She was determined to uncover the mastermind behind this nightmare and metaphorically tear his heart to shreds.
Number 13 fell into an uneasy silence... eventually shaking his head with a kind of desperate resignation.
Nathalie wrapped her arms around him and said, "Nathan, listen to me. You're still young, and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Keep your head down in there, and try to get out as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for you."
“When you’re out, we can go see the Northern Lights, the ocean, and the first snowfall together. What do you say?”
Number 13 let her hold him, his wandering soul finally finding a place to rest. His once restless heart seemed to finally find peace.
He had always wanted to see the Northern Lights, the ocean, and the first snowfall with Nathalie. But could his worn-out body make it to that day?
"I'm sorry. I've already seen the Northern Lights, the ocean, and the first snowfall," he confessed.
He had seen them plenty of times—on TV. Every time he watched, he wished Nathalie could be right there beside him, experiencing the Arctic's lights and the sun setting over the sea...
But he had wandered off the path, ending up in a mess.
He tried to cut ties with her altogether.
But Nathalie was as stubborn as ever: "Nathan, I've decided to take out all the money from the Maple Company account to pay off your debts. I know you probably don't agree, but you have to understand, compared to you, money doesn’t matter to me. I just want you to be okay."
"Officer Baldwin mentioned that if we clear all your debts, they might reduce your sentence a lot."
"Then, you could donate your electronic surveillance system to the country. How about that? It’d be seen as a good deed and might even lighten your sentence further."
Number 13 stayed silent, just giving Nathalie a look that was hard to read.
Nathalie gave him a sweet smile: "I know I shouldn’t make decisions for you. But I miss you so much. Could you do this for me, and try to come back soon?"
Number 13 sighed, saying with a hint of exasperation, "Even if you want to help, you should ask Officer Baldwin how much is actually needed. There’s no need to withdraw everything." That was the hard-earned money he made for her, for her future.
He couldn’t stand seeing her waste it all.
He stood by, patiently waiting for them to say their goodbyes.
"Nathan, what's your real name?" Nathalie asked. "I mean, your real name."
"My name is Morris," Number 13 finally said.
Nathalie stood frozen, like a statue...
In her memories, Nathan had told her more than once: "My name is Morris, I'm a child of the Rowland family. Also a child of the McCoy family."
Nathan was Morris.
Morris was also Nathan.
So all these years, it seemed like Nathan was with her, but it was Morris who had truly been by her side all along.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn From Oblivion (Nellie and Cameron)
Can you please convey this to the person who owns this website? Update “find me in your labyrinth” novel please...author is MIA for several weeks......AND VERY INCONSISTENT...