Chapter 12
Six months later, Arthur was discharged from the hospital. His body was marked with countless scars, but once he slipped into his suit, he transformed back into. the legendary, battle hardened Co
Christine had stayed in constant contact with him.
“you dreamed of Cindy again last night, didn’t you?” she asked, keeping her tone as gentle and calm as possible.
Arthur gave her a puzzled look.
“yeah,” he replied, setting his glass of milk down. “She wanted to kill me and take me with her. I agreed, but every time, Cindy would soften at the last moment.
His delusiom hadn’t shown any signs of fading. Every time, he was certain Cindy was real, and Christine İsad no choice but to play along. Otherwise, Arthur would immediately shut down and refuse to cooperate.
“Yeah, but have you ever thought about why Winter’s not there? From what you’ve told me, both Winter and Cindy’s deaths are on your conscience. So, why does only Cindy keep coming to haunt you?”.
Arthur seemed taken aback by the questions.
He was quiet for a long time before quickly muttering, “I deserve to die.”
Arthur had always been hard to communicate with, and Christine had learned to accept it. After all, he wasn’t dangerous–not to the point of needing forced
confinement so the best she could do was prescribe him medication
That was exactly what he wanted. He had no desire to unravel the lots in his heart. All he wanted was to dull the pain just enough to get through his work
To the outside world, Arthur was the picture of success and achievement. But only he knew the money he was mulong now was nowhere near enough
Three years ago, before Cindy passed away, she had made a donation to charity- an act that became one of the two driving forces behind his relentless work. He had already given away a fortune, but it wasn’t enough.
Arthur camed the bag of medication to his car. As he settled into the driver’s seat, his phone chimed softly. It was a message in the group chat, sent by the college
student representative
“We’re having a reunion to celebrate eight years since graduation this Sunday. Come join us if you’re in town!”
He couldn’t care less. Without a second thought, be deleted the message and drove to the cemetery.
The Forsyths had refused to let Cindy’s grave be placed beside Winter’s. Arthur hadn’t argued imtead, he chose the closest available plot, letting the two best friends test pear enough to keep each other company. ⠀⠀
He sank to the ground, a bottle of liquor in hand. A dazed look clouded his face
Winter, ask Cindy for me. How much longer before she lets me die?” he murmured.
On the Tombstone, Winter’s photo seniled back at him–bright, carefree, forever frozen in the happiest days of her college life. Arthur, meanwhile, was well i
his 30s
Winter in Jorleston was as bitterly cold, Forence, Arthur had slept soundly last night, and by the time he woke up, it was already 11:00 am
He shut off the alarm and rolled out of bed. His medication made it so he could only wake up on his own, but luckily, there was nothing urgent on his schedule that
day.
Arthur thought back to what Christine had suggested yesterday–spending more time reconnecting with nature might do him some good. He scotted at the idea, though he had nowhere else to go.
Aside from the psychiatrist that he’d been sering for three years, there wasn’t really anyone he could confide in. Maybe if he followed her advice more often, it would make her job a little easier.
Arthur naimaged through his wardrobe, searching for something to wear
Ever since Cindy’s death, there had been no one around to help him put together a proper outfit for any occasion. Whether it was a high–profile business banquet or just another workday, he stuckto simple, foolproof combinations to get by.
For instance, he wore a pudiet jacket with cargo pants that day. The pairing wasn’t exactly seamless, but his tall frame made it work well enough
Jorleston was full of parks, big and small. Arthur pulled up his GPS and randomly chose the farthest one. He wasn’t heading out tot leisure he had no real interest in that—but at least the drive, with soft music playing in the background, gave him something to focus on
The drive walt especially long about an hour — but his playlist had already played through once by the time he arrived. It was filled with songs Cindy had loved,
he had always been prone to ceskless, su Arthur was careful never to brake too hard. The glove compartment in the passenger seat was always stocked with
At a red light, be partied over, Hipped the compartment open, and popped one into his mouth. The nagging restlessness that had been gnawing at him finally mated. He bil down on the candy, crunchling it between his teeth.
Jefore he started driving again, he felt a light bump from behind. Glancing in the raw into, be spotted a young woman on an electric scooter, her face pale with parar as the stand at the back of his car.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears..
Arthur was still driving the Game Panamera from a few years ago. Ite barely looked at the scratch befour sliding back into his seat, unfazed.
The young wolpan raught up to him, her voice buraking with tears. “I’ll pay for the damage. Please, let me have your contact information.”
She was so young, and something about her reminded Arthur of Cruly in their college days – luw she used to weave through the cold momings in Jodeston, traveling far to work as a tutor
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The shook his head istm
She kept insisting, but the knew painting the scratch would cost at least 30 thousand, Growing impatient, he pressed the accelerator and drove off. Wizim in the north had stripped the trees of their leaves, leaving them bare and exposed.
The park was usually quieter this season, with fewer kids around, but as Arthur stepped inside, he was met with laughter and chatter. He glanced toward the noise from a distanor, then walked away, uninterested.
