Chapter 2 "The Blue-Eyed Man"
"Sometimes someone comes not to save your life... but to change your entire fate."
Pain came before consciousness.
Not ordinary pain.
But an ache that spread from her left temple to the nape of her neck, as if thousands of needles were striking her head all at once.
Tania's breathing felt heavy.
Every breath stabbed her chest.
The smell of metal mixed with smoke filled her nostrils, making her stomach churn.
Far away, she could faintly hear the patter of rain hitting pine leaves.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
Slowly...
Her eyelids moved.
She opened her eyes little by little.
Her vision was still blurry.
All she could see was the weakly flickering glow of the car's headlights piercing the white fog dancing among the pine trees.
A light drizzle was still falling.
Droplets streamed down the windshield, which was cracked like a spiderweb.
Tania blinked several times.
She tried to remember what had just happened.
Then...
The image of a man in a black coat standing in the middle of the road once again filled her mind.
Her heart immediately began beating faster.
"The car..." Tania whispered. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible. She tried to move her body, but the pain made her face contort.
The seat belt was still holding her in place.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the buckle.
Several times, her fingers slipped because they were covered in blood flowing from her left temple.
Click.
The seat belt finally came loose.
Tania lost her balance and immediately fell to the side.
"Ah..." Tania groaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut. Her fingers instinctively clutched her temple, which felt warm with blood. Her breathing quickened as she tried to endure the pain that kept throbbing.
She let out a long breath.
With the last of her strength, she reached for the car door handle.
The door did not move.
Tania pushed it again.
Creak...
It opened only a few inches.
She bit her lower lip.
Tears nearly fell from the unbearable pain.
"Come on... just a little more..." Tania whispered as she summoned all the strength she had left.
She pushed harder.
Crash!
The door finally opened.
The cold mountain air rushed against her face.
Tania tried to climb out of the car.
But the moment both her feet touched the wet ground...
The strength seemed to vanish from her body.
Both her knees gave way.
Her body collapsed onto the cold ground.
Her hands barely managed to support her.
She was gasping for breath.
Her vision swam again.
The fog shrouding the road made everything look like a dream.
The sound of rain slowly became the only thing she could hear.
Then...
A man's voice sounded very close.
Soft.
Calm.
Deep.
"It's all right..." the voice said softly.
Strange.
With only one word...
Tania's heart, which had been beating erratically, slowly began to calm.
She slowly raised her face.
A pair of black leather shoes stopped directly in front of her.
The fog covering the road seemed to move slowly, opening a path for the man standing a few steps away.
He was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
The long black coat he wore fluttered gently in the mountain wind.
His skin was pale and nearly flawless.
His black hair was neatly combed.
But...
What drew Tania's attention most was his pair of blue eyes.
Blue so clear.
Deep.
As if they held thousands of stories and sorrows that had never been spoken.
The man stepped closer.
Not hurriedly.
Not in a panic.
His movements were calm.
As if the accident that had just happened was not surprising to him.
He then crouched in front of Tania.
His blue eyes met the girl's gray-blue eyes.
There was no fear.
No sense of unfamiliarity.
Only a tenderness that was difficult to explain.
"Can you hear me?" the man asked gently. His voice was low and soothing. He tilted his head slightly, making sure Tania was still conscious.
Tania blinked several times.
Her lips trembled from the cold.
"I... I..." Tania stammered. Her voice was weak. She tried to nod, though her head felt incredibly heavy.
The man smiled faintly.
It was a warm smile.
Yet for some reason...
A deep sadness lay behind it.
He extended his right hand.
But he did not touch Tania right away.
"May I help you stand?" the man asked politely, keeping his hand extended. His gaze was full of caution, as if he did not want to make Tania feel pressured.
The simple question startled Tania slightly.
In the middle of a situation like this...
The stranger was still asking permission.
He did not simply pull her to her feet.
He did not touch her body without her consent.
His manner was so respectful.
Tania studied the man's face for several seconds.
For some reason...
A sense of safety slowly began to grow in her chest.
"Yes..." Tania answered softly, nodding slowly.
