Chapter 387

“Indeed.” Memories of the past brought a glimmer of moisture to Allison’s eyes.

“Nicholas, would you like to meet my brother?” she asked.

Nicholas had just taken a bite of his hot dog when he paused, looking at Allison. “Can I?”

“Of course. I’ll take you to him after lunch.”

They decided to have lunch at a Japanese ramen shop.

Allison frequented the place during her school days. The ramen shop was cheap and served generous portions, but she had stopped coming as often after she started working. Despite this, the female owner still remembered her.

“Allison, you came!” The owner greeted her warmly.

It was the peak lunch hour and the restaurant was almost full. Allison and Nicholas managed to find two empty seats.

“Two large portions of beef ramen, please.”

Their orders arrived shortly.

The owner looked at Nicholas. “Ricky. I haven’t seen you in ages. After you guys graduated, only Allison would drop by once in a while.” Allison knew that the owner had mistaken Nicholas for Ricky.

Nicholas accepted his bowl of ramen and played along, “Indeed, it’s been a long time. I’ve been busy recently, so I don’t come by as much.”

The owner was enthusiastic. “Being busy is a good thing. You’ve graduated from college, right?”

The beef ramen was steaming hot. Despite only costing $3.99, it was filled with a generous amount of beef. Nicholas replied, “I’ve started working.”

“That’s great. I used to see you and your sister all the time. You’ve both grown up so fast! Time really flies…” The owner sighed, before being called away by a customer who needed to pay their bill.

The restaurant was warm and cozy. Nicholas looked at Allison, feeling a bit dazed, as if a thin layer of fog was in front of his eyes. “Allison, did you used to come here often with your brother?”

-“Yes.

“Do… do you treat me so well because you see me as your brother?” Nicholas felt a pang in his heart.

He was the scion of a wealthy family, rich and handsome. Many women pursued him, but now he was being treated as a stand-in for another man by a woman.

“Yes.”

Hearing her answer, Nicholas felt a hint of bitterness. “Can’t you lie to me just once?”

Allison took a bite of her ramen. ‘Eat up. This place’s ramen is cheap and delicious. If you don’t eat it soon, the noodles will stick together.”

Nicholas tasted the ramen and sipped the soup. It was indeed delicious.

Allison looked at his face and said, “You’re different from my brother. My brother wasn’t as arrogant as you and didn’t have your family background. He was just an ordinary guy while you are a wealthy man of high status…” Her voice trailed off, “Maybe you’re him… maybe you’re not…

By the time they finished their meal, it was around 1 pm. Allison took him to the graveyard. The graveyard was located on the south side of Northfield, somewhat out of the way, right next to a hill. It was Christopher who had helped choose this location.

Allison took out some flowers from her bag and placed them in front of Joshua’s grave, then she took out a tissue to wipe off the dust on the tombstone. “Dad, it’s been a few days since I last visited you. I brought your favorite liquor.”

“Ricky, I didn’t bring anything else for you this time, but I knitted a scarf for you. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a good job at some parts. Mom said # didn’t look good, so I wore it myself. I’ll knit a nice one for you in a few days.*

Allison’s voice was low but in the gentle breeze, Nicholas standing behind her could hear. He watched as Allison bent down to pull the grass around the tombstone and wipe the dust off with a tissue. He stepped forward to look at the picture on Ricky’s tombstone. The young face was eerily similar to his own.

His throat tightened, and he clenched his fists. Something in his mind seemed to be struggling to break free, causing him an unbearable sense of discomfort.