To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 87

“Marie. I need more materials.”

“But it’s only been two weeks since you went to the market.”

“I think I bought too little that time.”

“No, miss. You said you were bored and ended up making clothes for everyone in the house. Of course it would run out quickly. Especially Young Master Teddy—he’s going to grow out of his clothes before he even tries them all on.”

“I can’t help it. It’s fun. Bring a clothing materials merchant here. I’m too tired to go out again.”

“Yes, please wait a few days. Oh, and Young Master Andrew is here.”

“Really? Where? Never mind, he’s probably in the living room.”

Talking with Marie, Scarlett headed to the living room to see Andrew.

The White mansion was very busy preparing for the ball. Of course, Scarlett planned to stay locked in her room and act like she didn’t exist during the whole event.

Andrew’s voice leaked out through the living room door.

“They say he has depression.”

“Not surprising. John wasn’t the tough type. But that doesn’t mean he’s forgiven.”

Scarlett’s hand froze on the doorknob. Inside, Aaron continued.

“I’m still angry at him. It’s betrayal, really.”

“Well, you followed John more than anyone.”

“And you’re talking like you didn’t.”

“If you’re trying to start childish sides, stop it. I think John was also a victim. I don’t think our brothers did anything wrong.”

“He could have chosen whether or not to follow the will.”

“And there’s the difference of carrying the truth alone.”

“Andy, Andy. I still don’t get why you left the seminary.”

Aaron’s mocking tone made Andrew fall silent for a moment.

Scarlett could hear her own breathing. She had never talked about John with her brothers.

She didn’t want to bring up her eldest brother anymore. But that didn’t mean she stopped the others from staying in touch with him.

“Depression…”

John might not have been as stiff as Aaron or Scott, but he wasn’t the type to fall easily either.

It was unsettling to hear that John had depression, even though she had decided not to care about him anymore.

No matter what, John was a brother Scarlett had loved like a parent.

As Scarlett’s face grew heavy, Aaron went on.

“Andrew, you were too young back then to remember the mood of the house. You were only six or seven. But I remember. We remember.”

Aaron explained calmly with his usual rough voice.

“I was fifteen, Susan and Scott were thirteen. We were all at a sensitive age. Our mother, pregnant with Scarlett, looked like she could die any day. We lived every day afraid she might pass away.”

“But that was a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding or not, John should’ve said something. On the day Scarlett was born early, it was Susan and Scott who witnessed Mother’s labor pains. Susan stayed by her side, and Scott ran away, only coming back three days later. Just like how Isaac roams outside now.”

“Aaron.”

At Andrew’s stopping tone, Aaron sighed deeply.

“I’ll just say this. To a child, parents are the whole world. And when that world shatters… especially Scott, who followed Father closely, must have been deeply hurt. That’s why I think John should have told us.”

“…Yeah. I can’t force anyone to forgive. But I hope you remember this: we must not pass down hatred to Isaac, Abigail, and Teddy—the next generation.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good. Then I should get going. You know I don’t enjoy noisy gatherings.”

After leaving the seminary, Andrew had found a house near the White mansion and lived separately. Still, he visited every few days to spend time with his family.

“Are you going to stay in and pray again?”

“I’m going to read a book at a café. Their coffee is really good.”

Hearing footsteps near the door, Scarlett quickly hid in the next room. Her lips were dry.

Andrew was a loving person. He must have been more uncomfortable with this situation than anyone.

Scarlett bit her dry lips, feeling sorry for her youngest brother.

“We must not pass down hatred.”

She repeated those words silently, feeling them pierce her heart. Strangely, the face that came to mind wasn’t John’s—it was Noah’s.

“Don’t think weird things.”

Noah had nothing to do with Teddy. Teddy was her son.

Noah, disguised with Peter’s face, confirmed he was getting close to the White mansion.

His heart raced. He had waited for this day for so long.

Ever since he heard Scarlett was alive, every day had been nerve-wracking.

Was she healthy? How bad was her condition to make them fake her death? He had worried endlessly and couldn’t sleep.

And…

“Damn White family.”

Noah worried that he might not be able to hide his rage when he saw their faces.

Having managed to enter the ballroom, Noah swallowed the hatred boiling inside when he heard the voices of those who killed his mother.

“Yes, Mr. Ethan. Cravitz tries hard to keep some conscience when supplying weapons. That’s why we never supply pirates or border raiders who harm Wifland. Oh, Mr. Joe Allen, feel free to publish what I just said in your article. It’s something I want the world to know. Cravitz is a responsible company.”

