v
Chapter 18
When Fabian groggily woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
The two bowls of noodles on the table had long since clumped together, and the floor was scattered with overturned bottles of alcohol.
It was midsummer, and the noodles that had been left overnight, combined with the strong smell of alcohol, fermented together, creating an unbearable stench.
Fabian, however, seemed to be numb to it, as if he had become one with the dreadful environment of the room.
Days passed in a zombie–like state, but Fabian never received any news about Angelina.
Mrs. Carnegie, who had been shouting about calling the police, had stopped making noise. It seemed she had made some promise to Natalie, but no one knew what it was.
In Boston, however, both Fabian and the Carnegie family’s reputations had plummeted.
Unable to bear it any longer, Mrs. Carnegie, after failing multiple times to encourage Fabian to pull himself together, took him to see a psychologist.
But Fabian refused to cooperate with the treatment, and the results were minimal.
Once very disciplined when it came to smoking and drinking, Fabian had completely fallen into the grips of both vices since Angelina left over a month ago.
He tried to numb himself in this way, to make himself forget everything.
But only Fabian knew that it was all in vain.
He simply couldn’t think of any better way to cope.
“Angelina, you used to hate it when I smoked and drank… why don’t you come and stop me…?
25
“I miss you so much, please come back soon.”
Fabian kept drinking, and because he had overdone it and hadn’t rested properly in so long, he began to feel like he was hallucinating.
Otherwise, why would Angelina suddenly appear in front of him?
The figure before him grew closer and closer until it stopped just three steps away from him.
“Angelina” complained in a soft, spoiled tone, “Fabian, why did you drink so much? If you keep doing this, I’ll ignore you.”
Fabian’s calm face suddenly changed, and his eyes, which had once seemed as lifeless as stagnant water, now shone with a new light.
He reached out and pulled the “Angelina” standing in front of him into his arms, tightening his grip. Tears soaked the front of her clothes.
Afraid of holding her to and making her uncomfortable, yet terrified that if he
loosened his grip, she would disappear like in the countless dreams before, Fabian held her as if she were a treasure he had lost and found again.
“Angelina, it really is you, it’s really you, right? I’ve been looking for you, you finally came back to me.”
The girl gently stroked his back, her tone soft and coaxing.
“You’re so tired right now. Why don’t you rest a bit? I won’t leave.”
Fabian obediently got up, but his hand wouldn’t let go. He pulled “Angelina” into the bedroom.
Fabian felt as though he were in a beautiful dream.
But if Angelina was willing to return to him, what did it matter if it was a dream? Let him. never wake up, then.
Lying in bed, Fabian tightly held “Angelina” in his arms, fearing she would suddenly disappear.
“Angelina” squirmed uncomfortably in his embrace, and Fabian, feeling restless, began to
touch her.
When things were about to go further, a sudden clarity pierced through Fabian’s muddled mind.
When he saw that the person beneath him was a woman he didn’t recognize, a splitting headache hit him. He grabbed the woman’s neck and demanded, “Who are you?”
“Where’s Angelina? What did you do with my Angelina? She was just here a moment ago…
Under the influence of alcohol, Fabian had no idea how much strength he was using.
The girl beneath him struggled to get away, but Fabian seemed to hear nothing from the outside world.
Finally, the girl managed to reach the vase on the nightstand and smashed it over Fabian’s head. After the danger was averted, she gasped for air.