Only then did the man take Tania's hand.
His touch was extremely careful.
As if he were holding something precious.
But...
The moment their skin touched...
Tania was slightly startled.
His hand felt incredibly cold.
Not cold from the rain.
But cold in a strange way.
Like touching a stone that had been stored inside a cave for a very long time.
Without using much strength, the man helped Tania stand.
The girl's body immediately swayed.
The man instinctively supported her shoulder so she would not fall again.
"Careful," the man said softly. His gaze remained calm. "Don't push yourself. You've lost quite a lot of strength."
Tania slowly drew a breath.
She tried to stand straight, though both her knees were still trembling.
"Thank you..." Tania said quietly, trying to smile. Her smile looked weak but sincere.
The man merely shook his head slightly.
His smile still graced his face.
"You don't have to thank me," the man replied gently. "I only did what I had to do."
The words sounded simple.
But...
For some reason, they made Tania's heart beat a little faster again.
She looked at the man's face for a long while.
The longer she observed him...
The stronger the strange feeling inside her became.
That face...
Those eyes...
That smile...
Everything felt so familiar.
As if she had seen him somewhere before.
But she could not remember where.
Tania continued staring at the man's face without blinking.
The longer she watched him...
The stronger the unfamiliar feeling that somehow felt so familiar became.
Her heart beat a little faster.
Not from fear.
But because of a feeling she could not explain.
As if she had seen those blue eyes before.
As if she had heard that calm voice before.
Yet...
Her memory was blank.
She frowned slightly, trying to remember.
"Have we..." Tania said hesitantly, staring intently at the man's face. Her breathing still had not fully steadied. "...met before?"
The man did not answer immediately.
The look in his blue eyes grew melancholy.
His smile was still there.
But now it seemed much thinner.
He lowered his gaze for a moment, as if holding back something he was not allowed to say.
The mountain wind blew again.
The hem of his black coat fluttered slowly.
Fog moved around them, creating an atmosphere of profound silence.
Several seconds later...
The man raised his face again.
His blue gaze met Tania's eyes.
"Maybe..." the man answered softly. His lips formed a small, unreadable smile. His voice sounded calm, but held a deep longing.
Tania's brows immediately drew together.
"Maybe?" Tania repeated in confusion. She tilted her head slightly, trying to find an answer in the man's expression. "What do you mean?"
The man only smiled.
There was no answer.
Silence took over once again.
Tania grew even more curious.
But before she could ask again...
The man slowly removed the long black coat he was wearing.
His movements were completely calm.
He then draped it slowly over Tania's shoulders.
The coat fell softly, wrapping around the girl's body.
Tania instinctively gripped its front.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Strange.
Even though the night air was bitterly cold...
Even though fog and drizzle continued to blanket the road...
The coat felt warm.
Warm in a soothing way.
As if it were embracing her body against the cold that pierced her bones.
"The night air here is very cold," the man said gently as he adjusted the coat on Tania's shoulders. His movements were extremely careful. "Your body isn't doing well."
Tania stared at the coat for a moment.
Then she looked back at the man in front of her.
"If you're giving me this coat..." Tania asked quietly, concern filling her gaze, "won't you be cold?"
The man smiled faintly.
The smile looked sincere.
"I'm fine," the man answered calmly, slowly shaking his head.
The answer sounded simple.
But for some reason...
His eyes seemed to say something far deeper.
Tania pulled the coat a little tighter around her body.
A faint scent reached her.
The fragrance of cedar mixed with the scent of rain.
It was deeply soothing.
And...
Strangely, it did not feel unfamiliar.
She raised her face again.
Curiosity now completely dominated her thoughts.
"What's your name?" Tania asked politely. Her voice was beginning to sound calmer, though her face still looked pale.
The man was silent for a moment.
Then he let out a soft breath.
"Nicholas," the man answered.
He paused for several seconds.
As if deliberately leaving a space.
"Nicholas Winston," Nicholas continued softly, inclining his head slightly.
The name sounded unfamiliar.
Tania tried to remember.
No...
She truly had never heard it before.
Yet strangely...
The moment the name reached her ears...
