Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 29

Chapter 16

Switzerland’s first snowfall of the year didn’t arrive until early January, blanketing the landscape in a pristine layer of white. Nicholas stepped out of the airport into the biting cold, his gaze lingering on the snow-covered ground and rooftops stretching endlessly before him. The sight was hauntingly beautiful, yet it stirred a deep ache within him.

This marked his third visit to this country.

And it would also be his last.

Once he had collected Elara’s ashes, he planned to leave without delay. There was no intention of ever returning to this place again.

He stood there, braving the icy wind that cut through his coat, feeling frozen in time. The cold seemed to seep into his bones as he wrestled with the heaviness in his chest. After what felt like an eternity, he forced himself to move forward.

He raised his hand to hail a cab and gave the driver the address.

The man behind the wheel was middle-aged, with a kind but weathered face. When he heard the destination, his eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s… that’s for euthanasia, isn’t it? Are you sure about this? You’re so young. Why would you want to—”

Nicholas’s throat tightened painfully, but no words emerged. He understood the driver’s concern, yet he had nothing left to say. Instead, he lowered his gaze, pretending not to catch the question.

The driver studied him briefly through the rearview mirror, then sighed deeply before shifting the car into gear.

As the GPS distance slowly ticked down, Nicholas’s chest constricted tighter and tighter, as though someone was wringing a sponge, squeezing the life out of it until it crumbled into dust scattered across the floor.

Inside him, it felt as if cold snowflakes were falling too—chilling and hollow.

When the car finally came to a stop, Nicholas handed over a thick wad of bills and waved away the change without a word. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

A staff member approached immediately, her tone polite but cautious. “Do you have an appointment, sir?”

Nicholas glanced around the bright, sterile lobby, taking in the neatly arranged pamphlets and posters plastered on the walls. Suddenly, the room began to spin, and his knees buckled.

He swayed dangerously, barely catching himself before collapsing.

“Sir? Are you alright? Do you need help?” the woman asked, steadying him.

He doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. His hands trembled as he fumbled through his pocket, searching for the small piece of candy that a flight attendant had slipped into his jacket after he fainted at the airport. She had told him he needed to eat something.

But he couldn’t. Nothing stayed down. Every taste felt like decay the moment it touched his tongue.

Even the candy was bitter.

Gradually, the darkness at the edges of his vision began to fade. His voice emerged, hoarse and broken.

“I’m here for someone. My wife.”

With trembling fingers, he pulled out his phone and showed her a photograph.

The woman seemed to understand, offering no further pressure.

When they reached the sixteenth floor, she helped him onto a couch and then disappeared into the records room.

Nicholas leaned back, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the ceiling, utterly drained.

He wasn’t sure if souls lingered after death.

If Elara’s spirit still hovered somewhere nearby, what would she think of his arrival now?

Would she mock him? Laugh bitterly? Stay silent? Or maybe harbor resentment?

Probably all of those things.

After all, until the very moment she died, their marriage had never been dissolved.

He was the last person she left behind in this world.

Elara had branded him with that title—widower—ensuring he would never forget.

Never forget that she was gone.