Chapter 14
Six months later, he was discharged from the hospital. Despite the scars marking his body, once he slipped into his tailored suit, he was once again the renowned and highly successful Young Mr. Harrison.
Throughout his recovery, Yvonne had stayed in touch.
“Did you dream of Tia Clark again last night?” she asked, her voice deliberately calm and soothing. Nathan gave her a peculiar look.
“Yes,” he replied, setting down his cup of warm milk. “She tried to kill me, to take me away. I agreed, but Tia Clark always relented at the last minute.”
His delusions hadn’t diminished at all. He still believed Tia Clark was real, and Yvonne had learned to go along with his stories. Otherwise, Nathan would refuse to cooperate.
“Have you ever wondered why Victoria isn’t in your dreams?” Yvonne continued. “According to you, both Victoria and Tia Clark are burdens you carry. Why is it only Tia Clark who troubles you?”
Nathan was stumped by her question. After a long pause, he muttered, “I deserve to die.”
He was always difficult to communicate with. Yvonne had grown accustomed to this dynamic. After all, Nathan wasn’t a danger to others, not to the extent that he needed to be institutionalized. The best she could do was prescribe medication to help him cope.
This suited Nathan perfectly. He had no intention of resolving his inner turmoil. He just wanted the medication to numb him enough to get through his work.
To outsiders, Nathan was the epitome of success. Only he knew that the money he earned wasn’t nearly enough. Three years ago, just before Tia Clark died, she made a significant donation to a charitable project. That commitment was one of the two reasons he worked so hard.
He had already donated a lot of money, but it was never enough.
Nathan grabbed his bag of medication and got into his car. His phone chimed with a message from his college alumni group: “This Sunday, we’re having an eight–year reunion in town. Everyone’s invited!”
He had zero interest in attending. He deleted the message and drove to the cemetery.
The Harrison family had insisted that Tia Clark’s grave be kept separate from Victoria’s. Nathan didn’t argue. Instead, he found a nearby headstone where the two sisters could be close enough to “talk” to each other. Taking a seat on the ground, he uncorked a bottle of whiskey.
“Sis,” Nathan said, his expression lost and searching, “can you ask Tia Clark when she’ll finally let me die?”
On the headstone, Victoria’s carefree smile captured her in her happiest college days.
Nathan was now in his thirties.
Kingsbury City’s winter was as cold as a refrigerator. Nathan had managed to sleep peacefully through the night for once, waking naturally at eleven.
The downside of his medication was that he could only wake up naturally, but fortunately, there was no pressing business today. Remembering Yvonne’s advice about connecting with nature to improve his mental state, Nathan scoffed at the idea, yet couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.
Apart from the psychologist he had known for three years, he had no friends or confidants. Perhaps he should take her advice to make her job a bit easier.
Rummaging through his wardrobe, Nathan realized that since Tia Clark’s death, there was no one to lay out a suitable outfit for different occasions. Whether attending a grand business gala or a simple day at work, he could only pick a basic, foolproof suit to get by.
Today, he opted for a down parka and cargo pants, an ensemble that wasn’t exactly coherent. But his tall
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Chapter 14
frame made it passable.
There were plenty of parks around, and Nathan randomly chose the furthest one. He wasn’t in the mood for a day out, but driving with soft music playing was a rare solace. The hour–long drive wasn’t too long, yet he’d gone through the playlist more than once, music Tia Clark had loved,
Tia Clark had always been prone to motion sickness, so Nathan was careful never to brake suddenly. The glove compartment always held sour candies for her. At a red light, he reached over, opened the glove box, and popped a candy into his mouth, finding some peace in the process.
The sound of his teeth crunching the candy was interrupted by a gentle jolt from behind. In the rearview mirror, he saw a young woman on a scooter, her face pale with fear as she looked at the back of his car.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she stammered, tears welling in her eyes. Nathan glanced at the scratch–his Panamera was still the car he had bought years ago. He shrugged it off.
The girl caught up to him, her voice breaking, “I’ll pay for the damages. Please, let me have your contact info.” She was so young, reminding him of Tia Clark in her college days, navigating the cold mornings of Kingsbury City to go far for her tutoring job. Nathan shook his head, “No need.”
The girl insisted, but Nathan knew repairing the paint would cost at least three grand. Growing impatient, he hit the gas and drove off.
In the northern winter, the trees were bare, leaving little reason for children to play in the parks. Yet as Nathan entered, he heard the distant sound of laughter.
He glanced over, uninterested, and continued walking away.
Chapter 15
