Chapter 4: Nora was Afraid of the Dark

Austin thought she was pretending, deliberately making such a scene with Aria. He tightly gripped Nora's arm and asked, "What do you mean by this? Is it really so awful that it made you vomit like this?" Nora shook her head. "It tastes good. It's just that I'm not used to this flavor." Austin sneered, "Jealous? Even though Aria and I have been together for so long, I've never seen you act so unusually. Are you unhappy inside?" Nora and Austin had known each other since childhood, nearly twenty years. Their parents were good friends, and they had been promised to each other from a young age. Since Nora understood the affairs of men and women, she had been unwaveringly in love with Austin. This love persisted for thirteen years. Austin remained indifferent to her feelings, never realizing that she had loved him for so long. Even a hard stone would eventually melt, but Austin's cold heart remained unmoved. She had done many foolish things for him, yet he never spared her a glance. Their marriage had smoothly proceeded due to Nora's father. Before he died, her father entrusted Nora to Austin and left all his assets to him. Nora, having been a pampered child since childhood, was naive about life. Her father, fearing that she would be left without anyone to care for her, pressured Austin into marrying her. Nora tightly held Austin's hand and smiled with a sense of relief. "Austin, I only have ten months left. After that, no one will bother you anymore. You can rest assured, and you'll also be liberated. Can you please be a bit kinder to me in these ten months? Can you?" Her words sounded like a farewell to life. Austin quickly pulled his hand away, staring at Nora with an incomprehensible gaze. Her calm acceptance frightened him a bit. Nora had entangled him for so many years; it wouldn't be easy for her to give up. "Nora, are you mad or something?!" Austin muttered to himself, unwilling to believe it, and walked out. Earlier, Austin was checking Aria's wound on her back. There was a large scar, a reminder of the injuries she had sustained while saving him years ago. This had been a source of guilt for Austin all these years, and he had promised to take care of her for a lifetime. Five years ago, he had considered marrying Aria, but Nora's father suddenly insisted that he marry Nora, putting the plan on hold. Aria had followed him for five years without any official status or recognition. "Austin, will we really get married after ten months?" Aria felt uneasy, fearing that these ten months might just be a pretense. Austin's mind was filled with doubts. During these days, Nora's demeanor seemed a bit like a farewell. "Probably," he replied. Aria was delighted and pushed Austin onto the sofa, kissing his lips and slipping her hands under his clothes. Austin embraced Aria's waist, kissing her passionately without hesitation. He flipped her over and pressed her on the sofa. Suddenly, he looked at the dark sky outside. It was very late, pitch black, and seemed like rain was imminent. Thinking about Nora's fear of the dark, he suddenly lost the desire to continue with Aria. "Austin?" Aria called out. Austin stood up and straightened his suit, saying, "It's very late. I have to go home. We have plenty of time to spend together in the future." "You're going to meet Nora? Do you pity her now?" Aria's expression darkened. "Even if we divorce, I still have to take care of her." This was Austin's promise to Nora's father. Aria felt uneasy. With Nora between them, it was impossible for them to be together forever. The lights in the room illuminated almost every corner. Heavy rain began to pour outside, occasional lightning flashes, and loud thunder roared. Nora, holding her legs, sat tensely on the sofa. She didn't like stormy weather. She remembered once, during similarly harsh weather, she got completely soaked to find Austin just to give him some homemade cookies. Near the entrance, without her noticing, a lightning bolt struck directly in front of her, breaking all the circuits in Austin's house. The enormous thunder shocked Nora, leaving her deaf for three days. The cookies she made with her own hands got burnt. Luckily, she was unharmed, but an indelible shadow remained in her youthful memories. With a flash of lightning, the lights went out. Nora, shocked, raised her head. The pitch-black living room showed no signs of life. She quickly took out her phone for illumination. Initially, she thought of calling Austin but didn't, considering the late hour and the dangers of him rushing home from the office. Cowering in the corner of the sofa, Nora tightly closed her eyes. Hearing a noise, she lifted her head and was startled. A massive figure was right in front of her. She almost screamed, but the person turned on a flashlight and said in a hoarse voice, "It's me."