Nathan suddenly aged a lot, looking at Katniss tenderly, his eyes filled with determination.
"No, Dad, don't do anything foolish. You've already been through enough. If you really do that, not only will you not achieve your goal, but you'll also put Kevin back in a painful situation. And things aren't clear yet, let's not scare ourselves. Besides, it's not just your fault, fate is playing tricks on us, that's all," Katniss comforted Nathan. Watching from the surveillance, I fully agreed with Katniss's perspective. Setting aside the fact that I was the mastermind behind this, the greatest responsibility lay with me. Even if it was truly Nathan's fault, I couldn't forgive him, but I absolutely couldn't let my father sacrifice his life for atonement. In the face of responsibility and life, responsibility seemed insignificant.
I smoked a cigarette while watching the video, feeling no urgency tonight. The dinner meant for two ended in sorrow, with Nathan going to clean up the dishes and Katniss returning to our bedroom. Their dinners in the past were always sweet and ambiguous, so this negative atmosphere tonight was a first. Watching the worried pair in the video, I knew my plan to shake things up had worked. At least for tonight, they didn't seem to have the mood for intimacy, as I had expected.
After seeing Katniss return to our bedroom and calm down for a while, she took out her phone and made that call to me. After hanging up, Katniss couldn't help but force a bitter smile, then played with her phone for a while. However, her mind was so burdened that she couldn't be distracted by the phone. After a while, she turned on the computer, logged into that forum, where she could pour out and vent her inner turmoil through her journal entries.
In the video, Katniss's journal entry wasn't very long, but she spent a long time writing it. Occasionally pausing, her face showed reminiscence, hesitation, struggle, and sorrow. Several times in the middle, Katniss had to rest her head on the desk to calm herself before continuing to write. By the end of the journal, Katniss's expression of distress and melancholy reached its peak. What did she write in this journal? It seemed to contain many secrets and emotions, making me curious about its contents.
After crying for a long time, Katniss lay on the bed, seemingly exhausted from her tears. Seeing Katniss so heartbroken, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pain. She had already been through so much these past few days. Shouldn't my heart forgive her as well?
Katniss continued to lie on the bed, and I switched to the bedroom camera of Nathan, who was also tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep. It was clear that Nathan was consumed with worry and self-blame over that night's events. It seemed that tonight would be another sleepless night for both of them, with nothing special happening.
After shutting off the surveillance and understanding what had happened to them tonight, I didn't have many emotions or thoughts at the moment. How should I put it? It was similar to the plot I had envisioned, with them not engaging in any intimacy tonight as I had expected. What I was most interested in now was that journal entry that Katniss had spent so long writing, which ultimately led her to an emotional breakdown.
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