Chapter 14
Could he… see her?
Scarlett stood frozen, holding her breath as she stared at Nathaniel.
But after a moment of looking at her strangely, Nathaniel released her hand and said to Riley:
“It’s nothing.”
Scarlett stepped back instinctively, sighing with relief. He… hadn’t noticed.
She looked at Nathaniel, pressing her lips together. Had he really not seen her?
She wanted to ask, but Nathaniel had closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
Scarlett was silent for a moment, not having the heart to wake him. She stood in the aisle briefly, and everyone who passed walked straight through her.
Looking at her palm, she could still feel the warmth of Nathaniel’s touch.
Deep in thought, she suddenly heard a cold voice behind her: “Move aside.”
Scarlett snapped back to reality, about to apologize when she froze.
Someone could see her!
She whirled around to see a man standing behind her. He was tall, wearing a long black coat.
His head was slightly lowered, the airplane’s white ceiling lights partially obscured by his hair.
Though she had never seen this man before, Scarlett clearly felt a gaze from those ice-cold eyes-forceful, brazen, penetrating-cutting through the air to envelop her.
“You…” Scarlett said, “You can see me?”
The man frowned impatiently, looking down at her with a voice as rich and smooth as aged whiskey.
“So? Are you planning to keep standing in the way?”
Scarlett flinched, instinctively stepping aside. The man brushed past her.
Her eyes followed his back until he sat in his seat and the divider blocked her view. Only then did she slowly turn away, her heart beating faster than normal.
This was the first time someone had seen her-a complete stranger, no less.
After the plane landed, a fine rain was falling outside.
Detective Marcus, Officer Jordan’s former colleague, came to pick them up. In the car, he asked, “Weren’t you two supposed to get married? Why are you back today?”
Riley’s voice caught. “It didn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Riley glanced at Nathaniel, her eyes reddening. “Because he doesn’t love me.”.
Detective Marcus paused but didn’t press further.
The car fell silent.
The strong scent of car air freshener filled the space, somewhat overwhelming. Nathaniel coughed lightly a few times.
Scarlett frowned. “If you can’t handle the smell, just open the window.”
The corner of Nathaniel’s mouth twitched upward slightly. He pressed his knuckles against his lips, coughing as he opened the window.
16:12
Chapter 14
Warm air rushed in. Detective Marcus glanced back at Nathaniel.
“When you two said you were getting married, I was surprised. But you seemed to want it, so I thought…”
He trailed off, knowing Nathaniel had been with Scarlett at the time.
“So are you planning to go back to your girlfriend now…?”
“No.” Nathaniel said quietly. “She’s… gone.”
Detective Marcus stiffened. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” Nathaniel gazed out the window. “Detective, do you think people have souls after death?”
Scarlett’s heart jumped as she stared at Nathaniel.
Detective Marcus laughed. “Aren’t you medical types supposed to be skeptical about that stuff? Why the sudden interest in the supernatural? Even if souls did exist, what would you do?”
Nathaniel smiled faintly. “I don’t know. What I want to do has never been my choice.”
“Like when she wanted to leave, I could never stop her.”
Scarlett corrected him: “You were the one who left first. I waited all night for you in that downpour.”
Rain pattered gently against the window. Nathaniel stared outside, suddenly ‘saying, “Please stop the car.”
Detective Marcus pulled over. Nathaniel opened the door and stepped out.
Scarlett watched his retreating figure, frowning, not particularly wanting to follow.
The car began moving again. She watched Nathaniel’s silhouette in the rearview mirror, pressing her lips together.
Half an hour later, Scarlett returned from the police station to find Nathaniel sitting on a bench by the roadside, the rain soaking his hair.
He had removed his coat and draped it over her urn, silently cradling her ashes in his arms, his expression blank.
She floated over to him. “Standing in the rain instead of going home-are you trying to get yourself killed? Soon my ashes will turn to soup.”
Nathaniel’s body moved slightly. He lowered his head, his wet bangs concealing his expression.
Scarlett moved in front of him, ready to scold him, but froze.
Because she saw Nathaniel crying, tears falling one by one from the corners of his eyes, mingling with the raindrops.
Scarlett’s heart clenched. “What’s wrong?”
After asking, she realized how foolish the question was-Nathaniel couldn’t possibly hear her.
But the next moment, she heard Nathaniel say softly:
“I thought you were just an illusion.”
