Chapter 404 Sooner or Later, Death Awaits
The sudden commotion was quite loud, and in an instant, everyone looked towards Tristan.
Katniss, who had walked to the door, stopped and turned back to look at Tristan, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"I'm full, I'm going back to my room," Tristan said coldly, turning around and slowly walking into the house.
In an instant, Katniss felt a pang in her heart. She pursed her lips, turned around, and pulled Samuel along, "Let's go."
Through a small door, Tristan entered the house and stood by the dark window, watching as Katniss and Samuel walked far away.
He could vaguely see their figures leaning against each other and hear their laughter.
The long night dragged on, and Tristan sat on the steps outside the house, bathed in the orange light above him.
He held a cigarette between his fingers, with a few cans of beer beside him, his deep eyes staring blankly into the distance.
Nicholas and Emory stood at the gate, watching him for quite a while.
Nicholas, with his hands in his pockets, leaned against the door frame and nudged Emory's foot. "Should we go and talk to him?"
"How?" Emory retorted, "Tell him that sooner or later, everyone dies, and being able to see your wife marry someone else before you die is a kind of luck?"
Nicholas almost choked on his words, "If I ever encounter something heartbreaking, stay away from me."
This kind of consolation could drive someone to despair.
The two of them watched Tristan from a distance, afraid that something might happen to him tonight.
Katniss couldn't sleep either. Watching Evie sleep soundly, her thoughts were all over the place. She looked at the crescent moon hanging in the sky outside the window, her mind wandering far away.
In the middle of the night, a mass of dark clouds and strong winds arrived, and suddenly it started to rain heavily, pounding on the glass.
The wind made the branches creak, and the sound of breaking could be heard intermittently.
Suddenly, someone knocked on Katniss's door. She got up to open it, and Samuel stood a short distance away.
"I just got a call from the airline. Tomorrow afternoon's flight is canceled. The sudden storm is expected to stop by tomorrow," Samuel said.
Can't leave? Katniss showed no expression, "Got it."
Samuel looked at her clear eyes and asked, "Haven't slept at all?"
Katniss shook her head, "No, the wind and rain kept me awake."
"But the wind and rain only started half an hour ago, and it's already 2:30 AM," Samuel pointed out, "Nicholas and Emory aren't here, you can speak frankly."
It wasn't that she couldn't speak frankly, but she kept thinking about Tristan's back as he turned away today.
She couldn't shake it off, and her words were somewhat absent-minded.
"Probably, Tristan's wedding won't happen tomorrow," Samuel added, "So you don't have to be too sad."
"I'm not sad," Katniss said, "Not only am I not sad, but tomorrow I will go and offer my condolences."
Katniss kept her word.
The next day, the heavy rain continued for most of the day.
Not to mention holding a wedding, it was hard to even step outside. Evie leaned against the window, watching the raindrops outside, babbling incomprehensibly, wanting to go out and play in the water.
But with the rain, Katniss could only play with her indoors, which was exhausting. Sometimes she had to hold her, sometimes take her to the window to watch the rain.
She would occasionally point outside.
In the evening, the rain finally stopped, and a rainbow appeared under the setting sun.
Katniss cleaned up the dirty things and muddy water blown into the yard, letting Evie ride her tricycle outside.
Suddenly, she received a call from Nicholas. When she answered, he said concisely, "The heavy rain caused a mudslide, collapsing the Nguyen family's house. Tristan's leg is injured, and he's being treated in town."
Nicholas had thought long and hard before deciding to call Katniss.
Not long after the rain stopped, the soil behind the Nguyen house showed signs of collapsing, so the Nguyen family had to evacuate urgently.
During the evacuation, the collapse caused Tristan's injury. By the time Nicholas called Katniss, more than two hours had passed.
When he called, Tristan hadn't woken up yet. After the call, he returned to find that Tristan had woken up.
"Where did you go?" Emory asked.
Nicholas said, "I called Katniss. She's on her way, probably very worried."
Hearing this, Tristan glanced at him, seemingly blaming him for making the call.
But in the end, he said nothing.
They waited in the hospital room until it got dark.
The atmosphere was tense, and neither Nicholas nor Emory turned on the lights.
Until the sudden ringing of a phone eased the tension, Nicholas pulled out his phone and said, "It must be Katniss, asking which room we're in. Turn on the light, so she can see Tristan when she arrives."
He joked a bit, answered the phone, and turned on the light.
"What plane ticket... a plane ticket back to Velvet City... no need to book for us. Are you still leaving? When? The airline is pre-selling flights three days from now, but whether they can fly depends on the weather. Go ahead and book, Emory and I will wait two more days..."
After a few more words, he hung up.
He turned around to see Tristan and Emory both looking at him.
He pressed his tongue against his cheek and said, "I was right, it was Katniss."
"No, I called on impulse, thinking she should know you were hurt. But you have amnesia, and you're marrying someone else today. It's normal for Katniss not to come, right?"
Nicholas began to explain his earlier excitement, also trying to console Tristan.
Tristan lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
"Alright, your leg is injured, so rest well. She's not a doctor, her coming won't help," Emory glared at Nicholas.
Wasn't this giving hope only to extinguish it? Calling Katniss was completely unnecessary.
They left the room to buy dinner and started arguing as soon as they stepped out.
"Who told you to call Katniss?"
"I was just anxious. I thought Tristan would be happier to see her."
"He can't show his happiness even if he feels it!"
"I didn't think that far. It's just a reflex. Anything related to Tristan has to involve Katniss, or it feels incomplete..."
Their voices grew more distant.
In the hospital room, Tristan sat on the bed, grabbed his phone from the bedside, and opened Facebook.
He had later created a new Facebook account and added Katniss.
But he had never spoken to her, always remaining a silent presence in her friend list.
And she was the only person in his Facebook friends list.
Five minutes ago, Katniss had posted a photo of Evie playing with Samuel.
Evie's bright smile was particularly piercing, making his heart ache.
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