Chapter 197
At this moment, Nathan and Katniss were facing the mirror, neither of them turned around. Perhaps they both thought it was an illusion and were afraid to turn around, fearing that what they saw was real. Their eyes met mine through the reflection in the mirror. At that moment, I lost my sanity. Work, career, family, relationships, love - everything was thrown out of my mind. Everything touched my bottom line. That's just my personality - quiet until I'm not, and when I explode, all the anger comes out.
I stood behind them, breathing heavily, as time passed by slowly. Finally, Nathan and Katniss slowly turned around, almost synchronously, showing such great understanding. Seeing how synchronized they were in turning around only made me more furious. Their actions now seemed even more despicable in my eyes.
Finally, Nathan and Katniss turned to face me. The fear on their faces reached its peak. They stumbled in unison. When a person falls, they reflexively grab onto something nearby. They almost fell, but in that moment, they caught each other. This reignited my anger, making me tremble all over, with sweat pouring out of every pore. I felt like I had been drenched in rain.
Nathan and Katniss absolutely couldn't believe I was there in the room. It didn't make sense to them. As if afraid they were mistaken, they supported each other for balance, then simultaneously rubbed their eyes and looked at me again. The fear in their eyes had reached its peak, their bodies trembling unnaturally, their lips quivering.
"Alright, you two are quite something." Seeing how they were so in sync, even in their fear, I could only smile in silence.
I smiled bitterly, tears welling up, perhaps tears of blood in my eyes. I slowly walked up to them. Nathan was a father after all, I couldn't hit him or scold him, or I'd be seen as rebellious, no matter what he did wrong. I wanted to slap Katniss, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. From the moment we met until now, I had never harmed her. I couldn't bring myself to do it.
At that moment, Nathan and Katniss seemed to have lost their souls, motionless, surrounded by fear, like criminals awaiting judgment, with me as the judge. I approached them slowly, smelling Katniss's familiar scent, now mixed with a masculine musk. I had lost all ability to think, my body completely controlled by instinct.
"This is the second time I've seen you in a wedding dress, but this time it's not as beautiful as the first time. You were so beautiful back then, I'll never forget it." I smiled, reaching out to fix Katniss's hair and adjust her dress. Every touch made her body tremble. Slowly, she began to cry, her eyes showing fear, guilt, and timidity, a hint of shame. Perhaps it was only when I touched her hair and dress that she believed I was real, not an illusion.
Throughout this process, I didn't even glance at Nathan, as if he didn't exist. After fixing Katniss's dress, I smiled at her and slowly turned away, limping out with my exhausted body. I just wanted to leave, not wanting to see them again. I wanted to take Simon and leave this house, quit my job, file for divorce through a lawyer, and start a new life in a place where no one could find us. I wouldn't commit suicide because I had a son.
My feet were numb, causing me to limp, but I didn't care. As I walked out of the house, I heard the terrified gasps of Nathan and Katniss behind me, still motionless. Outside, the sky was dark, with the faint moonlight illuminating the blurry path ahead. The cold wind brushed against me, but I didn't feel awake. I was so tired, I just wanted to rest. I felt like a lost soul, wandering aimlessly, unable to find the gate to the yard, walking on flat ground, the weeds reaching my waist.
"Honey, listen to me explain." As I walked, I heard a soft voice behind me, along with light footsteps.
I turned back coldly and saw Katniss running towards me, holding her wedding dress, the train dragging on the ground. I noticed she wasn't wearing shoes, having kicked them off in her haste. If she had worn heels, she wouldn't have been able to catch up to me. She must have been too anxious, not even taking off her wedding dress properly, just running towards me barefoot. After a glance, I continued walking forward. Perhaps I had spent too long behind the curtain, as my legs and feet hadn't fully regained circulation, lacking sensation.
"Honey, don't do anything stupid, wait for me, listen to me explain." Katniss's voice behind me sounded urgent, but due to her bare feet and the ground covered in weeds and branches, her feet might have been cut.
Do something stupid? Why would I do something stupid? To help you two? I wanted to laugh - was I supposed to commit suicide under pressure? I wasn't that extreme. But as I walked, I unexpectedly found myself at the cliff to the left of Nathan's house. It wasn't exactly a cliff, just a steep edge of the island, about 26 feet above the river. I had warned Simon not to come here when he used to play around, but now, wandering aimlessly through the woods, I had somehow ended up here. It was purely coincidental.
Looking up at the dark sky, with only a partially visible moon, I felt like a wild wolf howling at the moon, but without the strength to howl. Did God lead me here to die? Although I felt deserving of death, why did I choose this outcome? No wonder Katniss thought I was going to do something stupid, as I had unknowingly walked to the edge of the cliff.
Realizing I had reached the cliff's edge with no way forward, I had to turn back. Katniss, holding her wedding dress, barefoot, was running towards me, with Nathan not far behind her. Katniss's figure was getting closer, tears in her eyes, blood possibly staining her feet from the cuts. Nathan's figure behind Katniss became clearer, showing only anxiety. He limped towards us, one foot in a slipper, the other bare, perhaps having lost the slipper in his haste.
I really didn't want to see them, but I had to retrace my steps as there was a cliff ahead. Oh God, are you playing a trick on me, leading me unknowingly to the cliff's edge? I prepared to turn away from the cliff, but at that moment, I felt dizzy. Emotionally overwhelmed, exhausted from the night without food, my legs and feet still numb from lack of circulation. I stumbled forward. Everything went black before I could turn back, and I fell sideways off the cliff.
I want to clarify that I didn't intend to jump off the cliff. I didn't want to die. I reached out to grab onto the grass and cliff edge, but my hands had no strength. I fell into the icy river, then everything went black. Just before losing consciousness, I saw Katniss falling off the cliff too, smiling faintly at me. Her smile held so much - regret, nostalgia, love, and a hint of relief. Everything in my vision slowly enlarged, then disappeared, and all sensation faded away.
I felt like a ghost, drifting aimlessly, without a place. My body seemed to split into two parts - one lying in bed, my physical body, and the other floating in the air, my consciousness. I could feel the heartbeat and breath of the body on the bed. Doctors were frantically trying to save that body, with an oxygen mask and bandages on the head. What was happening? Had I died? I remembered falling off the cliff and losing consciousness. I tried to speak but couldn't. Doctors and nurses could pass through my body as if I were transparent, intangible, invisible to others. Was I on the brink of death? Was I in a state of soul?
I glanced at my body on the bed, then floated towards the door of the ward. I tried to open the door, but my hand couldn't grasp the handle. My body floated through the door effortlessly. In the hospital corridor, I saw Nathan and Katniss looking haggard. Nathan was supporting Katniss, his clothes changed, and Katniss was no longer in a wedding dress but in patient attire. Nathan was helping Katniss, speaking to the doctor. I leaned in to listen.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