Her heart began pounding again.
Faster than before.
As if the name had once lived in some long-locked corner of her memory.
Tania tried to smile.
"I'm Tania," Tania said softly, extending her hand in greeting. "Tania Geisha Kusumawardhani."
Nicholas looked at her outstretched hand.
His smile widened slightly.
He accepted Tania's hand with great care.
"I know," Nicholas answered softly.
The words made Tania look up at once.
Her eyes widened.
"You know my name?" Tania asked in surprise. Her voice sounded more wary now.
Nicholas seemed to realize what he had said.
For the first time...
His calm expression grew slightly awkward.
He gave a small smile.
"I mean..." Nicholas continued, briefly turning his gaze toward the wrecked car. "I saw your ID card lying inside the car when I checked to make sure you were still breathing."
Tania followed his gaze.
Her car was indeed badly damaged.
Her wallet might have been thrown out during the impact.
The explanation made sense.
"Oh..." Tania replied softly, nodding.
But...
Something still gnawed at her heart.
She did not even remember seeing her wallet fall.
And all this time...
Nicholas had answered her questions so calmly.
As if he already knew a great deal about her.
Tania chose not to pursue the question.
At least for now.
The wind blew softly again.
Fog moved between the pine trunks.
The mountain road grew even quieter.
There was no sound of passing vehicles.
No distant headlights.
Only the patter of rain accompanied the night.
Tania looked to the right and left.
Her brows slowly drew together.
"Why..." Tania asked softly, hugging herself. Anxiety was beginning to creep into her voice. "...haven't any cars passed by?"
Nicholas also looked down the length of the road.
His gaze remained calm.
"The fog is very thick tonight," Nicholas answered gently. "People usually choose to turn around or postpone their trip in weather like this."
Tania bit her lower lip.
"But all this time..." Tania murmured, gripping the edge of the coat wrapped around her body, "...I haven't seen a single vehicle. Even before the accident."
Nicholas did not answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze slowly shifted toward the fog-shrouded pine forest.
His eyes sharpened.
As if he were watching something.
Or...
Someone.
Tania followed his gaze.
But she saw nothing except trees swaying in the wind.
Curiosity began to stir.
"What is it?" Tania asked softly, also staring toward the forest.
Nicholas blinked slowly.
Then he looked back at Tania.
His expression returned to its former calm.
"Nothing," Nicholas replied briefly with a faint smile. "We'll wait for help to arrive."
Tania continued looking at him for several seconds.
She felt...
That he was hiding something.
But for some reason...
She did not feel afraid being near him.
Quite the opposite.
The longer she remained beside Nicholas...
The unease in her chest slowly disappeared.
For the first time that night...
She did not feel alone.
Nicholas then walked slowly toward the roadside barrier.
He stopped there.
Then he turned toward Tania.
"Sit down," Nicholas said gently, pointing to the concrete barrier at the edge of the road. "Your legs are still too weak for you to stand for long."
Tania nodded slightly.
"Okay..." Tania answered softly.
With steps that still swayed a little, she walked toward Nicholas.
The two of them then sat side by side at the edge of the road shrouded in white fog.
Before them...
The mountain road stretched into the silence.
Every so often, the wind carried the scent of wet earth and pine.
They did not talk much.
Yet the silence did not feel awkward at all.
Instead, it brought a peace Tania had not felt in the past several months.
Without realizing it...
She stole another glance at Nicholas.
The blue-eyed man was staring straight ahead.
His expression was peaceful.
But behind the calmness of his face...
A profound sadness lay hidden.
A sadness he seemed to have carried...
For an incredibly long time.
The silence of night continued to envelop the mountain road.
Fog drifted slowly, covering the towering pine trees on both sides of the road. The rain that had initially fallen softly was now beginning to ease, leaving only droplets falling from the tips of the leaves.
Tania pulled the black coat still wrapped around her shoulders tighter.
Strangely...
The longer she wore it, the warmer her body felt.
Even though the mountain wind was growing colder.
She glanced toward Nicholas.
He was still sitting calmly beside her.
His back was straight.
Both hands rested casually on his knees.
