Five Years And A Lifetime Chapter 07
Arthur spent a whole month putting together a travel plan, clearing his entire schedule. His team was in total disarray over it, and his agent called dozens of times, but he ignored every single one.
I tried to persuade him, “You should get back to work. We can always go whenever you have free time.”
Without even looking up, he kept packing thick coats into the suitcase. “I have been busy working for five straight years. Right now, spending time with my wife is the only thing that matters.”
Our very first destination was a snow-capped mountain.
For the second half of the climb, Arthur carried me on his back. His gesture quickly drew attention and whispers from the people around us.
“Just look at that man!” a girl said, playfully pouting and hitting her boyfriend’s arm.
The boy scratched his head self-consciously. “Should I carry you now too?”
The girl rolled her eyes at him. “Forget it! With your skinny frame, you would be gasping for breath after two steps.”
“Wait, hold on!” The girl gave her boyfriend another firm nudge. “That guy looks so familiar!”
Someone nearby chimed in right away, “He looks like a celebrity…”
“Oh my, that is Arthur!”
In an instant, cameras were aimed in our direction. Rested on Arthur’s back, I reached out to wipe the sweat from his cheek. “Big star, you sure are popular.”
Arthur adjusted my weight on his back, a faint smile gracing his lips. “Care to write this moment into your novel then, Ms. Katie?”
There were 5,000 steps leading from the base to the summit. Step by step, Arthur carried me all the way to the top. He pushed through half the night just so we could watch the sunrise together.
The moment the first rays of morning light broke through the clouds, a tender warmth pressed gently against my lips.
A soft click sounded. Arthur and I turned our heads together and saw the same girl from earlier.
She scratched her head awkwardly. “I’m so sorry, but that moment was just breathtaking…”
I let out a quiet chuckle. “It is completely fine. Could we take a look at the photo?”
“Of course!” Excitement lit up the girl’s eyes as she handed the camera over to us.
It was a candid shot framed by the golden glow of dawn. Arthur was leaning down slightly, his lips touching mine with a gaze so gentle and full of devotion. My eyes were closed, a few tiny snowflakes clinging to my long eyelashes.
A soft smile spread across my face.
The girl chimed in at just the right moment. “If you like it, I can get it framed for you. My printing equipment is back down at the mountain inn, though.”
Later, we sat across from the young couple in the inn. The boy joked, “Man, my girlfriend is such a huge fan of yours! Every single day…”
The girl stomped hard on his foot. He let out a painful yell, shrinking back, pouting, not daring to say another word. The girl handed the photo into my hands. “Don’t listen to his nonsense! I adore you too, Catherine! I’m a huge supporter of you two as a couple. You both must stay together forever!”
The girl’s eyes sparkled with joy. Arthur squeezed my hand tightly, raising an eyebrow with a tender grin. “We definitely will.”
I held the photo gently, my fingers brushing over my own face in the picture. Bathed in the radiant glow of the sunrise, my complexion looked quite healthy, giving away no hint that I was a dying woman.
Beneath the table, Arthur gently squeezed my fingers, and I squeezed his back.
That night, I came down with a fever. Arthur got up in the middle of the night to cool me down, wringing out endless cold towels. He stayed by my bedside until dawn, dark circles heavy beneath his exhausted eyes.
When I woke up, I reached out to touch his cheek. “Did you stay awake all night?”
“I slept,” he lied softly.
“Liar.”
He chuckled, pressing my hand to his lips for a sweet kiss. “We will rest here today and head out again tomorrow.”
I nodded quietly.
After that, we traveled to so many places together, taking in fields of blooming flowers, starry night skies, boundless oceans, and ancient towns. Everywhere we went, Arthur made sure to update his Twitter. At first, his fans couldn’t accept it, but over time, they grew to accept it, and the comment section gradually overflowed with warm blessings. “Where did Arthur take his wife today?”
“I went to this exact beach last year! The sunset is breathtaking!”
“Why does Arthur look so goofy in Catherine’s photos? Love really turns him into a total fool.”
“When is he going to film his next movie?”
Arthur replied to one comment: “My wife comes first.”
Some sharp-eyed fans began analyzing the photos, pointing out how pale I was becoming and noticing a deep, indescribable sorrow hidden in Arthur’s eyes.
The discussion was swiftly hushed by Arthur’s management team, but I knew that this secret could not be kept forever.
My health deteriorated with every passing day. Slowly, I found myself unable to walk long distances, spending most of my time resting in hotel rooms or sitting in the car.
One evening, Arthur brewed some soup and brought it over to the bed, but I threw up after just two sips. After cleaning up the mess, he returned to sit by my side, staring at me quietly for a long time. Suddenly, he spoke softly, “Catherine, let us visit a church.”
That church was located in the suburbs of San Francisco. He’d visited it a few times while filming nearby and knew the place well.
He left the hotel before dawn. When I woke up, I found the wooden box he had gifted me standing quietly on the nightstand. Opening it, I discovered a ring and a delicate bracelet nestled inside.
The ring was plain without any diamonds, its inner band engraved with the initials of our names. The bracelet was slender, bearing a small cross pendant. I forced myself upright and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. It was slightly loose, yet it felt perfect.
When I found him inside the church, he was just getting up from the kneeling pad, dust clinging to his knees. A priest beside him murmured a few words, to which Arthur nodded respectfully before turning around to walk toward me.
“Where did you go?” I asked softly.
“I bought you a bracelet,” he said, holding up his wrist to show me a matching one. “The priest gave them to me, saying they bring protection and peace.”
Looking at the dust on his knees, I asked, “How long were you kneeling there?”
“Not that long,” he replied.
“Arthur,” I pressed him.
He looked down with a gentle smile. “Really, not that long, just the whole night. Only a prayer from the bottom of one’s heart can truly be heard.”
I turned my face away, but tears spilled down uncontrollably anyway.
Back in high school, a girl who had a crush on him once tried to give him a blessed bracelet from a church. Young and full of pride back then, Arthur had merely cast a distant glance at it and smiled politely, saying, “Sorry, I don’t wear things like this.”
Yet here he was today, having spent an entire night on his knees until his skin was raw, all just to pray to God for my safety and health.
“I thought you never went to church?” I whispered. He pulled me into his arms, gently caressing my hair. “But Catherine, you’re different.”
As the priest walked past us, he gave us a solemn nod, and Arthur greeted him warmly in return.
Standing beside him in the quiet dignity of the sacred hall, I looked up at the majestic altar and prayed silently in my heart. “If God truly grants such wishes, I really hope he could just spare me a few more years.”
