But these words were stuck in his throat; he couldn't utter a single syllable.

He wasn't willing to let go.

He wasn't willing to miss out just like this.

But then he remembered what Ash had said.

"If the life she wants is a life without you, why can't you let her have it?"

So, the words reached his lips, and he swallowed the bitterness.

Then he lifted the curtain and walked out.

The night breeze blew in, causing the lightbulb in the tent to sway.

I reopened the textbook, my fingers brushing over a page of wrinkled paper, stopping on a certain line.

That was Sophie's old textbook.

Sophie had written on the book: "If I can live to see the future, I want to be a volunteer teacher."

Now, I have fulfilled her wish for her.

It should have been that my Sophie was just about to see the light.

Instead, she died on the eve of that light.

Outside the tent, Ethan didn't walk far away.

He leaned against the side of the tent, looking down at the injury on his hand.

The blood had already dried, congealing in the crevices of his nails, a black-red mess.

Just a moment ago, He Jingyun had shaken his hand.

That hand was clean, dry, and strong—not like his own hand, stained with old debts that couldn't be washed away.

Laughter from children drifted from afar; it was a few students housed in a temporary tent playing games.

He listened for a while, then turned and walked toward the medical team’s tent.

He walked two steps and then stopped, looking up at the night sky.

The stars in the village were bright, densely covering the entire sky.

He remembered a long time ago, he had promised her that he would take her to see a stunning display of stars.

At that time, he had been planning to propose to her once the sky was filled with stars.

But that wish would never come true.

Chapter 15

Ethan stood under the starry sky for a long time.

It was already the early hours of the morning when he returned to his tent.

He lay down on his camp bed, and the moment he closed his eyes, he saw the look in Clara’s eyes as she watched him.

Calm, detached, like looking at someone of no importance.

He woke up before dawn.

He boiled hot water, poured it into a thermos, and placed it outside the entrance of Clara’s tent.

Then he turned and left.

When I lifted the curtain and saw the thermos, I paused for a moment.

Then I stepped around it and went to the water tanker to wash up.

He Jingyun emerged from the opposite tent, holding two steamed buns.

"Red bean. Eat them while they're hot."

I took them and took a bite.

"When are you leaving?"

He Jingyun leaned against a pillar: "Tomorrow. I'll be back as soon as I handle things at home."

"No need to hurry." I swallowed the bun, "I can manage here."

He Jingyun looked at me but didn't respond.

Ethan came out of the medical tent and happened to witness this scene.

He lowered his head, broke the steamed bun in his hand into two halves, and swallowed them dry.

Then he followed the medical team into the village for sterilization.

Ethan carried the sprayer on his shoulder, walking at the back of the line.

The villagers leading the way kept chatting about the volunteer teachers, and somehow the conversation turned to Clara.

A voice filled with heartbreak came over.

"Teacher Clara is a good teacher and a good person, but I don't know what she’s been through—she has never returned home, not even for the Lunar New Year. Whenever others bring up the past, she refuses to speak a word about it."

"Such a kind girl, it really makes one's heart ache to see her. She treats all the students like her own family and cares for them with such dedication."

"I just heard she supposedly had a younger sister, and later the sister fell ill and passed away..."

The weight of the sprayer on his shoulder felt so heavy it left Ethan gasping for air.

It wasn't until he returned to the camp in the afternoon that a nurse handed him a note.

"Dr. Ethan, a woman came to look for you in the afternoon. You weren't here, and she left this."

Ethan took it; written on it was a line of text:

I am waiting for you at the inn in town. If you don't come, I will go find Clara.

There was no signature.

But he knew who it was.

Elena.

He crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

The nurse next to him asked: "Aren't you going?"

"I'm not going."

In the evening, I was sitting in the tent grading homework.

He Jingyun pushed the flap open and walked in, carrying a bag of fruit.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, you keep these to eat."

I glanced at them: "Take them back for your family."

"They aren't in short supply of these." He set the bag on the table, "Your arm—remember to change the dressing on time. I’ll ask Teacher Zhang to help you."

"Teacher He." I set down my pen and looked up at him, "You don't need to be this good to me."

He Jingyun squatted down to be level with me.

"Whether it's necessary or not, that's for me to decide."

The two of us stared at each other for a few seconds.

I was the first to look away.

"As you wish."

He Jingyun smiled slightly, stood up, and left.

Outside the tent, Ethan was leaning against a pillar, holding a bottle of water, not having taken a single drink.

He had heard every word of the conversation just now.

He unscrewed the cap and took a large gulp; the water spilled from the corners of his mouth, streaming down his neck.

The coldness made him shiver.

His phone vibrated—the human resources department was urging him to confirm his reporting time.

He typed two words:

Next week.

After sending it, he turned the phone off.

He looked up; the light in my tent went out.

He stood in the darkness for a while, then returned to his own tent.

The next day, just as He Jingyun’s car pulled away, a woman appeared at the entrance of the camp.

She was wearing a mask and a hat, so thin that a gust of wind could have blown her over.

She walked up to me and took off her mask.

I recognized that face—Elena.

Elena’s lips were trembling: "Clara, I’ve come to return something to you."

Chapter 16

Elena reached out, and in her palm lay a USB flash drive.

"This contains the complete video from back then. From the hotel corridor, and inside the room. It can prove that you never did anything."

Her voice trembled, "I've kept it for seven years."

I didn't take it.

"Is this why you came to see me?"

"I wanted to apologize to you in person." Elena's tears began to fall, "I was diagnosed with depression, and I feel like I might not have much time left. I don't want to die carrying your hatred."

I looked at her with a calm gaze.

"You certainly should die carrying your sins."

Elena froze.

"Clara..."

"My sister died." I interrupted her, "Your 'sorry' cannot bring her back."

"So, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me."

Elena’s mouth opened, but she couldn't utter a single word.

I turned and walked away.

Elena stood where she was, crying until her whole body shook.

Ethan walked out from behind a tent, looking at Elena.

"What else are you here for?"

Elena looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen: "I came to seek atonement."

"You can't afford the price of atonement." Ethan’s voice was as cold as ice, "Get out."

Elena hesitated repeatedly: "Ethan, have we really reached such an irreparable point?"

Ethan stood in place, his fists clenched so tight they cracked.

I returned to my tent, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at the USB drive in my hand.

I watched it for a long time, then stuffed it into the deepest compartment of my bag.

I had no intention of watching it.

Did they want me to relive the pain all over again?

That wasn't what I wanted.

Teacher Zhang walked in with a bowl of soup: "Teacher Clara, drink some soup. Who was that woman earlier?"

"I don't know her."

Teacher Zhang tactfully didn't ask again.

I drank two mouthfuls of soup and set the bowl down.

"Teacher Zhang, I’ll cover your class tomorrow. You go take care of the village affairs."

"Is your arm going to be alright?"

"It'll be fine."

That night, Ethan knocked on my tent.

"Come in."

He lifted the curtain and stepped inside, standing by the entrance.