Nathan, sitting against the wall, listened intently.
He could hear Hilda and Lucinda conversing in the next room.
âLucinda, when Mr.
Payne arrived today, he seemed more perturbed than Mr.
Shaw ever did.
The way he looked at you today-it was troubling.
He might be speaking the truth.â
Nathan paid close attention, eager to gauge Lucindaâs response.
After a brief pause, Lucindaâs soft voice drifted from inside the room.
âNone of them can be trusted.
Theyâre all too good at pretending.
Letâs just forget it, Hilda.
Iâm exhausted.
We should sleep.â
Following her words, the room darkened as the lights were turned off.
The sliver of light that had peeked through the doorframe vanished, and Nathanâs face was cast into shadows, his chest tight with emotion.
Night after night of restless sleep had taken its toll on him, especially with the worry for his wife gnawing at him.
Now that he had finally found her, she had pushed him away, denying him even a simple embrace.
What a wretched feeling!
He exhaled a deep, melancholy sigh.
Sonny approached, concern etched on his face.
To ward off the chill, he wrapped two heavy military coats around Nathan.
âDonât dwell on it, Nathan.
Youâve been up and about all day.
Try to get some rest.â
Nathan, seething with frustration and finding no outlet for it, shot Sonny a sharp glance.
âIs it your place to decide if I sleep or not?â
Sonny, too tired to argue, simply nodded.
âFine, then Iâll head to bed myself.â
He lay down and, seemingly without any worries, drifted off to sleep within minutes.
His snores soon filled the quiet space.
Nathan sat there, breathing heavily, silently enduring the solitude and swallowing the bitterness of spending another night without his wife beside him.
As Sonny slept, he turned and unconsciously draped his arm over Nathanâs waist, clinging to it as if seeking comfort.
Nathanâs eyes narrowed slightly as his chest heaved.
He was struggling to contain a surge of anger that had reached its boiling point.
Unable to hold back any longer, Nathan pushed Sonnyâs arm aside and delivered a sharp kick to his backside, sending him tumbling forward.
Flinging the quilt aside, he rose, shrugged on his overcoat, and silently pocketed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from Sonnyâs pocket.
Slipping into his shoes, he left the room without a sound.
In the courtyard, unable to find sleep, Nathan sat on a low stool under the faint moonlight.
He flicked the lighter, lit a cigarette, and inhaled deeply, the smoke mixing with his profound sadness.
As he exhaled, the smoke spiraled and twisted, his eyes looking tired and distant.
Suddenly, the door to a bedroom swung open unexpectedly.
A slender figure, holding a kerosene lamp, emerged slowly.