Some connections are too deep to be defined by the name

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafMkg2no8Q

Four Months of Silence

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiyuHZxaaL

Four months.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJ3C3rQeKb

That was how long Elias had waited without hearing a single word from Rei.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlMrbixbib

Every morning, he found himself opening their old chat, staring at the last message as if it might suddenly change. Every day, it stayed the same. Silence.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTgeYGUqfc

Then, one afternoon, his phone buzzed.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9R2ZhHkYbJ

A message from Rei.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmnAmkqNvy

> "It was good. What about you?"

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAtXZtQEbl

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9Brh6z5Jg

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy7QbVItdh

Elias read the words over and over.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11JC3XXjKB

She was acting as if nothing had happened. As if four months of disappearing without a trace were only a brief pause. But he knew her. Rei didn't vanish for no reason.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZdW0E5saw

He set his coffee mug down with a quiet click.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcA41bENU4K

Something wasn't right.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfw7a0l5Oll

He typed carefully.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhCBchzCAQ

> "I'm fine. The city is the same as ever. Loud, crowded, and predictable."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHI2htLrXq2

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXbdTpjOYk

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUt4i9Vc7h

His fingers hovered above the keyboard.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8QfSFFQL8

He wanted to ask a hundred questions.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8tHGIoxlf

Where were you?

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OiHcR97jA

What happened?

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8sppoQcfX

Why did you disappear?

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFhPAsNpoV

Instead, he chose the simplest one.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcL3ThUbYdQ

> "You sound different. Are you okay?"

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY82BQpvz17

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQXE4G6jGl

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b1u5AXjYY

He stared at the screen, waiting.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPwa53qA3S

Minutes passed.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDITB85yad

Finally, Rei replied.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8JVvvaFIt

> "Why did you ask that?"

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvSnALRolK

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEQLKglc05

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9VtBuUu1l

Elias leaned back in his chair.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUr2PLRWhy

It was a fair question.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOXG2MDeDz

He didn't want to sound desperate, but he didn't want to lie either.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWA09qLSBq

> "Because I noticed."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp61XNplYKr

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCRpsKhW3j

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb5WmtMvD4

He paused before continuing.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSN5BStORt

> "And because I've been waiting four months to hear from you. I think I've earned the right to ask if you're okay."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZGP94xoBt

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEldNf4oLw

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtOUFmVSdK

Another pause.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCjnUAqiMN

Then he added,

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SOClJGXNE

> "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. But don't act like nothing happened. Four months is too long to pretend it was yesterday."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv1MP4eUf7

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujOX5aYBfC

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctsgl2Wajg

Rei replied almost immediately.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbME82iA4ms

> "I do this every time."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnEMvEe9BA

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz35DG6MraZ

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzeUa6njyj

Another message followed.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8pz4SRDjd

> "It's not new."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sVUeEGwTn

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RESznUoNq

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3psVx6ryf

Elias closed his eyes for a moment.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUaYzKEL9D

Maybe it wasn't new to her.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oaow92rsH

But it was new to him.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYokEGLQFa7

Four months of wondering if she was safe.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJfehmVQ2D

Four months of checking his phone.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtVBpt3H18

Four months of imagining every possible reason for her silence.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtBVKLHc9v

He took a slow breath before typing.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChfebYQvoB

> "Maybe it's not new to you."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ67UJ5Cii3

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qFxahOTaT

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h4fBXKXOc

> "But it's new to me."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybBXKFKRG8

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2Jv56P45P

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbd28blNiE

> "I don't have your habit of disappearing."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01r0e8wSaH

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOxDcStldg

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbrNIp56wK

After a long pause, he added one more message.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vwaTTcqpi

> "If you're sick, tell me."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAwxknmOkU

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrOraxL390

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfE4LsCC69

> "If you need someone to bring you something, tell me."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkY6RgaWHEa

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wSdVk7utp

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaGVASIT4p

The typing indicator disappeared.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdLqVNjhKe

Then Rei answered.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj5fEv9zuw

> "I am ok."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4Ezs8Fqvq

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f4w0rmY9p

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjBOr1IRJU

A few seconds later, another message.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoZIGs45TL

> "Ok."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhmnYbgOEH

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHhTnTwbyB

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQuLTdshM5

Elias stared at the single word.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt7JxZL1yf

Ok.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRo9naSWOEh

It wasn't reassurance.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMddYuXfWNS

It was a wall.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW71LPCSo89

A perfectly built, polite, impossible-to-break wall.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc0krpwIOE

He set his phone on the kitchen counter and walked toward the window.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHylyl9fpjO

The city stretched beneath him, alive with traffic and strangers crossing paths without ever noticing one another.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJ50zR7QYh

Yet his thoughts were somewhere else.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTr6unAsg3Y

Back in the mountains.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIheN2UYlJu

Back at the quiet cabin where Rei had once disappeared from the world.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuJo47NsGO

He wondered if she was still there, hiding from everything.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP9p0Zg1oB

Or if she had returned to the city, carrying the same silence around her like armor.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNNJFu5quJ

His coffee had gone cold.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tRj83JdXS

"She's fine," he told himself.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEbTEYAmnt

"She said she's fine."

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLZ9z8rzM6

But Elias had learned something over the years.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMDUfGACaw

Sometimes the shortest messages hid the deepest pain.

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWGFwinhMk

And no one could read between the lines of Rei's silence better than he could.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOqqWu2KJ3

ns216.73.217.9da2

介面主題:

字體大小:

行距:

段距:

自動加載下一章