After My Death, My Husband Who Threw Me Into the Hunting Grounds Went Insane novel Chapter 23

I thought we were just going to have a dessert, but it wasn't the case. They had prepared a full meal course in different kinds of dishes that would feed at least ten people. The Barbie doll must be so important that Thomas had to make a feast.

I quietly listened as they exchanged talk about matters I couldn't understand. I remained looking at the food on my plate.

I rolled my eyes and then blew out a deep, silent breath. Luke wasn't talking as usual. Thomas discussed something and followed some legality kind of stuff, but it wasn't about my transfer papers. I wasn't naïve enough to not understand what's going on.

Mom was exchanging ideas and her suggestions, too, since she was a lawyer herself. I wished I could give my input, but I knew nothing about their topic. I only knew how to create a program—if they asked me about JavaScript or Python, I would be glad to answer them.

I secretly watched Luke, who was sitting in front of me, slicing his steak. He still hadn't taken a bite. Luke lifted her plate while Miss Universe was having a conversation with Mom and Thomas. He switched his plate with the already sliced steak for hers.

I held my breath a little. I was quite surprised by his action, or I could say a stab of jealousy struck me. I ground my teeth in annoyance then I looked away immediately.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you. Thank you, Luke." Rebecca smiled sweetly at him, touching his wrist. She had long fingers, and her nails were painted with bright red.

Thomas smiled approvingly. They must like her so much. Well, who wouldn't? Miss Universe was sweet and respectful.

Luke smiled back. "Anytime."

"How about you, sweetheart? Don't you like your steak?" Mom asked. "Would you like some pasta? We also have seafood, prawns, do you want some? It's your favorite."

I smiled a little. "I like steak, thanks."

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I always put it on silent during meals out of habit; I decided to just ignore it.

A couple of moments later, it rang again. I guessed it must be Jax.

I grunted, and finally, I drew out my phone and checked it secretly under the table. It wasn't Jax but Katherine. She was supposed to be on vacation too, and I'd anticipated that she wouldn't call.

I frowned. I wondered what it was about.

I pressed the end button and decided to send her a message.

Me: I'm with the whole family. What happened? I hit send. I bit my lip. Katherine doesn't usually call me if it wasn't necessary.

Katherine: Nate and I broke up. What should I do?

What? I caught my breath in surprise. Nate and Kath had always been the definition of a perfect couple. I never once thought that they would break up since I always felt that they were incredibly compatible.

Me: Why, what happened?

My phone beeped immediately.

Katherine: He proposed to me, and I said NO.

"You what!?" I yelled out loud, momentarily forgetting that I was in front of the family. Four pairs of eyes swung in my direction.

"Scarlet?" Thomas prompted.

"I'm sorry. I just received an important message," I reasoned.

"Don't you always turn off your phone?" Mom asked in a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I really, really have to reply to this. It's serious." I looked at her.

"But it's family time."

Family time? If this really was family time, why was there a Barbie doll sharing the table with us? She's not family. I was the family, but I felt like I was invisible as usual. They're too focused on her.

I didn't answer Mom and kept on reading my roommate's message.

I felt the need to call Nate. Nate and I were close friends as well, and he used to share everything with me, even if not this time. It was too sudden of him to propose, given that everyone was climbing their way to graduation. Katherine must've been surprised, so she said no. I could understand her situation, but it didn't mean she didn't love Nate. She wanted to be with him for the rest of their lives.

Me: Do you want me to call Nate? I replied to her message a few minutes later.

I placed my phone beside my plate and then began eating quickly so I could call Nate.

My phone beeped again.

Katherine: Nate is in Manhattan right now. He flew there. I wanted to ask you if you could meet up with him. He doesn't answer my calls. Please, I'm so worried about him.

Me: What's he going to do here?

Katherine: I don't know. He didn't tell me why. He just told me he's going to go there.

I didn't answer but decided to finally call her boyfriend. They were both my best friends, and I couldn't just ignore them.

"Who keeps on texting you?" Mom abruptly questioned, making everyone stop. I didn't want to be disrespectful, so I didn't reply to the text.

"I'm so sorry, but I really need to excuse myself. Please, don't mind me, this is really important."

"Is that about school?" Thomas asked.

I cleared my throat. "Yes. It's um, my classmate. He's asking me about the thesis."

I felt Luke's gaze on me, and I could see him in my periphery, but I avoided his eyes.

"If it's about school, you should take it first," Miss Universe encouraged, then smiled sweetly. "It's okay. It happens all the time."

