He Mourned My Death, I Loved Another Man

Chapter 6

Matthew pressed a hand over the bruised needle mark on his arm and edged along the wall toward the door. His face was frighteningly pale, and with every step, he looked like he might collapse at any moment.

A passing nurse saw him and quickly came over. "Would you like some help getting to a resting area?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks."

The nurse had barely turned away when a hushed exclamation drifted over. "You should have seen it. When Justin woke up just now, his girlfriend ran into the office, so panicked that she was talking all over the place!"

"I know, right? She gave all that blood and still stayed by his side. Talk about being totally whipped!"

Matthew gave a cold, mocking smile, but as soon as he turned the corner, he ran straight into Dakota, who was carrying a food container.

He pretended not to see her and tried to walk around her, but she suddenly grabbed his wrist. "This is to help you recover," she said, holding out the insulated container, her tone as if she were granting him a favor. "Consider it compensation for saving Justin, though you hurt him."

"Compensation?" Matthew knocked her hand away, sending the hot chicken soup splashing all over the floor.

He stared at her with nothing but disgust in his eyes. "Anything you give me is too filthy. It makes me sick."

"Kota, Mr. Walsh..." Came Justin's timid voice from behind.

Dakota immediately let go of Matthew and rushed to Justin's side, her voice turning soft in an instant. "Why are you out of bed? Didn't the doctor tell you to stay lying down?"

"I came to thank Mr. Walsh." Justin's eyes were red, and as soon as he said that, he gave Matthew a deep bow. "Mr. Walsh, I know you're still angry with me, so you accidentally had someone hit me with a car, but Kota said you also..."

"Shut your mouth!" Matthew whipped his head around, his gaze as cold as ice. "If I really wanted to hit you, you'd be in the morgue by now! Only an i***t like her would fall for this act of yours."

Matthew glanced at Dakota, whose face had turned livid with anger, then turned and walked away without looking back.

*****

Over the next few days, Matthew didn't see either Dakota or Justin again, so he took the chance to finish packing his things.

When he dug out a box full of plane tickets from Elowen to Veyra, he froze for a moment.

Dakota used to say, "Every ticket means our love grows a little more." But looking at them now, all he felt was bitter irony.

He pulled out a lighter and had just lit one ticket when the door was shoved open.

Dakota spotted the pile of tickets and let out a mocking laugh. "I didn't know you were so sentimental. You still keep this kind of useless junk?"

A sharp sting shot through Matthew's heart, so he threw all the tickets into the fire. The flames flared up and burned every last trace of their past to ashes.

Dakota's hands, hanging at her sides, tightened slightly, and she said in a low voice, "Justin wants to go to the mountains to clear his head. You're coming with us."

"Do you really think I'd go anywhere with you?" Matthew sneered.

"You don't have a choice." She stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, and forced him into the car.

In the passenger seat, Justin turned around and put on a fake show of offering his seat. "Mr. Walsh, why don't you sit up here?"

"No, you stay where you are." Dakota took Justin's hand, her tone dripping with affection.

During the drive that took over an hour, Dakota and Justin sat in the front and kept acting all lovey-dovey as if Matthew weren't even there, and Matthew's chest tightened with pain.

After they got out of the car, Matthew headed straight up toward the top of the mountain.

He had been there before with Dakota, and their love lock was still tied to the railing at the summit.

But when he reached the top, the first thing he saw was Justin and Dakota with their heads close together, making wishes, and smiling sweetly at each other.

Matthew went by memory to the love lock he and Dakota had left, picked up a rock, and smashed it down hard.

With a sharp c***k, the lock broke in two. He grabbed the broken pieces and threw them straight off the cliff.

"Mr. Walsh, why did you break it?" Justin asked, putting on a show of surprise.

Dakota stood behind Matthew, her eyes unreadable.

Matthew's voice was cold. "It was useless. Just an eyesore." With that, he turned to go back down the mountain.

But Justin's voice came from behind him. "Mr. Walsh, why don't we go down the west side? I heard it's an undeveloped trail. It'll be fun! What do you think, Kota?"

"Okay," Dakota said, gently ruffling Justin's hair, and then she grabbed Matthew by the wrist and dragged him toward the west before he could say anything.

All along the way, Dakota held Justin's hand and carefully steered him around the weeds, while Matthew got bitten by bugs until his arms were covered in red welts. Even his long sleeves and pants couldn't stop them.

Justin put on a fake show of concern and said, "Kota, maybe you could lend Mr. Walsh a hand?"

"You're still not fully recovered. Stop fussing." Dakota didn't even think before refusing.

Matthew let out a cold laugh and kept walking, his teeth clenched.

After about an hour of walking, the sky suddenly darkened, thunder rumbled in the distance, and then heavy raindrops started pounding down.

Dakota quickly pulled Justin behind a large rock, and Matthew followed them over.

Justin's voice trembled as he said, "Kota, the rain is so heavy. Are we going to be stuck out here?"

"Don't worry, I've got this." Dakota ruffled Justin's hair. "You two wait here. I'll go see if I can find someone to help. I'll be right back."

With that, she turned and disappeared into the vast curtain of rain.

The moment Dakota's figure vanished into the rain, the fear on Justin's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a cold, cruel malice.

He stared at Matthew with a mocking smile. "Matthew, guess whether you're going to make it down this mountain alive today?"

Matthew's eyes widened as he took a step back, his face full of caution. "What are you trying to do?"

"What am I trying to do?" Justin laughed as if he had heard a joke. "You really thought we came here for a relaxing trip? I brought you here to die today!"

The moment the word "die" left Justin's mouth, two men in black jumped out from the bushes beside them, grabbed Matthew by the arms, and dragged him to the edge of the cliff.

Down below was a thick, dense forest, so far down that Matthew couldn't see the bottom.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Matthew struggled with all his might, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

Justin strolled over slowly, lifted his foot, and pressed it hard against Matthew's back, pushing down with so much weight that Matthew could barely breathe.

He leaned close to Matthew's ear and said, "Matthew, don't you worry. I'll take good care of Dakota for you. From now on, she'll only be good to me. As for you, go keep company with your dear dead parents!"

Then he suddenly raised his foot and kicked Matthew hard in the lower back.

Matthew's body lost its balance instantly and fell off the cliff like a kite with its string cut, plunging downward fast.

Within seconds, he had completely disappeared into the dense forest below.

Justin smiled smugly, but as soon as he turned around, he saw Dakota running toward him through the rain.

Without a second's hesitation, he pulled out a small fruit knife he had hidden in his pocket and stabbed himself in the stomach. Blood poured out immediately, and holding his wound, he fell to the ground, sobbing.

Justin leaned against her, his voice weak and wronged. "Kota, a few people suddenly showed up and took Mr. Walsh away. As they were leaving, Mr. Walsh stabbed me and said... said he wouldn't let me go."

When Dakota heard that Matthew had been taken away, her tense shoulders seemed to relax a little, and the worry in her eyes faded slightly.

She helped Justin up and said soothingly, "Don't be afraid. I found some rescuers! I'll get you down from here right now!"