Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 484

Talk about a small world.

The last person Emma expected to see here was Theodore.

The next morning, she packed her things, took the stone, and headed downstairs, only to see him and Anna in the lobby of the inn, also about to go out. She had her three tall bodyguards with her.

Theodore saw them and nodded slightly, a look of approval on his face. At least she had listened to him about something.

Emma pretended not to see him and walked straight out with her guards. But at the entrance to the church grounds, she saw him and Anna again.

"Are you here for the church, too?" he asked with a smile, standing beside Anna.

In a place like this, Emma didn't want to argue with him. Besides, for some reason, her mood today was unusually serene, tinged with a faint melancholy. Her eyes felt perpetually on the verge of tears, yet she was also enveloped in a strange warmth.

It was a complex feeling. Perhaps it was all the camphor trees planted around the church, reminding her of those sun-drenched high school afternoons when the leaves outside the classroom window shimmered with golden light, the cicadas buzzed, and everyone inside was half-asleep.

Memories were always warm but tinged with a bit of bittersweetness, especially when the person in them was gone. Today was for Bart, so she decided to let things go with Theodore. She gave a cool "Mm" in response.

They walked one after the other, she toward the guest reception, he toward the main chapel, like two acquaintances who barely knew each other.

Theodore went into the chapel to pray. Afterward, he went to get a couple of blessed keepsakes—one for peace and one for health. Wealth was something he no longer needed at this stage of his life. He tucked them into his pocket and turned to Anna. "Okay?"

Anna didn't say anything.

He smiled. "Come on, I'll show you some of the old architecture."

In such a solemn setting, Emma barely registered his presence. As prayers were read, she watched the small stone being placed into the earth at the base of the tree and offered a silent prayer of her own: *Bart, may you be as free as the wind, able to go wherever you wish. If there is a next life…*

She didn't know what to wish for him in a next life; she had known so little about him.

*Well then… if there is a next life, may your path be smooth and all your wishes come true.*

When she finished her prayer, she saw Theodore with his eyes also closed, likely praying for Bart as well. She wondered what he was wishing for; he and Bart had been much closer.

After the service, Emma thanked the sisters again. When it came time to make a donation, Theodore insisted on contributing as well.

Emma didn't object. He and Bart had been good friends. This was his way of paying respects, just as she had hers.