Chapter 2

Cole continued, "Long ago, there was a wealthy family's daughter who fell in love with a servant.

"The family head believed the servant had seduced her and wanted to beat him to death right then and there.

"With no way out, the girl and the boy chose to die together rather than be torn apart, jumping into this deep pit.

"Later on, someone saw smoke drifting up from the cave.

"The story goes that the spirits living inside were so moved by their love, they sent a swarm of butterflies to catch them as they fell.

"From then on, they lived a blissful, hidden life away from the world."

Cole was teasing me while driving.

He asked, "Do you think we'll run into those star-crossed lovers after we go down?"

I smiled softly at him and replied, "Maybe we will. Who knows, we might even end up as neighbors, both of us living together forever."

"Silly girl," Cole said, gently tapping my nose with a fond smile.

He never imagined this would be our last adventure together.

The pit was a sheer drop, and peering down into the darkness made my legs go weak.

In the past, we'd always gone on expeditions with a group. But this time, Cole wanted to go alone with me.

He was all fired up, saying this first exploration would be a testament to our love, something just for us.

I smiled without saying a word, thinking about the chat logs where he'd promised his mistress that this time, with no one else around, it was definitely a perfect plan.

Cole expertly threw stones to check the depth of the cave. Judging by the echo, it had to be about 150 feet down.

With practiced hands, we set up our anchor points, getting ready to go down.

Our figures were gradually swallowed up by the darkness, and my heart followed, sinking into the abyss.

At the bottom of the cave, we found ourselves in a spacious chamber, our searchlights casting only a faint glow in the vast darkness.

Cole yelled excitedly, but his voice was swallowed up by the darkness, startling a group of bats.

He went ahead to scout the path, while I took my time sorting out my gear, venturing deeper slowly.

Under the beam of our searchlights, countless gorgeous stalactites seemed to compose a requiem for our fatal adventure.

The cave had many forks and twists, so we just followed the stream, heading deeper in.

It didn't take long before we reached the end of the cave. We aimed our flashlight down. It looked to be about 30 feet below.

"Haven't you always wanted to challenge yourself? How about you take the lead this time?" Cole said, breaking the silence.

So this was it, the scheme he had been planning to finally get me out of the way.

"Honey, I'm a little scared. Why don't you go first?" I said, purposely going against his wishes.

The look of disappointment on his face was almost endearing.

Cole said, "For so many years, I've always gone first. Honestly, I hope that you can face the darkness. With me here, you can try it. Don't worry."

Seeing his insistence, I smiled and kissed his face lightly. Then I set the piton and slowly began my descent.

30 feet wasn't much, but for me, it felt like a lifetime. I'd finally fulfilled his wish.

"Farewell, my beloved," Cole's soft sigh floated down from above.

As I touched the ground, the rope cascaded from my grip like a waterfall, followed by the chilling sound of metal striking stone as the piton fell.

I'd known this moment would come, but when it finally arrived, the darkness felt even deeper, and the echo of his footsteps fading away left me with a loneliness unlike anything I'd ever felt.

Good thing, this loneliness was only temporary.

Because when I rappelled down, I'd tied the rope with a slipknot. After sorting my gear, I loosened the only rope that could get us back up.

So now, there was no way for either of us to climb out the way we came. And the backpack with food was hanging over my shoulders at the moment.

Cole, I would be here, waiting for him.

I turned off my headlamp, and there was a dead silence.

"Fuck!" I heard Cole's voice from above, his tone cracking with frustration.

There was a rush of footsteps, and the beam of his flashlight danced wildly, but then both the sound and the light were swallowed up by the darkness.

I know that at this moment, he was standing above me, staring into the darkness below.

In the darkness, we both fell silent, he above, me below.

"Cole, why don't you dare to turn on the flashlight and look at me?" I teased, my voice slicing through the silence.

He stammered, "You... You know?"

I shot back, "Know what? About your mistress, or your plan to kill me?"

"Now that there's no way out, you can just come down and kill me yourself. Nothing's stopping you," I said, trying to keep my cool.

Cole said, "You're really crazy."

I said, "My world can't be without you. Since you're leaving, this is the only way I can make you stay."

Cole was silent for a moment, then turned on his flashlight, set a new piton, and slid down the rope.

His face was completely pale with despair.

He said, "I never wanted to hurt you. If you'd given even the slightest cry for help, I would've rushed down to save you without hesitation. But why did you untie the rope?"