His blue eyes were fixed on the fog-shrouded road, as if he were waiting for something only he knew about.
Tania watched him in secret.
The longer she observed him...
The harder it became to look away.
There was something deeply calming about him.
But at the same time...
A profound sadness radiated from his eyes.
A sadness that made Tania's own heart feel constricted.
After a while...
Tania gathered the courage to start a conversation.
"Do you live around here?" Tania asked softly, tilting her head slightly. Her gaze was full of curiosity.
Nicholas slowly shook his head.
"No," Nicholas answered briefly. A faint smile still touched his lips.
Tania frowned again.
"Then..." Tania continued hesitantly, twisting the edge of the coat she wore, "...why are you on this road so late at night? This place is so deserted."
Nicholas did not answer immediately.
He stared straight ahead.
The night wind blew several strands of his black hair.
After several seconds had passed...
He slowly exhaled.
"I..." Nicholas said softly. His voice sounded perfectly calm. "...am waiting for someone."
The answer made Tania's brows rise.
"Waiting for someone?" Tania repeated in surprise.
Nicholas gave a small nod.
"Yes," Nicholas answered briefly.
Tania's curiosity grew stronger.
She leaned forward slightly.
"Who?" Tania asked spontaneously, staring straight into Nicholas's blue eyes. "Is that person your family?"
Nicholas slowly turned his head.
Their gazes met again.
Those blue eyes looked much gentler than before.
As if filled with long-suppressed longing.
A faint smile returned to his face.
"You," Nicholas whispered.
Only one word.
But...
It seemed to stop time.
Tania froze.
Her heart seemed to stop beating for several seconds.
She stared at Nicholas without blinking.
"Me...?" Tania repeated faintly. Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"
Nicholas lowered his gaze for a moment.
His smile slowly faded.
"I'm sorry..." Nicholas said softly, shaking his head slightly. "I misspoke."
Tania still did not look away from him.
So many questions filled her mind.
Why had the man said he was waiting for her?
How could a stranger know who she was?
And...
Why did her chest always feel warm yet constricted whenever Nicholas looked at her?
"Nicholas..." Tania said carefully. Her voice sounded much softer than before. "Have we really never met?"
Nicholas fell silent.
For a long time.
His gaze slowly turned toward the sky hidden behind the fog.
He seemed to be choosing his words.
But in the end...
He only smiled faintly.
"Someday..." Nicholas answered softly. His smile held so many secrets. "...you'll find the answer yourself."
The answer only made Tania more confused.
She wanted to ask again.
But when she saw the look in Nicholas's eyes...
She felt that he truly could not say more.
Silence enveloped them once again.
It did not feel awkward.
Instead, it felt peaceful.
Tania slowly leaned her back against the roadside barrier.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
The pain in her head had begun to lessen slightly.
For the first time that night...
She could breathe more easily.
For some reason...
Being near Nicholas made all the fear that had filled her thoughts slowly disappear.
Several minutes passed.
The patter of rain began to stop.
Fog still hung low over the road.
Suddenly...
Nicholas raised his head.
His gaze fixed on the end of the curve.
His expression grew slightly more serious.
As if he had heard something.
Even though...
Tania had not heard anything yet.
"What is it?" Tania asked softly, turning to look in the same direction.
Nicholas smiled faintly.
"They're here," Nicholas answered calmly.
Tania frowned.
"Who?" Tania asked in confusion.
Before Nicholas could answer...
From far away...
The sound of sirens shattered the silence of the night.
Nee... noo... nee... noo...
Reflected red and blue lights began piercing the white fog.
Growing clearer...
And clearer.
Tania instinctively let out a relieved breath.
Her eyes began to glisten with tears.
"Thank goodness..." Tania murmured, covering her mouth with both hands. Her shoulders trembled slightly from a mixture of relief and shock. "Someone finally came."
She immediately turned to the side.
Her face was filled with a relieved smile.
"Nicholas..." Tania said, turning toward where the man had been sitting. "Help has arriv—"
Her sentence broke off.
Her smile slowly vanished.
The space beside her...
Was empty.
There was no one there.
