Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

On the morning of Elara’s burial, Nicholas finally left the house.

He’d shaved, cut his hair, showered, and dressed himself in black from head to toe.

Downstairs, he tossed out the bags of trash he’d accumulated, then tilted his head back and stared up at the seventh–floor window with the blue curtains. He stood there for a long, long time.

As the first rays of morning sun broke over the horizon, he turned away. He pulled his keys from his pocket, removed the little charm dangling from the ring, and dropped the keys into a storm drain.

Then he headed into the parking garage, got into his car, and drove straight to cemetery.

He didn’t know which plot was hers. So he started at the bottom of the hillside and worked his way up, checking each headstone one by one.

By the time he reached the halfway point and spotted his mother bowing in front of a grave, his entire body went slack with relief.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and approached slowly.

“Mom,” he said softly.

She didn’t acknowledge him.

Instead, she crouched down and placed a bouquet of white lilies in front of the headstone. Then she pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the dirt and dust smudged across the marble.

Only after the stone was spotless did she stand and glance at Nicholas’s empty hands.

“What are you doing here?”

Her tone was cold–like she was addressing a stranger passing by.

Nicholas didn’t seem to mind.

From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he hadn’t looked away.

But she wasn’t looking at his face. She had no idea what kind of tangled emotion was swirling in his eyes.

He took a shallow breath, swallowed the bitterness rising in his throat, and tried to sound casual.

“I came to see you.”

“I’m not dead yet.”

Hearing that word–dead–in this place made Nicholas’s hands tremble inside his sleeves.

He forced a faint smile.

“Don’t say things like that, Mom. You’re going to live a long, healthy life. I know it.”

At that, his mother finally looked up at him, her expression hard.

“How can you even smile? Have you pickled your brain in alcohol?”

Nicholas was sober.

16:31

Twenty Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

Chapter 24

He shook his head and turned his gaze toward the photo on the headstone.

“What’s… inside?”

“A bracelet.”

Nicholas glanced at his mother’s bare wrist, and the memory of their wedding day surfaced unbidden.

He’d spent six months planning that ceremony. It had opened with a symphony of fireworks lighting up the sky.

He’d carried Elara over the threshold of their apartment, the walls covered in decorations, telling her this was their home.

They had visited to the three elders seated at the head of the room–her father, his mother, her mother. They’d received wedding gifts in return, then presented gifts they’d carefully chosen: a watch for her father, matching bracelets for both mothers.

That day, all five of them, newly bound as a family, had been wreathed in smiles, believing it was the start of a beautiful life.

Three

years

later, the Kingstons were reunited–in heaven.

Only Nicholas and his mother remained, standing before an empty grave, mourning the same person, the same moment.

He wanted to comfort her. But no words came.

Because he understood better than anyone that in moments like this, words were useless.

So he simply stepped forward, took her gently by the arm, and led her away from that heartbreaking place, one slow step at a time.

When they returned to the suburban apartment complex, Nicholas didn’t go upstairs.

He watched the elevator descend slowly from the 31st floor, then glanced at his mother’s hair–nearly half of it had turned white.

He parted his lips. His voice came out weak.

“Mom… New Year’s is coming up. I won’t be able to spend it with you this time. If you feel lonely, go stay with Aunt Linda, okay? And don’t forget–after the new year, make sure you get your checkup on time…”

He rambled on, listing one thing after another. His mother’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you talking so much today?”

Nicholas lowered his gaze, hiding whatever emotion flickered beneath.

“Nothing. I just… haven’t talked to you in a while.”

The rest of the sentence never left his mouth.

The elevator doors opened. He watched her step inside. He didn’t move until the floor indicator above the door finally stopped at 12.

Only then did he turn and walk out.

Before starting the car, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Valentina.

“Still up for that trip?”

16:31 D

Twenty Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

Chapter 25