Inside the apartment, Henry was preparing dinner: a few slices of toast, smoked fish, and cherry tomatoes—his personal favorite. Ksenia glanced at the spread; she loathed it. Cold, flavorless food offered no satisfaction, neither to her stomach nor her soul.
"Where were you, babe?" Henry asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.
"Nowhere."
Ksenia responded with her usual mask—a face of haunting beauty and profound melancholy.
"What's wrong? Have you been crying?" Henry was perceptive. He immediately washed his hands, walked over, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Ksenia tried to suppress the urge, but her tears fell like a snapped string of pearls, unstoppable.
"Hey, hey... what happened?"
"Henry," she whispered, her heart fracturing, "can we... can we just be together? You know what I mean."
She needed a hit of dopamine, anything to anchor her drifting soul.
"What?" Henry flushed a deep crimson, from his neck to his forehead. He was intelligent enough to guess that this sudden desperation was likely Lu Jiting's doing. "Did someone hurt you?" he probed cautiously.
"No. But why do you always refuse me? Don't you love me?"
"How can you even ask that? Of course I do," he stammered. "It's just... my faith. It doesn't allow it."
"And what else does your faith forbid?"
"Infidelity. Divorce."
If only she actually loved him. A loyal, lifelong devotion could have given Ksenia the security she so desperately craved. Was this a tactic? A seduction?
She found herself asking, "Then when are we getting married?"
Henry froze, stunned by her words. After a long silence, he said, "Tell me what happened today first."
"Nothing. Don't you want to marry me?"
"Of course I do," Henry said, his tone turning solemn, almost holy. "From the moment I saw you, I thought of marriage. If... if that's what you want, we can go look at venues this weekend."
"Wait, what?" Ksenia stared at his earnest expression. "Don't we get engaged first?"
"Engaged?" Henry considered this with agonizing sincerity. "I'd rather just marry you. But we'd need to visit my parents first, and your uncle—I've only met him once. We need rings, a dress, a priest..."
"Too bad I'm a devoted anti-marriage advocate," Ksenia said coldly. "So, does that mean we can never 'do it' for the rest of our lives?"
"Damn it, Ksenia," Henry groaned, clutching his head. "Give me a break."
After dinner, it was movie night.
"Have you seen this one?" Ksenia picked Me Before You. The cover looked sweet enough.
"No, let's go with that." Henry was rarely difficult.
Ksenia wasn't actually interested in romance, but she hoped the film might bridge the emotional chasm between them. However, as the movie approached its end, Henry abruptly stood up and walked out of the living room.
"What?"
"I can't watch this. I'm sorry," he said, gesturing vaguely at the screen.
"Why?" Ksenia felt his behavior was bordering on rude.
"He's going to Switzerland. He's going to end himself. I can't accept that," Henry said, his voice rising. "His life isn't even that bad! His family and friends are right there helping him—why is he so set on this? In my faith, this is absolutely forbidden."
"But he's in agony," Ksenia countered. She understood the protagonist's choice perfectly.
"Everyone is in pain, Ksenia," Henry insisted. "I can empathize with suffering, but I don't want anyone to take that path. In my view, no one has the right to take a life—not even their own."
"Then... what if it's for self-protection?" Ksenia's heart raced. This answer mattered. "If someone held a knife to my head, could I take theirs?"
"You could," Henry said, his tone unyielding. "But only under specific conditions."
"What conditions?"
"That your life was truly, undeniably threatened."
"And how am I supposed to judge that in a split second? How do I know if they really mean to kill me?"
"You just know." Henry remained firm. "Look, we're getting off track. The movie is different. I can't stand by his decision."
"Fine."
The flicker of hope Ksenia had felt for Henry was extinguished by reality. Her heart felt bitter. She realized then that Henry could never truly love her—not the real her, the soul that was far from innocent. Thank God for my sanity, she thought. I haven't fallen for him yet.
She ignored him, grabbing a cat wand to find Darling.
Cats were better than people. Simpler. Darling's entire world was the little plush fish at the end of the string.
"Wow, Darling, you're jumping so high today!"
Eventually, the cat curled up in Ksenia's lap, purring like a tiny engine while Ksenia rubbed her paws, drifting off into a restless sleep.
