17

The next morning, they stood at the bustling train station, Elsa clutching her briefcase, looking lost. She had never traveled by train before and wasn’t happy about it now. When she first heard about this trip, she had kicked up a fuss, but Knox, with Dad’s unwavering support, had won. Begrudgingly, she had to relent.

Frowning, she repeated the same question for the thousandth time.

“Doctor, where are we going that even a plane doesn’t fly to?”

“Wherever it is, you’ll be happy once we’re there.”

“Are you trying to set me up with some village hunk?” Her eyes narrowed, filled with suspicion. Knox just laughed.

“No one can win your heart, Elsa. Instead, I’m taking you to be enchanted by nature’s beauty. Trust me, you’ll come back changed.”

She couldn’t help but doubt his sanity. Trees? Plants? Forests? It all sounded ridiculous. She spun away, muttering to herself.

“Am I seriously going with this lunatic just to see some trees and plants? How did Dad trust him so quickly? First meeting, and they’re already sending me off with him?”

As she walked away, Knox tried calling after her, but in the crowded station, she didn’t hear him over the noise. The place was chaotic; people were jostling to move forward.

“Such ignorant people,” she muttered, eyeing a man smoking a cigarette with disgust. Wrapping her scarf tightly around her nose, she managed to get away from the crowd and took a deep breath, relieved.

“Where are you going?” Knox grabbed her arm, and she stumbled to the ground.

“God, is the apocalypse here?” she groaned, struggling to free her hands.

“The train has arrived, and you were about to walk right out of the station.”

“Oh, it’s here?” she asked, a bit too gleefully. The sooner they got on, the sooner she could be done with it.

“It’s here, and it’s leaving now!” Knox shouted as the train's whistle blew, signaling its departure. The cars began to move, and Knox anxiously ran a hand through his hair.

“What now?” She glanced at him, pausing at the sight of his tense expression.

“I am not boarding a moving train, Dr. Knox! You can go to hell—and take Dad with you. I’m leaving.”

Before she could storm off, Knox swiftly grabbed her arm. “Hell can wait, but right now, you’re coming with me,” he grinned, clearly satisfied with himself.

“No way…” As she hesitated, a vision flashed in her mind.

“Be ready, Anna.” The voice came from the blurry border between her imagination and reality. Around her, everything seemed distant, dreamlike. She was no longer at the station; she was running with Knox, but Joseph’s face haunted her vision. Why was she seeing Joseph instead of Knox?

Knox reached the train, letting go of her hand. Elsa stared down at her now-empty palm.

“Don’t go, Joseph…” Her voice caught in her throat. For the first time, she felt Joseph’s presence—awake and real—or maybe she was the one who wasn’t fully awake. It all felt surreal, like she was trapped in a dream.

Knox, now aboard the train, reached out his hand to her.

“Nothing will happen, Anna,” the same voice echoed in her ears. Without hesitation, she gave Knox her hand, and he pulled her inside. Leaning her head against his chest, she felt a wave of exhaustion.

“This isn’t first class, you know. These people throw rocks at couples like us,” Knox whispered near her ear, jolting her back to reality. She quickly pushed him away.

“Ugh, stop with the nonsense!” Knox’s laughter was spontaneous.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come so easily.”

“Joseph…” The name escaped her lips as memories rushed back. She turned toward the window.

“You’ll fall,” Knox warned, coming closer.

“Joseph was just here, Doctor. I swear I saw him.”

“Do you recognize him? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No, I don’t know him by face. It’s just… I feel like he’s taken your place.” She shook her head, silencing herself.

“That’s why you hopped on so quickly?” A hint of sadness crept into Knox’s voice.

“Yeah.” For the first time, she admitted to herself that her faith in Joseph had been blind.

“So, if I told you to jump off this train, you’d do it?” Knox teased with a laugh, clearly mocking her. Elsa shot him a furious glare and marched deeper into the train.

“Stay with me! You don’t know these places,” he called out, but she didn’t stop. With a resigned shrug, he followed.

At 2 AM, they arrived at the station, the pitch-black night masking their surroundings. The place was eerily dark, and Knox turned on his phone’s flashlight.

“Where are the streetlights? Why is it so dark?” Elsa stepped closer, unnerved by the distant barking of dogs.

“If Joseph were here, would you still be scared?” Knox’s voice held a teasing smile.

“Why do you keep bringing him up? Your job is to make me forget him, not remind me!”

Just then, she felt as though Joseph was right there with them. She blinked into the darkness, but no one appeared.

“Sometimes, you need to remember someone completely before you can forget them,” Knox said cryptically, earning him a silent label of “Dr. Psycho” in her mind.

“How much further? My feet are killing me.”

“Heels weren’t made for this terrain,” Knox replied, stopping to hand her his phone. “Take them off.”

“I’m not walking barefoot on this rocky ground!” she protested.

“Fine, then I’ll carry them.” He crouched down, pulling off her shoes.

“No, Joseph… I’ll walk, even in heels. We must be close by now.”

“Knox,” he corrected her, but the slip didn’t go unnoticed. He saw the distant look in her eyes, the way she kept calling him Joseph.

“Still got 14 kilometers to go.”

“What? Are you insane?! We’ve been walking forever! I can’t go any further.”

“If the train hadn’t been late, we’d have arrived in daylight. But here we are.”

“Oh my God… what have I gotten myself into?”

“Are you taking off the heels or not?”

Reluctantly, Elsa slipped into his shoes, her pride bruised as he continued walking in socks. The road stretched ahead of them, dark and silent.