CHAPTER 88: ENDING A WEIRD CONVERSATION

"But the more money he made, the more distant he became. He traveled more. Came home less. And me... I was too blind to see that during all those trips, he was seeing another woman."

The words fell from her lips easily, but Alaric could feel the weight of pain behind every one of them.

"When I found out... I was crushed. It felt like being stabbed again and again. I gave him everything. My heart, my love, my entire life... and all I got in return was betrayal."

She looked up at the sky, trying to hold back her tears in front of someone she had only just met that day. But she couldn’t stop them.

"There was one night... I couldn’t take it anymore. I left home. I couldn’t stay there. I checked into a hotel just to clear my head. And do you know what happened? He didn’t even bother looking for me."

Alaric stayed silent. His hand, which had just been reaching for another grape, froze in mid-air.

"Maybe that night, he was out having fun with her. And me... I just waited. Hoping there was still a part of him that cared, even a little. But nothing."

She wiped her face, took a deep breath, and smiled bitterly.

"That’s why I thought... maybe I should just end it. Because what’s the point in staying, if your existence no longer matters?"

The woman finally fell silent. Alaric didn’t respond right away. He simply leaned back, resting on his hands behind him.

Alaric was still sitting beside the woman, elbows resting on his knees, one hand holding a plastic cup of grapes that had been full earlier but was now nearly empty. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, toward the hotel driveway. Still, he caught every word the woman had just said.

He let out a long sigh.

"Haaah..." he murmured under his breath. The sound wasn’t loud enough for his companion to hear, but it clearly escaped his lips.

In his mind, he groaned. "This is getting complicated. I usually deal with technical stuff, business, prototypes, fieldwork... and now here I am, being dragged into someone else’s domestic drama. A high-class one, no less. Her husband owns a hotel. Who am I in all this?"

He sighed again. "Seriously, what am I supposed to say?"

A flicker of his own past crossed his mind. A past relationship. If it could even be called that, which had ended badly. His girlfriend had left him without warning. The reason? He was too awkward, too stiff, and too wrapped up in his own little world. He had no clue how to maintain any kind of romance.

Compared to the story this woman had just shared, his problems seemed trivial. "I got dumped for being nerdy. This woman? Her husband cheated on her with a subordinate. That’s a whole different level."

With an awkward expression, Alaric finally found the courage to speak.

"So... are you expecting me to respond to all that, or not?" he asked cautiously, worried he might say something wrong and make things worse.

The woman turned to him. Her face was still clouded with sorrow, but there was a faint trace of surprise in her expression, clearly not expecting such an honest question.

Alaric quickly followed up, scratching the back of his neck even though it wasn’t itchy.

"Sorry, miss. I honestly don’t know what to say about relationships. I’ve failed at them myself. But if it’s just about listening, I can do that. I get it. I mean, I understand that when you’re hurting like this, you need someone to talk to. That’s about all I can offer."

The words came out unsure and clumsy. Inside, Alaric was deeply worried. "Please don’t let me say something that makes her suicidal again."

They both fell silent. The noise of arriving guests filled the air, but between them, not a single word was exchanged for almost a full minute.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Alaric tried to think of something to say to break the silence. He glanced at the woman beside him. Finally, he spoke again.

"But... do you know who your husband is cheating with?" he asked, hesitant.

She shook her head. "Not exactly. But I’m pretty sure it’s one of his subordinates. One of those younger girls," she answered bitterly.

"You’re still young yourself, though," Alaric replied.

"I don’t know... maybe he just needed someone during his out-of-town trips. I stayed home, rarely joined him on business."

Alaric fell silent again. His eyes stared ahead. "That just makes it even harder," he thought. He bit his lip, holding back words he wasn’t sure how to say.

"If I speak carelessly, she might get more emotional. But if I stay quiet, she’ll think I don’t care. This really feels like a dead end."

He let out a quiet breath, almost like a sigh. Alaric found himself confused, this wasn’t even his problem, so why did it feel like his head was spinning?

But before he could figure out what to say next, the woman beside him suddenly stood up. She spoke again, this time with a disappointed tone.

"This is pointless. Talking to you is getting me nowhere."

Alaric turned toward her, eyes wide. "Wait, what? Why?"

The woman just waved her hand, signaling for Alaric to stay out of it. She gave him one last glance, then walked away.

"Well then, I’ll be going," she said.

Alaric remained seated, dumbfounded, not quite believing what had just happened. He had tried so hard to be careful with his words, only for it to end like this.

"What just happened? How did I end up being the bad guy?" he muttered, scratching his head and watching as the woman grew smaller in the distance.

He stood up for a moment outside the hotel. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. His head tilted slightly upward, eyes catching the tall hotel sign above him.

"Whatever," he muttered. He gave a half-hearted shrug and turned to walk away from the hotel gate.

The street outside the hotel was busy, though not jammed. People walked briskly along the sidewalk, each lost in their own world. Alaric blended in with them, his pace relaxed but purposeful.

He remembered his original goal: buying batteries. That task had been delayed by the rooftop incident, followed by the strange encounter with the woman. The batteries were important; the device he carried would be useless without the exact replacements.

And only he knew the specific battery type. Asking someone else to buy it would be a disaster. One wrong purchase, and the device could be damaged—or worse, explode. "That would be a nightmare," he thought, shaking his head slightly.

As he walked, he slipped a hand into his jacket pocket to make sure the tiny note with the battery code was still there. He unfolded it briefly, scanning the tightly printed letters and numbers, then carefully tucked it back.

A few minutes later, he arrived at a small shop with a simple sign: "Battery & Electronics Store." A white neon light illuminated the storefront, highlighting the display of items in the glass window.

From outside, he could see rows of shelves filled with all kinds of batteries, chargers, and neatly rolled cables.

Alaric pushed open the glass door, which triggered a soft chime from a small bell hanging above. The familiar scent of an electronics store hit him. Plastic, a bit of dust, and the faint tang of new metal.

A middle-aged man wearing thick glasses stood behind the counter, busy writing something in a large ledger. When he heard the door, he looked up and gave a quick smile.

"Good afternoon. What can I help you with?" he asked warmly.

Alaric stepped closer to the counter, leaning in slightly so his voice would be clear. "I’m looking for a battery with this code," he said, reciting the numbers he’d memorized.

The shopkeeper nodded, got up from his chair, and walked toward the back shelves. His hand began scanning the small boxes that lined the racks, occasionally squinting at the tiny labels printed on them.

"Just a moment," he said, still searching.

Alaric waited patiently. His eyes wandered around, taking in the sheer variety of batteries displayed. Some as small as coins, others as big as professional camera packs.

He thought to himself, "Good thing I didn’t send someone else. With this many types that look so similar, one wrong choice and my device would be useless."

Soon, the shopkeeper returned holding a small gray box. He set it gently on the counter.

"Here it is. Exact match to the code you gave. Still sealed, and it’s original."

Alaric nodded in satisfaction. "Great. I’ll take it."

The shopkeeper named the price. Alaric pulled out his wallet, took out a few bills, and placed them on the counter. The transaction was simple, quick, and efficient. The shopkeeper wrapped the battery in a small plastic pouch, then slipped it into a thin white bag.

"Thanks a lot, sir. Hope it works well for you," the man said with a smile.

Alaric took the bag with one hand, the other grabbing his change. He gave a small nod.

"Thanks," he replied softly.

Then he stepped out of the shop. The door chimed again as he pushed it open. Alaric glanced down at the small bag in his hand.

"Good. That’s one thing finally taken care of," he muttered as he walked away from the shop.