When Henry stepped out of the shower, Ksenia was still cold. He didn't understand how they could go from discussing a sacred wedding to a freezing standoff over a film.
His mother had warned him: Find a girl who shares your faith.
But Henry was blind to everyone else. He only saw Ksenia. He just wished she could see things his way. He scrolled through his phone, distracted by dull news and mindless videos, unable to stand the silence.
"Hey, day after tomorrow is Halloween," he said, sliding his phone in front of her. "Want to dress up? A charity party invited me. Will you come?"
"What do you want to go as?" she asked, her tone flat.
"Well, I'll be Frankenstein. And you... you could be the Huntress from Van Helsing. It'd be badass."
"A limping Huntress?"
Henry let out a soft laugh. "Darling, those are your battle scars."
It's just the mission, Ksenia reminded herself. As long as there's no real emotion involved, it won't hurt.
Her expression became vivid for him once again.
Halloween in Longhton was always eccentric. The usually stoic houses were decked out in horrors, and even the most serious adults escaped reality to play their favorite characters.
Henry shut the door. "That's the last of the candy. Babe? Are you ready?"
Ksenia adjusted her wig, stepping out of the dressing room with a hint of trepidation. "Do I look like the character?"
"Wow..." Henry's eyes roamed over her. "Damn, I really want to kiss you right now."
"This makeup took two hours. Touch it and I'll punch you."
The party was held in a famous castle on the outskirts—renowned for its grand architecture and its dark legends.
"What happened here?" Ksenia asked, clutching Henry's arm.
The Gothic decor was perfect for Halloween. Flickering flames danced under mysterious crystal cloches—what were they prophesying? Piles of skull ornaments made the place look like a monster's lair. On a four-meter-long dining table sat towers of tomato juice and "disgusting" delicacies.
"It's mostly marketing," Henry whispered. "They claim the place is haunted, but it's all fake. Don't worry."
Fake? Ksenia felt a twinge of disappointment.
"Henry! Long time no see! And this must be Ksenia?" A woman dressed as a nun approached, swirling a glass of red juice.
"And you are...?" Henry squinted. "Lady Marlena! It's been ages."
"Haha! This look is good, right? Took me four hours." Lady Marlena raised her heavily painted eyebrows.
"Ksenia, this is Lady Marlena, a friend of my mother's. My Lady, this is Ksenia, my partner."
"Pleasure to meet you," Ksenia said politely.
"Don't you think they're being quite bold?" Marlena whispered. "Holding an event like this in this place?"
"Don't scare her, Lady Marlena. She already suffers from nightmares," Henry chided.
"I'm not scared. Honestly, I'm curious about the history here." Ksenia took a glass of juice from a passing waiter. It was tart, sweet, and actually quite refreshing.
"I'll let Henry tell you. I'm off to join the games!"
Watching Marlena drift away, Ksenia took another sip. "Is there alcohol in this?"
"Yes."
"You still haven't told me the story of this castle."
"The castle belongs to the woman providing the drinks—Goth Cavendish. Or rather, everything here today belongs to her company," Henry explained. "Ten years ago, she bought the place because of the legends. She even legally changed her name to Goth. Honestly, I think it's a bit ridiculous, but people buy into it. She has a whole line of supernatural-themed products. This 'Tomato Wine' is one of her bestsellers."
"You don't seem to like her."
"She's just... incredibly eccentric. Hard to explain. Oh, hell—here she comes. Let's go."
Lady Goth Cavendish was undeniably the most striking person in the room. Her skull crown sat nearly thirty centimeters high, and her black gown was embroidered with flames that seemed to flicker and pulse as she moved—some sort of wearable tech.
"I see Clin over there. I'm going to go say hi. Whatever you do, don't talk to her too much. She's truly bizarre." Henry's uncharacteristic avoidance only fueled Ksenia's curiosity.
"Seeing little Henry run away like that... I suppose I really did leave an impression on him."
Goth's voice was theatrical, her expression exaggerated. "Hello, Ksenia. Our first official meeting. I saw your performance in Romeo and Juliet. I must say, it was peerless."
"Thank you. I was just asking about the history of this place... and yours."
"Come with me, child," Goth said, her eyes gleaming with an unnerving intensity. "I've been waiting for you for a very long time."