âYouâre grateful to him only because he saved you, but we are husband and wife. Youâre confused, and I canât afford to be confused alongside you,â Nathaniel said, looking straight ahead without any expression on his face, his voice calm and unrippled, âMoreover, you should be clear that thereâs no future between you and him.â
Purple Summers couldnât understand.
She stared at Nathaniel blankly, completely at a loss as to what he was trying to achieve. Was this self-torture?
âWhat are you thinking?â she asked him, âYou know very well that I donât love you.â
Nathanielâs breathing paused slightly.
Of course, he knew; he had always knownâ¦
Purple continued, âWouldnât it be better to let go? Youâre young, attractive, and wealthy; you could easily find a girl you like and start a new life. Why must you trap yourself in the past? Nathaniel, you are tormenting yourself, do you realize that?â
Nathaniel remained silent, his expression inscrutable, his eyes dark and brooding.
He said nothing, so Purple continued, âBesides, it was you who didnât respect our marriage from the beginning. You betrayed me! Whatâs the use of acting so devoted now that Iâm dead? Nathaniel, Iâm already dead! We canât go back to the past. Your clinging to me only annoys me!â
Purple Summers was blunt, not softening her words at all. Phrase by phrase, like a knife stabbing into Nathanielâs heart, she aimed to make him give up hope and despair completely.
Nathaniel gripped the steering wheel tightly but didnât lose his temper.
âOne day⦠you will understand,â his voice was low, desperately suppressing the emotion, âRight now, you think Iâm being unreasonable, but in the future, you will realize that Iâm trying to save you!â
Purple Summers felt irritated as if no matter what she said, she couldnât get to the heart of the matter.
The words she spoke, Nathaniel wouldnât listen to, and the words Nathaniel spoke, she couldnât understand.
This feeling drove her crazy.
The conversation ended inconclusively. Purple returned to the school, while Nathaniel headed to the train station.
He didnât say where he was going, and Purple didnât ask. She didnât want to show Nathaniel even the slightest bit of kindness, to avoid any misunderstanding that might lead to romantic fantasies on his part.
Purple Summers felt being heartless was actually kinder to him.
â¦
Nathaniel drove to the train station.
He thought he would be in turmoil, but in fact, his heart was extremely calm the entire way, as quiet as the grave.
Purple Summers wanted him to let go and to start over.
He knew more than anyone that clinging to the past was meaningless. But how could anyone accept their life being torn to shreds?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
From the moment he learned of Jade Carlsonâs death, he knew who the enemy was.
At that time, his only thought was to confront her!âHe wanted her to see Alexander Summersâ treachery, to see how terrifying Alexander really was!
It had to be Alexanderâs doing; otherwise, why would Jade have been silenced?!
But⦠what then, after confronting her?
Nathaniel was lost.
He realized he had no power against the Howard Family and was as insignificant as an ant without the slightest weight.
Even after confronting her, he wasnât completely sure he could bring her back to his side.
Even if he risked his life, he couldnât reverse or repair the damage; he was powerless. That was the saddest part.
Nathaniel thought for a long time.
In terms of power, he couldnât match Alexander; in terms of affection, he had already lost his chance; in terms of cunning, he was no match for Alexander either.
There was only one path left for himâ¦
The one and only path he could strive for, which also happened to be the crux of everything: this absurd practice of bringing the dead back to life through possession.