Micah changed the topic, “The day after tomorrow, when you are discharged, let’s go see the flowers. We talked about seeing the flowers when spring comes, and now it’s almost here.”
Hattie nodded, “Okay.”
The discharge process was quick, and Micah took care of all the paperwork for Hattie. When they returned home, all of Hattie’s clothes and toiletries that she had left at Micah’s house were neatly placed exactly where she left them.
She could almost grab anything she wanted without even thinking about it. The familiar feeling was imprinted in her bones, as if she had never left.
Hattie picked up a towel and washed her face with hot water. Meanwhile, Micah was packing their belongings for the trip. He had taken a week off work and meticulously planned their itinerary.
On the first day, they went to Cloud City to see the flowers. Micah only took photos of Hattie, dressed in traditional Hanfu attire, looking like a painting, with even her hair strands sparkling.
Pointing at a blooming peach blossom, Hattie turned to Micah with a smile, “Micah, do you think it’s beautiful?”
Micah, momentarily speechless while holding the camera, finally replied, “Beautiful.” It wasn’t just the flowers that were beautiful.
Looking up at the sun, Hattie’s face glowed in the sunlight, “From here, you can see a rainbow.”
As they walked closer, they indeed saw a faint rainbow ring. Hattie was delighted, behaving like a child.
Reaching out her hand, she spread her fingers, creating an illusion that the rainbow ring was on her ring finger, “Doesn’t it look like a ring?”
Micah looked over, but Hattie withdrew her hand. She awkwardly smiled at him, not saying a word, with a hint of solitude in her eyes.
Typically, rings are worn on the left hand by men and the right hand by women. However, due to Hattie’s missing right hand, she had forgotten about it in her excitement, unable to make her hands look attractive, even with such a beautiful rainbow.
Micah choked up, capturing the fading rainbow with his camera.
The following day, they went to Bankshire to see the snow-capped mountains. Despite being afraid of the cold, Hattie bundled up in multiple layers of clothing, making her look round and cumbersome, like a dumpling from afar. The stairs were a challenge to navigate in her snow boots, resembling a penguin clumsily descending.
“Do you want to continue?” Micah asked.
“I want to.” Despite her aversion to the cold, Hattie preferred to watch the snow. She had missed the snowfall during the winter, only recalling the photo Micah took. She longed to experience a snowy day.
Due to her leg injury, the cold aggravated the pain, making it unbearable to walk in the snowy mountains. To reach the snow-capped mountains, they had to climb a steep hill. Micah squatted in front of Hattie, “I’ll carry you.”
“There’s no need, I can manage,” she replied.
“Hattie, you can rely on me in times like this.”
“But I…” Hattie paused, “Just so you know, I’m a bit heavy.”
“Come up and then decide.”
Hattie obediently climbed onto his back. Despite appearing thin, Micah had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His physique was impressive, effortlessly lifting her.
“Where’s this heavy load? You are still lighter than those layers of clothing,” he teased.
As a doctor, Micah maintained his physical strength. Whenever he had time, he would exercise at the gym. Working in a hospital exposed him to various patients, emphasizing how precious good health was.
Upon reaching the summit, Hattie saw the snow-capped mountains. The wind was strong, causing her to squint her eyes. It was the most beautiful snow-capped mountain she had seen in her life.
Turning back, Hattie could almost always meet Micah’s eyes coincidentally whenever she did.
“Micah, thank you for taking me to see the snow-capped mountains here,” she said gratefully.
Micah’s voice was gentle, “It’s not just the snow-capped mountains; I’ll take you to see everything you like.”
The next day, they took a trip to Peachshire City and spent a day resting at a hotel. On the fifth day, they visited a famous amusement park in the area, explored haunted houses, an underwater city, and participated in various amusement rides. In the evening, they rode the Ferris wheel.
On the sixth day, they went to the seaside. Hattie walked barefoot on the sandy beach. Her impaired legs made her walk uneven, leaving deep and shallow footprints in the sand.
They encountered a couple taking wedding photos on the beach, and Hattie stopped in her tracks, staring blankly.
Meanwhile, Micah imagined how beautiful Hattie would look if she wore a wedding gown.
Hattie picked up some seashells on the beach, and when she couldn’t reach some, Micah helped her.
Throughout their journey, they bought local specialties from each place they visited, whether for consumption or as mementos, including various souvenirs.
On the last day, they returned home.
“Is there anywhere else you want to go?” Micah asked.
After some thought, Hattie replied, “I want to go to North Street.”
This was Hattie’s childhood home, where her parents faced tragedy. Her father was imprisoned, and her mother died shortly after. Subsequently, the house was taken over by someone else, leaving Hattie at an orphanage until Harry took her in.
Now, more than twenty years later, the home in her memories had likely changed. From a distance, Hattie could see the villa with her favorite lilies growing inside, although it wasn’t the blooming season.
Hattie thought she had almost forgotten, but upon entering the house and seeing familiar sights like the swing and flower garden, a flood of memories rushed back like a revolving lantern. Each frame was vividly etched in her mind.
Her mother used to cook in the kitchen, preparing dark dishes that her father forced down despite his discomfort. Every morsel seemed difficult for him to swallow, his face conveying immense struggles, only alleviated by the occasional sip of water when no one was looking.
Looking up, Hattie thought she saw her parents’ figures in the yard. Those memories felt fragile, like soap bubbles, crowding her mind with warmth and cruelty. In the blurry recollections, her father was taken to prison, and her mother plunged from the rooftop, her white dress stained with blood.
Before their untimely deaths, her father told her, “Hattie, I have to leave you now. Take care of your mother. You’re a good girl.”
And her mother, before her tragic demise, patted her head, saying, “Hattie, I won’t be here when your father returns. By the time he comes back and you’ve grown up, stay by his side.”
While both parents entrusted her with each other’s care, no one told her to take care of herself.
At the time when she yearned for her parents the most, her mother passed away by suicide, and her father died in prison.
A sudden ringing interrupted Hattie’s reverie, causing her hands to tremble as she retrieved her phone. She received a text message from an unknown number with no contact saved.
Opening the message, she was overcome with a chilling sensation, as if her spine had been seized by an icy grip. Her pupils dilated, and her body felt frozen, as if struck by acupressure, overwhelmed by a suppressive aura akin to a hurricane that threatened to pulverize her.
“Hattie, do you want to know the truth behind your parents’ deaths? Meet me here, and I’ll tell you how they died.”
Could there be hidden truths behind her parents’ deaths that she was unaware of?