Nathan cried in the café for a long time until his tears ran dry, then stood up with red–rimmed eyes.
He staggered to the door, shivering as the cold wind hit him.
I followed Nathan outside, watching him stand by the roadside like a lost soul, unsure of where to go.
After a long while, he pulled out his phone.
His finger hovered over the screen for ages before finally dialing
Maria’s number.
Maria’s artificially gentle voice came through the phone: “Nathan, where are you? I’ve been looking for you forever.”
Nathan took a deep breath and said hoarsely, “Maria, come over. We need to talk.”
Maria asked, “Talk about what? Is there news about Caroline?”
Nathan said, “You’ll find out when you get here.”
Without waiting for Maria’s response, he hung up directly.
Nathan found a park bench and sat down, staring blankly at the fallen leaves on the ground.
1l floated beside him, able to see the emptiness in his eyes. 21:23
Before long, Maria drove over.
She hurried up to Nathan and asked with a smile, “Nathan, what’s wrong? Did you find Caroline? The police called me again asking about the situation.”
“Caroline is dead.” Nathan interrupted her, his voice flat and emotionless.
Maria suddenly stopped in her tracks, a flash of joy crossing her expression.
But quickly, she became anxious: “She’s dead? How could that be? What do we do now? No one can take the blame for me anymore!”
Nathan looked at her, the warmth in his eyes gradually disappearing.
He said, “She took the blame for you and got fired from the hospital. After getting out of prison, she was cornered in an alley by the family from that medical malpractice case and stabbed thirteen times. That’s how she died. Maria, she died because of you.”
But Maria seemed not to hear his words, only saying anxiously, “Even if she’s dead, it doesn’t solve the problem! The police investigation is getting more intense. You need to think of something! Let’s find someone else to take the blame for me, or just forge evidence!”
2/4
21:23
“Maria!” Nathan suddenly raised his voice. “She’s dead! Don’t
Maria was stunned for a moment, then put on a regretful
expression and sighed, “Of course I feel guilty. After all, I knew her. But now isn’t the time to talk about this, Nathan. We need to protect ourselves first!”
“Knew her?” Nathan laughed, laughing so hard tears almost came out. “That’s not what you said on the phone just now.”
He stared into Maria’s eyes and said coldly, “You said they had to find Caroline, afraid I’d break up with you and go looking for her. You also said you wanted to kill her.”
Maria’s face instantly turned pale.
Her lips trembled, and realizing she could no longer pretend, she simply stopped acting.
Maria suddenly laughed, nodding carelessly, “Yes, I said those things. So what? Nathan, I’ve had enough! As long as Caroline was alive, there would always be a place for her in your heart. We’re the ones who were first loves, we’re the ones who belong together. What right did that fired loser have to come between us? You said you loved me, said you’d always stay by my side. But when you were with me, you were always spacing out for no reason. You think I didn’t know? Now that she’s dead, it’s perfect!”
Maria suddenly raised her voice, her face twisted with
excitement: “Nathan, no one can stand in our way anymore. We can start fresh.”
3/4
Suddenly, a crisp slap interrupted her words.
21:23
obvious red mark immediately.
He said, “Maria, you disgust me.”
Maria covered her face, glaring at him viciously: “Nathan, don’t be so shameless. You think you’re so clean? If you hadn’t forced Caroline to take the blame, would she have died? You’re just as selfish and vicious as I am!”
Nathan ignored her and turned to leave.
Suddenly, he stopped, and with his back to Maria, said word by word: “Maria, I’m going to make you pay for this.”
