As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s attention suddenly fell on Scarlett.
She stood rigidly, unable to move a step.
At that moment, her phone rang loudly. Scarlett immediately said, “I’m sorry, but I have something urgent. I need to leave.”
With that, she grabbed her phone and practically fled from the church.
Once outside, she answered the call. It was from the medical facility.
“Ms. Chase, there are two methods of death available. We’re calling to confirm whether you want to die by injection or oral medication.”
Scarlett closed her eyes briefly and said quietly, “Injection.”
The oral medication was too bitter.
Although she had tasted all kinds of bitterness already, bitterness was still what she feared most.
After hanging up, Scarlett turned to leave but saw Nathaniel standing behind her.
“I’ll drive you back.”
The car ride was completely silent.
When they reached her hotel, Scarlett was about to get out when Nathaniel grabbed her wrist.
“There’s a fountain here. Let me take another photo for you.”
Scarlett wanted to refuse, but looking at Nathaniel, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
She walked to the fountain. As Nathaniel took out his phone to photograph her, he said, “Actually, Riley specifically asked me to retake your photo. She felt guilty about ruining your last one.”
Scarlett froze. “What are you trying to say?”
Nathaniel paused before responding, his gaze intense. “She doesn’t know about our history. Don’t hold any hostility toward her.”
So he’d driven her back to the hotel for Riley’s sake too.
Because he was afraid she might resent or retaliate against Riley.
Scarlett felt suffocated in that moment. She lowered her head and replied numbly, “I won’t. Don’t worry.”
Nathaniel didn’t seem convinced, but took the photo and then escorted Scarlett into the hotel.
While waiting for the elevator, Nathaniel spoke again: “When we first came to Switzerland, we stayed at this hotel too. Riley’s health isn’t great, and this hotel has specialized medical facilities…”
His tone carried a hint of tenderness and concern.
Ding—
The elevator arrived.
“The elevator’s here,” Scarlett interrupted Nathaniel, not looking at him again as she quickly stepped inside.
The elevator doors closed swiftly, and the red numbers jumped floor by floor.
In that moment, Scarlett could no longer keep up her facade. Her legs nearly gave way.
Warm liquid dripped onto the back of her hand. Looking down, she confirmed it was blood.
Back in her room, Scarlett opened a pill bottle and took out the last two pills.
Half an hour after taking them, her nosebleed finally stopped.
She had just washed her face when her phone received a notification from her cloud photo album.
[Tomorrow is your birthday! Let’s see what happened in the past two years.]
Scarlett paused, then opened the album—
The first image showed her birthday celebration from two years ago.
In the dim light of birthday candles, her father was there, her mother was there, Nathaniel was there…
She sat among them, her smile as bright as if she had the whole world.
Scarlett stared at the photo, and as she looked, tears streamed down her face.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Scarlett wiped her eyes and opened it to find Nathaniel standing there.
The dim hallway light fell across his hand//some features, looking exactly the same as in the photo.
Scarlett’s heart suddenly trembled. She was about to speak when she noticed Riley beside him.
She instantly snapped back to reality and tightened her grip on the doorknob.
“What brings you here?”
Riley held up a small cake and leaned affectionately against Nathaniel’s shoulder as she entered the room.
“I just found out your birthday is tomorrow, and we’re still asking you to attend our wedding. That’s really inconsiderate of us, so we came to bring you cake. Consider it an early birthday celebration.”
Scarlett looked at the cream cake in her hand and felt slightly nauseated.
Since starting chemotherapy, rich foods were what she tolerated least.
“I’m sorry, I…”
Before she could refuse, Nathaniel took the cake and firmly placed it in her hands.
“Riley bought this specially. Don’t waste it.”
Scarlett froze, seeing Nathaniel’s insistent expression, and accepted the cake.
After tasting a bite, the rich cream spread in her mouth. Scarlett gripped her fork tightly and forced a smile.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“Right? Nate took me to every bakery in the city to find the best one,” Riley smiled sweetly. “He may seem distant, but he’s actually incredibly romantic. For the wedding cake, he insisted on having the absolute best. He’s ordered every starflower in the city, and even designed the ring himself. Hard to believe a medical student could manage all this… I have no idea who taught him to be so thoughtful.”
Scarlett listened to each detail, feeling the sweet cake in her mouth growing increasingly bitter.
The cake, the starflowers, the design… these were all things she had personally taught Nathaniel. But now she was witnessing firsthand how he was giving them all to another woman.
Scarlett looked at Nathaniel’s still expressionless face and tightened her grip on her fork.
She controlled herself forcefully, making her voice sound detached. “Maybe some friend taught him, I suppose.”
Riley raised an eyebrow, about to say something else when Nathaniel reached out and took her hand.
“We’ve delivered the cake and given our wishes. We should go now. Don’t be late for the wedding tomorrow.”
“What time is the wedding?” Scarlett asked, the question slipping out.
Nathaniel glanced at her. “Ten in the morning.”
Scarlett paused, then looked down at her phone where she saw a text message the medical facility had sent ten minutes earlier.
[Your scheduled assisted suicide appointment is tomorrow at 10:00 AM.]