The black coat that had covered her shoulders was gone too.
Only the cold air and slowly shifting fog remained.
Tania stood up hurriedly.
Even though her head was still throbbing.
Her eyes swept in every direction.
"Nicholas?" Tania called anxiously. Her voice echoed among the pine trees.
There was no answer.
She took several steps forward.
"Nicholas!" Tania shouted louder, confusion filling her face. Her breathing quickened again.
Only the rustle of the wind replied.
The fog continued dancing among the trees.
There were no footprints.
No shadow of a black coat.
As if the man...
Had never been there.
Tania slowly bit her lip.
"Maybe..." Tania whispered, trying to convince herself. "...he went home first."
But...
Even to her own ears, the words sounded unconvincing.
Not long afterward...
An ambulance stopped several yards from the accident site.
Several medical workers immediately ran toward her.
Meanwhile, the red and blue emergency lights continued spinning, illuminating the fog that still had not disappeared.
That night...
The questions about the blue-eyed man named Nicholas Winston had only just begun.
The ambulance's emergency lights continued to spin.
Flashes of red and blue reflected off the rain-soaked pine trunks, making the night feel even stranger.
Several medical workers ran toward Tania.
A female nurse around thirty years old immediately knelt in front of her while opening a medical bag.
Her face looked calm, but concern showed in her eyes.
"Ma'am, don't move yet, okay?" the nurse said gently, slowly raising both hands to signal Tania to remain still. "I need to check your condition first."
Tania nodded slowly.
Her breathing still had not fully steadied.
"Y-yes," Tania answered faintly. Her gaze continued sweeping over the road behind the responders, hoping to find the blue-eyed man again.
The nurse began examining the wound on Tania's left temple with a small flashlight.
The moment the antiseptic cotton touched the wound...
Tania instinctively winced.
"It hurts..." Tania murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Sorry, just a second," the nurse replied in a soothing tone. Her hands worked very carefully. "The wound isn't too deep, but it has bled quite a bit."
Another responder arrived carrying a silver emergency blanket.
He slowly spread it over Tania's shoulders.
"Put this on for now, ma'am," he said kindly, adjusting the blanket so it covered Tania's body. "It'll keep you warm."
Tania instinctively grasped the blanket.
Warm.
But...
Not as warm as Nicholas's black coat.
The thought made her chest feel constricted again.
Her eyes swept toward the curve once more.
The fog still filled the road.
But...
The man in the black coat was gone.
The blue eyes that had looked at her so tenderly were gone.
Only the pine trees swayed slowly in the wind.
The nurse noticed where Tania was looking.
"Are you looking for someone?" the nurse asked curiously as she placed a small bandage on Tania's left temple.
Tania immediately nodded.
"Yes," Tania answered quickly. Hope filled her voice. "A man helped me earlier."
The nurse paused.
"A man?" she repeated in surprise.
"Yes," Tania continued firmly, pointing toward the roadside barrier where she and Nicholas had been sitting. "He was tall... wearing a black coat... with blue eyes..."
The nurse and the responder beside her exchanged glances.
Their expressions turned confused.
"Maybe..." the nurse said carefully. "...a friend of yours?"
Tania shook her head.
"No," Tania answered softly. "I had only just met him tonight."
The nurse did not have time to ask anything else.
From the patrol car, a young police officer approached them carrying a small notebook.
His hat was still wet from the drizzle.
But his steps remained brisk.
He stopped a few steps in front of Tania.
Then he bowed slightly in greeting.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the officer said politely, showing his identification card. "I'm First Brigadier Arga from Polsek Cisarua. Are you feeling well enough to answer a few questions?"
Tania slowly drew a breath.
Though her head still felt heavy...
She knew her statement would be needed.
"Yes," Tania answered softly, nodding.
First Brigadier Arga opened his notebook.
His pen began moving across the paper.
"Can you tell me how this accident happened?" Arga asked in a calm voice.
Tania looked at the road, now filled with emergency vehicles.
The memory of the minutes before came spinning clearly back into her mind.
She swallowed.
"Earlier..." Tania began slowly. Her face grew tense. "...there was a man standing right in the middle of the road."
