Chapter 12
“I’d like to try living over there for a few years, too.”
Dr. Main fell silent for a long moment, then let out a weary sigh.
“If I’d known it would come to this, I probably shouldn’t have lied to Jasper.”
I didn’t understand.
He went on, “I noticed how hostile he was toward Mr. Austin, and I was worried he’d get in the way of his treatment.
So this morning, I told him Mr. Austin was in no shape to get out of bed for at least a few days, and that you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon either.
That’s why he agreed to go into town with Sophia.”
He finished with another soft sigh.
“If you’ve decided to move away for good… shouldn’t you at least call him before your flight?”
I hesitated, then shook my head. “There’s no need.”
After all these years, the words I’d heard from him most often were:
“Claire Green, why is it Mom and Dad who died and not you?”
No, I wouldn’t call.
The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it.
I stood up and walked through the gate.
Jasper Green was uneasy.
Ever since he’d left Dr. Main’s house with Sophia, an inexplicable restlessness had gnawed at him.
He was sure of one thing–Frederick Austin couldn’t possibly get out of bed in just a day or two, so there was no way Claire Green would leave.
Yet the unease wouldn’t let go. It pressed on him, intense and irrational.
Sophia Carter was buying something from a street vendor.
Though the heavy snow had only just begun to melt and the wind was still sharp, the town was alive with people returning home for the holidays.
Vendors lined the streets, and everything was awash in red decorations, a cheerful, festive air clinging to every corner.
Jasper found himself thinking back to the years when he and his parents–along with
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Chapter 12
Claire–would drive back to their grandmother’s house for the holidays.
After Grandma passed, and then their parents, New Year’s had lost all meaning for the two of
them.
He couldn’t even remember when it started–how long it had been since he and Claire had a real
conversation.
He remembered his little sister as lively and troublesome, always getting into mischief, always dragging him into one mess or another.
She was the one who’d once burst into tears after catching him eating his own birthday cake alone, arguing with their parents on his behalf.
But over the years, she’d grown quieter, more withdrawn. It was like all the light had gone out in
her.
Nothing seemed to interest her anymore. She became distant–toward everything and everyone, especially toward him.
They’d become strangers, the kind who barely even knew each other.
So when Jasper realized his sister had gone home with a man she barely knew–a stranger, really–and saw her laughing and talking with him, worrying over his illness, braving
snow–blocked roads and her own pride to find the best doctor for him, he was consumed by a fury he couldn’t even explain.
Maybe it wasn’t even anger, not really.
Maybe he just couldn’t admit it to himself:
He was jealous. Wildly, desperately jealous.
She hadn’t cared about him–her own brother–for so many years, and now she’d poured all her concern into someone she’d just met.
No wonder he’d said those childish, absurd things–demanding Dr. Main refuse to treat
Frederick Austin.
No wonder Claire had slapped him across the face for it.
It was clear now: even in her eyes, her own brother didn’t matter as much as a man she barely
knew.
She really thought he could stoop so low, that he’d let a sick man go without help out of spite.
Jasper resented Claire for staying behind that night, for forcing their parents to stay and die in the quake.
But more than that, he resented how invisible he’d become to her.
And so, he hated that man.
Hated the way, in only a few days, Frederick Austin had become the center of Claire’s world.
He couldn’t accept it.
Even if he was the one who’d said, in a moment of spite, that he wasn’t her brother anymore.
Even if he pretended he could let her go, he couldn’t stand the thought of her really leaving.
Sophia Carter was chatting beside him as she shopped.
Jasper stood by the bustling roadside, lost in a swirl of tangled, conflicting emotions that felt like a storm tightening around him.
He was suffocating.
Sophia reached into his coat pocket for his wallet–the old vendor didn’t take credit cards.
Jasper let her; he just wanted to get this over with and go home.
A car passed by. He noticed it out of the corner of his eye–a car he didn’t recognize.
He couldn’t see through the windows, but for some reason, he felt as if he’d just seen Claire inside.
She looked so calm, so lifeless, staring back at him through the glass.
He knew he couldn’t really see her, but the feeling was so strong, so certain.
Almost without thinking, he shoved Sophia aside and dashed after the car.
But there was no way he could catch up; it sped away and vanished before he could even get
close.
He stopped, dazed, staring after it.
Just a random car, he told himself. He really ought to get his head checked.
Sophia hurried over, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
Jasper snapped out of it.
“Nothing. Are you done? Let’s go back.”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah.”
She hadn’t come to town for herself.
Mrs. Main was getting on in years, her memory fading in and out.
Sometimes, when she confused the present with her childhood, she’d ask for cotton candy.
Now that the snow had cleared and the roads were open, Sophia had come to town to buy some for Mrs. Main.
Before heading back, Jasper couldn’t help but snap a few photos of the market stalls and send them to Claire.
No reply.
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Chapter 12
It felt like a stone dropping into deep water.
The unease in his chest grew heavier.
As they got in the car, Sophia gave him an apologetic smile.
“Sorry I made you come along. Uncle was acting weird today–he insisted I shouldn’t go alone, even though I’m an adult. It’s broad daylight; it’s not like anything’s going to happen.”
Jasper’s hands trembled on the steering wheel.
Suddenly, the source of his unease clicked into focus.
He remembered that morning, when Sophia wanted to drive into town by herself, and how Dr. Main had looked at him–how he’d insisted Jasper go with her, no matter how Sophia
protested.
Maybe things weren’t as they seemed.
Maybe he shouldn’t have come.
Maybe Dr. Main, who had pushed so hard for him to leave, hadn’t been entirely honest about Frederick Austin’s condition.
Acold wave of panic washed over Jasper, setting his heart racing with fear.