Scott boasted with slick words, while Susan talked nearby with high-society ladies about real estate investments.

Noah wanted to strangle them right there.

With just a gesture, he could kill Susan and Scott White. But he had sworn not to.

It was a promise he had kept for six years.

“Huuh…”

Noah took a deep breath to calm himself.

Anyway, he hadn’t come to the ball for them. He was only there to find traces of Scarlett.

“Scarlett’s information was hidden almost perfectly.”

He had to admit, Cravitz was skilled. Their handling of information was so tight that even a national intelligence agency would struggle.

Noah looked around and quietly left the ballroom.

“A canopy bed…”

He had only been to her room a couple of times, but he remembered it clearly. It had been full of her scent. It was obvious to anyone that it was Scarlett’s room.

Nostalgia hit him, and his nose stung.

“Ha.”

Outside, Noah sneaked toward the east side of the mansion where Scarlett had stayed. He couldn’t go through the central stairs; too many people were there.

Making sure no one was around, he climbed a tree and slipped onto the second-floor balcony with light movements.

Because there were so many guests, he couldn’t check whose room it was before sneaking in.

“Teddy White’s room.”

It was still a child’s room, filled with toys like rocking horses and puzzles, and children’s books were scattered everywhere. Luckily, Teddy wasn’t inside.

Noah left the room and checked the hallway. Thanks to the upper part of the stairs being blocked off, no one was around. The servants were all busy working at the ball.

“Second floor, east wing, the fifth room from the end.”

Green curtains and lots of sunlight.

It didn’t take long for Noah to find Scarlett’s room.

Unlike before, when her door had been decorated with flowers, now there were no decorations at all.

Maybe it was because of the emptiness, but his heart sank.

“Haa.”

He grabbed the doorknob.

She might be beyond this door. His heart pounded so hard that it felt like even his body shook with every beat.

His palms were sweating. She might not be there. He tried not to expect anything—but he couldn’t stop himself.

Noah swallowed dryly and slowly opened the door.

“Ah…”

Tears instantly filled his eyes.

Through the slightly open door, her scent drifted out.

The scent he had missed so much. No perfume could imitate it. He had only been able to remember it in his dreams, but here it was.

Overwhelmed, Noah stepped into the room.

And…

“……”

Hope turned into disappointment, disappointment into despair.

There was no one inside. Nothing had changed. Scarlett’s room was frozen in time, exactly as it had been six years ago.

“Maybe she’s somewhere else. They said she’s alive.”

He wanted to believe it, but until he saw her with his own eyes, he couldn’t calm down.

Noah closed the door and looked around.

The balcony he used to sneak in, the green curtains, the luxurious bed—everything was just like before.

“Maybe she’s in a hospital.”

But there was no record of Scarlett at Saint Bernard Hospital.

He placed his hand on the bed where he used to lie next to her and hold her with his arm.

He wanted to find a trace of her warmth in the soft bedding, but it was just a bed.

Noah’s face twisted with pain. He bit his lips to steady his breath.

Her ghost kept haunting him.

To Noah, Scarlett was a nightmare. She gripped his heart, tormenting him every single day for years.

“Please, stop haunting me.”

Noah grabbed the bedding and cried softly. He hated her for tormenting his soul like this…

But he loved her as much as he hurt.

“This is the end. It has to be.”

Dead or not, she was a person of the past. He had to live his own life now.

He wasn’t sure how long this resolve would last, or if it would even be possible—but he repeated the same decision he had made hundreds, thousands of times.

He stood up without hesitation and headed for the balcony. He planned to jump down to the first floor and leave the White mansion.

But then.

The door suddenly burst open and a familiar voice called out.

“Where could he be?”

Noah felt like the ground was collapsing under him, and the sky was falling.

Had he heard wrong? Was he so mad that he was now hearing things?

His body trembled. No—his soul trembled.

“Maybe he’s in the garden.”

All his decisions, all his thoughts, turned into a mirage and disappeared. The world reshaped itself around him.

He could feel emotions, buried over the years, spring alive and rush through his veins.

There was no way that was an illusion.

That beautiful voice, the one he longed for even in dreams but never heard, was real.

“Scarlett…”

The voice was hers. Scarlett was right behind him.

“The balcony is open. Surely it hasn’t been open all this time?”

Click, click—the sound of her heels echoed.

Standing by the wall near the balcony door, Noah pressed himself into the gap, hiding.

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