Arga's pen stopped moving.
He raised his face.
"In the middle of the road?" Arga repeated for confirmation.
Tania nodded firmly.
"Yes," Tania answered. Her breathing quickened slightly as she recalled what had happened. "The fog was so thick... and suddenly he just appeared. He was standing there... completely still."
Arga began taking notes again.
"Then?" he continued.
"I honked," Tania answered. Her hands unconsciously tightened around the emergency blanket. "I also hit the brakes... but the car lost control."
Arga nodded slowly.
He wrote several more sentences.
Then he raised his head again.
"After the accident?" Arga asked.
Tania answered immediately, without hesitation.
"That man helped me," Tania said firmly.
This time...
Arga truly stopped writing.
He stared at Tania for several seconds.
As if making sure the woman in front of him was fully conscious.
"You mean..." Arga said carefully, his brows slightly furrowed, "someone helped you out of the car?"
"Yes," Tania answered quickly. "He helped me stand... gave me his coat... then we sat together on the roadside barrier while waiting for the ambulance."
The nurse, who had been listening all along, also began to look confused.
Arga slowly closed his notebook.
He turned toward the two other officers examining the accident site.
They exchanged glances.
Then they looked back at Tania.
Their expressions were now much more serious.
"Ma'am..." Arga said softly, his tone extremely careful so as not to startle Tania. "May I ask you one more time?"
Tania nodded.
"Go ahead," Tania answered.
Arga drew a short breath.
"Are you sure... that man was with you from the time of the accident until the ambulance arrived?" Arga asked, his eyes filled with caution.
Tania nodded more firmly.
"I'm absolutely sure," Tania replied. Her voice began to rise, feeling that her testimony was being doubted. "We even talked for quite a while."
Arga fell silent.
Several seconds later...
He spoke slowly.
"I'm sorry, ma'am..." Arga said quietly, genuine confusion showing on his face. "...but when we arrived at the scene, we didn't see anyone except you."
The words made Tania freeze.
Her eyes immediately widened.
"What?" Tania asked spontaneously.
Arga nodded slowly.
"We secured the scene as soon as we received the accident report," Arga explained, pointing toward the patrol car that had arrived a few minutes earlier. "There was no one else around here."
Tania hurriedly stood up.
Though her head began throbbing again.
"That's impossible!" Tania cried, panic filling her face. "He was here! He even sat with me!"
She pointed toward the roadside barrier.
"There!" Tania continued, breathing rapidly. "We sat there before the ambulance arrived!"
Arga and the two other officers immediately approached the spot she indicated.
They shone their flashlights along the roadside barrier.
Toward the bushes.
Behind the trees.
They even examined the ground, still wet from the rain.
There were no tracks.
No coat.
No other footprints.
The only things visible were the responders' shoeprints and the impression left by Tania's body when she had fallen.
Arga returned to Tania.
His expression was even more confused.
"We truly didn't find anyone, ma'am," Arga said softly.
Tania could only stand there in silence.
Her mind was filled with the same question.
Then who was the blue-eyed man who had held her hand?
And...
If Nicholas had truly never been at the scene...
Then who had she been talking to all this time?
The night wind blew again.
Fog slowly crossed the mountain road.
Far beyond the rows of pine trees...
It was as if a pair of blue eyes were still silently watching her.
Tania remained standing motionless.
First Brigadier Arga's words continued to echo in her ears.
"We didn't see anyone."
Impossible.
She was absolutely certain.
Nicholas had stood right in front of her.
He had helped her out of the car.
Supported her body.
Even...
They had talked for quite a while by the roadside.
Tania slowly shook her head.
"No..." Tania whispered, taking a step backward. Her face was pale, and confusion filled her eyes. "I couldn't have imagined him..."
First Brigadier Arga looked at her sympathetically.
"You may still be in shock from the impact to your head," Arga said carefully. His voice was as gentle as possible. "In that condition, someone can experience a brief hallucination."
Tania's eyes immediately widened.
She instinctively shook her head harder.
"It wasn't a hallucination!" Tania cried. