Chapter 494: Rachel’s Brother
Chandler’s words shocked and surprised Meryl. He was somewhat strange tonight. Meryl had expected Chandler to agree readily. After all, wasn’t it good that he could divorce her and marry his love? But she sensed that he was upset. It sounded like he was worried about her. Was he pitying her?
Chandler said in a low, magnetic voice, “Meryl, my relationship with Rachel is not what you think.”
Because of the hug, he pressed his lips against Meryl’s hair. Her long, thick hair had a sweet, pleasant, fruity scent, and he liked it. His big palms fell on her shoulders.
Meryl froze. The warmth was always enchanting and addictive. Chandler’s chest gave her a reassuring feeling. But she still pushed him away, stepped back, and kept some distance. He reached out but could not catch her. He could only watch her turn around.
Meryl gently straightened her pajamas with her back to him. Her gaze was indifferent.
“Rachel was my neighbor when I was a child,” Chandler explained. “She helped me through two of my most difficult years.”
Meryl closed her eyes gently. Rachel was indeed his childhood sweetheart. That was the scariest thing of all, for there might be strong emotional dependence and possessiveness between them. Yet, Meryl had never participated in their past.
“But our relationship is not what you think.” Chandler stood up straight, walked around to Meryl, and stared at her seriously. “Rachel and I are not close. I was familiar with her brother.”
As he recalled the past, his voice became slightly hoarse. “We had an accident at that time, and only one of us could survive. Her brother gave me the chance.”
Then, there was a long silence in the room.
Chandler closed his eyes. Something occurred to him, and grief gradually overwhelmed him. He was unwilling to think about that past, and no one knew what he had been through. Blood, humanity, fear, and death made him feel responsible and guilty for Rachel. It was his duty to provide for her education. After all, she was only a teenager when her brother died, and they were not yet grown up.
Chandler could never forget the scene on his return home that day. Rachel, with two pigtails and dirty clothes, ran up to him, tugged at the corners of his clothes, and asked him about her brother. It was a freezing cold winter. But he remembered very well that the sunset that day was particularly beautiful. He got out of the military green SUV. The world was covered with snow, leaving only the red sun on the horizon. Ten–year–old Rachel fell in the snow in front of him, clinging to his trousers.
“I want my brother. Give me back my brother.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks, which were flushed with the underage brother and sister’s death. They depended on each other. It was also their first winter in the village. But her brother’s life was over forever after that. He was only fourteen, an age of promise and infinite possibilities.
Chandler straightened his back and glanced down slightly to hide his face in the darkness. He was breathless, as if his heart had suffered a dull blow. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.