Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 34

Chapter 9

Alexander was gone.

I wasn’t sure if my words had truly reached him, if they had left any mark on his heart.

When Noah came back, his face was bruised and battered.

“You fought him?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

“Yeah,” he muttered, eyes dark with anger. “That bastard. Victoria, it’s time for your medicine.”

I stared at the assortment of bottles and jars laid out before me, the bitter pills I had been swallowing for so long. I didn’t tell Noah that the medication no longer dulled the pain inside me—it was a losing battle. Still, I numbly popped another handful into my mouth.

Noah caught my thin wrist with a gentle yet firm grip, his gaze searching mine.

“Stop taking those,” he said quietly. “The medicine tastes awful.”

“Let me buy you some little cakes instead,” I whispered, trying to lighten the mood.

That night, I could hear Noah’s quiet sobs echoing through the room. It was a sound so full of helplessness, so raw and aching. Maybe I really was slipping away, inch by inch.

By the fifth day, the snowy mountain finally showed a hint of mercy. The heavy snowflakes that had blanketed the sky began to thin, and the mist at the summit lifted, revealing the rugged peaks beneath. I had slept through the sunrise, missing the world’s first light.

Noah helped me to the observation deck, pushing my wheelchair gently as the cold wind brushed past us. We watched the sunset together, the sky streaked with pinks and purples.

Behind me, in the reflection of the glass, I caught sight of a shadowy figure—someone who looked unmistakably like Alexander. I didn’t call out or turn to confront him. Instead, I simply allowed myself to quietly watch the fading light.

A few rebellious snowflakes drifted down, settling softly on my hair. For once, Noah didn’t brush them away. He just stood beside me, silently watching, his eyes full of unspoken emotion.

I reached out, tugging gently at the corner of his jacket. “Don’t remember me so clearly,” I murmured.

“After I’m gone, forget me completely,” I added, my voice fragile.

Noah met my gaze directly, refusing to shy away from the painful truth.

“Victoria,” he said softly, “I’m scared you’ll leave too soon. I won’t even get to imagine what you’d look like with white hair.”

“Let me look at you a little longer,” I whispered.

“In the next life,” he promised, “I’ll fall in love with you before anyone else does.”

After that evening, I returned to my room and slipped into a deep, unending sleep. I no longer had the strength to roam the world with Noah. Instead, a sudden longing to see my parents welled up inside me.

The day I left was gray and rainy, the steady drizzle tapping against the windows like a quiet farewell.

Noah sat across from my father, both of them immersed in a tense game of chess. I stood nearby, watching and commenting on their moves with unusual cheerfulness. The intensity of the match made their brows furrow deeper and deeper.

Afterward, Sophie stayed in Stone Creek, dedicating herself to teaching in the countryside. Noah shifted his focus to researching my illness, desperate to understand what had taken me from them. Alexander planted an entire field of tulips and visited my grave every day, speaking to me as if I were still there.

Until one day, he stopped coming.

Chapter 9

“Victoria.”

Suddenly, I heard his voice behind me.

Turning around, I saw Alexander with dark purple bruises encircling his neck. He pulled open his shirt, revealing fresh, raw wounds carved deep into his skin.

There, painfully etched in crimson, was my name:

[Victoria Carter]

He smiled at me, a foolish, desperate grin.

“In the next life,” he vowed, “I’ll never forget you again.”

The next day, the news exploded across every headline:

#Whitmore Corporation heir Alexander Whitmore found dead by suicide at home in the early hours of this morning#