Chapter 400 He Also Doesn't Know What to Do with Her
Katniss raised her hand, her fingertips gently sliding down his brow, across his straight nose, and over his thin lips.
"They said you fell into the sea, but I didn't believe it at all. You wouldn't do something so impulsive and foolish. You still have me and Evie. You wouldn't leave us."
Her lips parted slightly as she spoke softly, pouring out all the words she wanted to say to him, "But they told me you were injected with experimental drugs by Duke, so that's why you did it, right? Were the things you said before going to Pearlhaven your way of saying goodbye to me? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth?"
Tears fell from Katniss's eyes, wetting her long hair as she clung to Tristan's arm, crying like a child.
The emotions and grievances she had suppressed for so long burst out in an instant.
"If I had told you the truth, would you have let me go?" Tristan wiped the crystalline tears from the corner of her eyes with his thumb.
She shook her head, tears falling even more fiercely, "I just want you to come back..."
Tristan clenched his jaw, wishing he could hold her in his arms.
"Don't cry, I'm back." He coaxed her softly, not caring at the moment how much she had drunk or whether she would remember his visit the next day.
He bent down and kissed her forehead.
"You're not back... You don't recognize me, you've forgotten me, and you're going to marry another woman."
She turned to the side, holding his hand, murmuring, finally unable to resist the drunkenness brought by the alcohol, and began to drift off.
Tristan remained motionless, letting her hold his arm as she gradually quieted down.
He saw the red spots on her back, some of which had already broken the skin and looked particularly gruesome.
When he first arrived here, he also had allergies and felt terrible, even with daily ointment application.
He didn't know how she had endured it.
He took the ointment from the bedside table, lifted her shirt, and gently applied a layer to her back.
The window in the room was still open, and the cold, damp air kept blowing in, making her hair messy.
After applying the ointment, Tristan got up to close the window, covered her with a blanket, and walked out, but when he reached the door, he couldn't resist and came back, sitting on the edge of her bed.
He didn't dare to touch her, just sat there watching her. Her face had become thinner, and her lips had lost much of their color.
Even in her sleep, she frowned, not sleeping peacefully, even after drinking.
His heart ached as if it were bleeding; just watching her made his heart throb with pain.
He didn't know what to do with her.
And she didn't know what to do with him either!
As the sky gradually brightened, sunlight streamed through the window, shining on Katniss's face.
Her long eyelashes trembled twice, the familiar scent lingering around her nose, and her hands tightly held onto something warm.
She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, startling Evie, who was sitting beside her, into a shiver.
"What are you doing?" Emory, seeing that Evie was frightened, quickly picked her up. "You scared her."
Katniss's breathing was a bit rapid, the feeling that Tristan was right beside her was too real, too real to be a dream.
She turned her head, her probing gaze fixed on Emory.
Emory said, "Why did you sleep so soundly today? I was worried something might have happened to you, so I came up to check. Evie saw you and didn't want to leave, so I stayed a bit longer."
As he spoke, he turned and walked away with Evie in his arms, "Breakfast is ready, come down quickly."
His figure disappeared at the door.
Katniss lowered her eyes, looked at her hands, hesitated for a while, then got out of bed and picked up the wine bottles on the floor.
But she saw a shallow footprint on the floor, only the front part visible.
She couldn't determine the size of the foot, but it wasn't hers.
Emory couldn't have come so close to her bed.
Her eyes flickered, and she noticed that the cap of the ointment on the bedside table wasn't closed.
As if remembering something, she touched her back, not feeling the usual dry, itchy sensation.
It felt similar to the first time she applied ointment to the spots on her arm.
After tidying up, she went downstairs and took Evie from Emory's arms.
Sitting at the dining table, she ate in silence, which left Nicholas and Emory dumbfounded.
The two exchanged glances, feeling guilty, wondering if she had discovered something.
But Katniss ate her food very calmly.
Emory nudged Nicholas, who then spoke up, "It's only a few days until Tristan and Maddy's wedding."
"I know." Katniss interrupted him, "You don't have to keep reminding me."
"We're just worried you'll feel bad seeing it," Nicholas said earnestly, "When the person you love is marrying someone else, who wouldn't feel bad? So I think you should..."
"I don't feel bad." Katniss put down her utensils, interrupting him again, "I've thought it through. You're right, if he wants to marry, let him marry. Forcing him to come back doesn't mean I can force him not to marry. Why should I torture myself?"
For a moment, the dining room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Nicholas looked at Emory, his mouth twitching slightly as he asked in a low voice, "Have you thought it through?"
Katniss nodded, "I've thought it through. I even regret investing in this place, but since the construction has already started, there's no turning back. Samuel is coming tomorrow. Once he confirms the project and the shareholders agree to invest, I'll go back."
Emory slapped the table, "That's right! I knew you were sensible, Katniss. You wouldn't be so stubborn. When you go back, I'll introduce you to a good man. As Evie's godfather, I'll make sure she has a qualified stepfather."
"No, don't say that," Nicholas nudged Emory.
"What did I say wrong?" Emory pushed him away, wanting to say more, but Nicholas dragged him out.
Once outside, Emory complained, "Why did you push me? Our plan worked, didn't it?"
Nicholas flicked his forehead. "What are you thinking? At least wait until Tristan is dead before introducing someone to her. Otherwise, with her current status, if she gets married, it will cause a huge commotion. Do you think Tristan can stand that?"
Katniss said she had thought it through, and in the afternoon, Nicholas and Emory brought this news to Tristan.
The two were excitedly discussing, guessing that last night's drunken episode had sobered Katniss up.
Or maybe Katniss had given up, thinking Tristan was a cripple and not worth it.
Tristan was far from happy. His eyes darkened as he continued to work on the small wooden toy for Evie.
The group chatted in the yard, while Maddy and Delbert watched from inside.
"Dad, aren't we supposed to have a big feast three days before the wedding?" Maddy asked.
Delbert nodded, "Yes, people will start arriving tomorrow. We need to clean up the yard."
Maddy lowered her voice, "If Katniss's project succeeds, she'll be a benefactor to our village. Should we invite her to join the celebration tomorrow?"
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