"Yeah, thanks." I smiled. Admittedly, I was grateful for her comment, regardless of feeling like an outsider, like I didn't belong to their little feast. Leaving the table could save me in this awkward situation.

"It's going to be quick," I said, but my fingers were already scrolling through my dial logs and called Nate's number. To my surprise, he answered right away.

"Hello?"

I sprang up from my seat. "Nate! Thank God." Hastily, I didn't wait for anyone's approval and marched out of the dining room.

"Scar? Where are you?" he asked, sounding a bit furious.

"That's my line. Katherine told me what happened. What's going on?"

"What did she tell you?"

"You proposed to her in the middle of finals! What's gotten into you?"

"Then I guess she didn't tell you why," he croaked. "Dad is dying. He only has a month to live. The doctor told us his cancer spread all over his organs. He wanted me to get married before he…" he sighed. "I don't know what to do. Katherine was so surprised; she broke up with me."

I heaved a sigh. "I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. But if that's the case, what are you doing in Manhattan?"

"Just to clear my mind, then I heard you are here. Can we meet? I need your help to talk to Kath. We need to talk."

"Good. You're saving me in the middle of a miserable week if we do."

"Really?" his tone surprised. "Then where can I see you?"

"I'm actually at my parents' house. I'll text you where to meet me tomorrow, okay? Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. You see, Kath and I… I have hopes."

I smiled. "That's the Nate I know. She loves you, you know. She was just surprised, but don't give up on her."

The second week was supposed to be last Saturday. A witch showed up, and she was supposed to be my little sister. Gene's daughter—the mother figure I respected too much. This woman was getting on my every last nerve.

She was just a small girl who sat alone in the corner the first time I saw her at our parent's wedding. However, she came back a few years as a confident young woman. Full and ripe with fuckable lips and a beautiful innocent face that had my cock hard in the past few days. She was supposed to be out of my league. She was supposed to be out of my reach.

A few minutes later, the witch came back. We'd finished dinner, and I didn't eat sweet foods, but I sat with them because I couldn't leave Rebecca. She wasn't just my lawyer, but someone I thought I could trust.

"You're back. Is everything alright with your friend?" Dad asked.

"Uh, it's fine. But my classmate needed help with something. I actually wanted to tell you that I'm going out tomorrow. I'm meeting my friend."

"Tomorrow? In Manhattan?" Gene asked her curiously, a bit surprised.

"Yes, Nate's here in New York. He wants us to meet."

Nate? Why was that name coming out too often this day?

"Nate? I haven't heard that name before," Dad said.

"Is it Nathaniel? The boy you introduced during my last visit?" Gene asked again as she ate her dessert. "A nice guy, should I say. Who is he visiting here? Is he with Katherine?"

The witch grinned sweetly at Gene's comment. It's just too unfortunate she was too beautiful when she smiles, and it had my cock twitching in my pants.

Hold on. What? Katherine?

I scrolled through my messages again, and the same name flashed on my screen. What the hell was going on?

My blood pressure rose as my mind started playing ridiculous unwanted thoughts.

"Nate's originally from Brooklyn, and Katherine is on vacation with her family," the witch went on.

"Well, if it's really important, then you should go see Nate," Gene agreed.

Katherine and Nate… hmm.

This could be just a coincidence. I tried to think of the probability that this witch probably knew Ericka. But I found it hard to connect because Ericka was an IT professional who worked at an IT company in Massachusetts. She was a twenty-eight-year-old woman, a graduate of Harvard. Unless…

I watched her intently and tried to think of the coincidences between Jax and Ericka, and me and the witch.

And just like the witch, Ericka lived in Cambridge. Ericka told me she was visiting a family in New York, which was the same day the witch came home. Ericka told me she was going to meet her mother and that she hadn't seen her for a long time.

I watched Gene's daughter and listened to her very carefully—her speech pattern, the way she laughed, the names Katherine and Nate…

God, no. It's not possible.

I scanned through my phone and dialed Ericka's number. I waited for a minute to see if she would pick up, but there was no answer or reaction from her. I phoned her again, but there was still no reaction.

I sighed in relief. I must be imagining things.

"Thanks, Mom. I kinda need to go out as well."

"If your mom allows you, I will too," Dad said, nodding in approval. "It's time you see the world outside."

"I would love to see the city."

Suddenly, a loud ringtone reverberated in every corner of the room, but she hit the end call.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

What the fuck!