Chapter Twenty-Six

From this apartment, one could see the skyscrapers rising in the city center. Office workers rushing to catch the early bus hurried across the streets, while elderly people walking their dogs would step aside politely. A black jeep pulled up in front of the apartment building. Kelly pushed open the rear door and stepped out.

“Here, take this,” said a man dressed as a clerk, reaching out from the open car door to hand Kelly a bulging paper bag. “Everything you need to start your new life is in here. Our contact information is inside as well, but please only use it in an emergency. If you’re just looking for someone to talk to, you’ll find a few flyers for dance classes in the bag. See? We really do have a sense of humanity. Just don’t forget—watch every word you say.” He waved to Kelly and closed the car door.

The vehicle drove away, disappearing around the corner of the street.

Kelly opened the bag, took out the key placed on top, and headed toward the entrance of the apartment.

Just then, a familiar figure strolled past her.

“Hello, Kelly,” muttered the man in the mechanic’s uniform as he walked into a nearby alley.

Kelly stood frozen for a few seconds, then clutched the paper bag to her chest, fighting back tears as she ran after him.

The alley lay between two apartment buildings. There were no windows on the walls on either side, and no one else could be seen nearby.

When she caught up to the man, Kelly threw the bag to the ground and lunged forward, trying to hold him in her arms—but she passed right through him and found herself standing before him.

“I’m sorry, Kelly,” the man said. “And also, I apologize that my voice might sound a bit different.”

Kelly looked at Donald, whose body glowed with a gentle light, and shook her head slightly. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Your husband,” Donald replied. “The man who always tried to help you, but always managed to mess things up.”

Kelly wiped the tears from her eyes and forced a smile. “I knew you’d come back,” she said. “Look at our new home. Everything’s going to be all right.”

“It will,” Donald said. “But I’m afraid I can’t stay long. I left too suddenly and didn’t get the chance to explain so many things to you. So I wanted to speak with you one last time, to finish everything properly.”

“You’re always like this, trying to fix things that were never broken,” Kelly said. “You show up like this, telling me this is our last conversation, and I’m supposed to be glad about it? You need to understand, you can’t arrange everything for me. Some things, I need to face on my own.”

“It’s not what you think, Kelly,” Donald replied. “I never figured out what I really wanted, or how to make myself feel content, but when I helped you—when I saw your troubles solved by me—everything else faded away. That feeling was truly addictive, even though I knew my help sometimes burdened you. So, the truth is, I never did anything for you—I did it all for myself. You see, in the end, you misunderstood; I’ve always lived for myself. I hope you do the same—live as you wish in your new life.”

The light forming Donald’s body drifted upward, little by little dissolving into the air.

Kelly watched it all, then quietly stepped forward and picked up the paper bag from the ground, without saying another word.

Outside the alley, a faint yellow glow floated back into a hand.

Zi’ang clenched that hand and disappeared into the crowd.