Larissa went straight into the bathroom to take a shower.After hiking up this mountain, her clothes had been soaked by her sweat, her disheveled appearance on par with Kevan's.She changed into a dry, casual outfit before going over and knocking on Kevan's door.Because of her, it was way past lunchtime when they arrived, and the little bit of breakfast she'd had that morning had already been depleted by the intense physical activities she'd been forced to perform.Larissa's stomach grumbled, and she guessed that Kevan felt the same, so she decided to invite him downstairs to get lunch together.Kevan did not open the door. Instead, he asked through the door separating them, "What is it?""Do you want to go get lunch?" Larissa asked him."You go. I'm not hungry," he replied."Oh, okay—" Larissa was a little disappointed, although she couldn't exactly tell why.…Larissa ordered two servings of food. She ate one of them and brought the other back to their room.Even though Kevan had sa
He seemed to be calling out for someone, and that name…was exactly the same as her nickname.Larissa's heart rate accelerated.She clutched her chest and straightened her body. "Don't overthink. Do not overthink—" There were so many people in this world that shared the same name as her. Who knew which one of those people he was calling out for?As if he were trapped in a nightmare, Kevan's brows knitted even tighter, his expression becoming increasingly panicked."Lari, don't go!" He almost shouted this with all of his remaining strength, his voice pitiful and desperate.Larissa had never seen him look so fragile before. Suddenly, she felt a little sad for him as well, her heart wringing with pain.Kevan's arms emerged from below the covers and flailed about the bed. His fingers clenched and unclenched, as if he were trying to search for something around him.Instinctively, Larissa reached out.As soon as Kevan's hands touched hers, he caught her arm and squeezed it, the mere force of
Larissa wasn't the only one who was shocked. The doctor who'd been standing on one side dropped the needle he had been holding upon Kevan's sudden bellow.Larissa froze, her heart stopping for two seconds and her mind going completely blank.When he'd finally identified the person standing in front of him, Kevan's rationality returned, and the ice in his eyes slowly dissipated.The tautness in his mind earlier relaxed as well, followed by a wave of sluggish drowsiness that hit him almost at once. He forced his eyes to stay open as he asked, his voice hoarse and weak. "Why are you here?"She snapped out of her daze as well.She pointed to the doctor as she replied, "You have a fever. The doctor is here to see you."It was then that he noticed the unfamiliar, middle-aged man standing behind her."Do you still have the strength to unbutton your own shirt?" Larissa waved the thermometer in her hand. "I need to take your temperature."Kevan removed her hands from his own and answered truthf
"I have no appetite," Kevan replied."What about a little water?" She eyed his parched lips."Okay."There was an unopened bottle of mineral water in the room. Larissa twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to him, but Kevan did not take it."I don't have the strength to take it." He stared at her unblinkingly.Defeated, Larissa sat at the head of his bed. "I'll help you sit up then?"Kevan's eyes lit up. "Sure."Her arms slung around the back of his neck, holding onto it carefully as she supported his upper body.Kevan sipped the water she'd brought him, finding an unexpected hint of sweetness lingering on the tip of his tongue.When she helped him lie down after he was done, Larissa asked, "Do you still want to sleep?"Kevan was exhausted, and his eyelids were so heavy that he knew he wouldn't be able to open them again once he closed them.And yet, he didn't want to waste the precious time he got to spend with her alone, especially when he could play the patient card and have her
Larissa's eyes were tightly shut, her breaths equal and steady. She was obviously already in a deep sleep.Kevan smiled.Barely a few minutes ago, she'd been the one adamantly insisting that she wasn't tired at all.What a liar.She had promised—she'd said that she would never forget him. All those years ago—He lifted his right hand after much struggle, the urge to caress her head fiercely rising within him, and yet, his arms halted before they could approach her.His fingers curled into a fist.Forget it. He should just let her sleep peacefully.…The ringing of a phone shattered the rare harmony between the two.Larissa startled, bolting up immediately.In her daze, she groggily picked up her phone and was about to stop the alarm when she noticed the string of unknown numbers on her screen.She answered the call instinctively.The anxious voice from the other end was that of the nurse who'd been in charge of Travis' care. "Ms. Seymour, can you come to the hospital now?"Recalling he
After hanging up, Larissa realized that Kevan was staring at her.The two of them had been very close. Her conversation with the nurse earlier had been overheard by him entirely."Do you want to go?" he asked her."No." Her reply was swift with no trace of hesitation in her voice.Kevan sighed in relief.Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Because there's no cable car?""I wouldn't go even if there was." Larissa wiped away the few drops of tears leaking through the corner of her eyes as she spoke, her expression blank.She most probably wouldn't be attending his funeral either—if only to avoid encountering his family members.Seeing her tears, Kevan's heart sank."Are you sad that he's no longer alive?""A bit." Larissa's answer was frank. "We were once husband and wife after all."Kevan sneered. "What do you mean you were once husband and wife? Don't forget that good husband of yours was the one who'd gotten another woman pregnant while he cheated on you behind your back."His sarcasm d
Kevan had been accustomed to the filthiness of humanity since he was very young.He'd never trusted anyone—not even his own parents.The education he'd received told him that there were only two kinds of people in this world—those who were useful to him, and those who weren't.He'd never had deep interactions with people either, let alone go on to develop feelings for them.Joy, sorrow, anger, despair—all those emotions were nothing but distractions—luxuries he couldn't afford.A man like him… He supposed he was more of a perfect robot than a human. After all, what was he other than the machine created single-handedly by his family in order to inherit the family business?He could perfect a great many things, and none of those would be remotely flawed.Everyone he knew, and everyone else who knew him, had nothing but praise for him.And he'd never really questioned how wrong his upbringing or his life had been.That was until he met Larissa.Larissa was an unexpected presence in his li
"Hurry up and close it!" she told Kevan. His fever hadn't subsided, and if he caught another cold, the doctor would give her an earful the next day. "It's okay," Kevan said and pulled the blanket tighter around himself. "This will do. The stars look better without anything blocking the view."Starry Mountain was very high, so high that Larissa felt as if she were close enough to touch the stars. She reached out. "It's so beautiful," she said. Although she couldn't touch them, her heart swelled with happiness. The negative emotions from Travis' death were long since cast to the back of her mind. Kevan turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide open, and she was smiling from ear to ear. The look of awe on her face was unmistakable. "I need to take a picture of this," Larissa said and raised her phone to snap a few pictures swiftly. Every picture she took was so beautiful that it didn't need to be edited to be used as a screen wallpaper."I've been to Starry Mountain a few times,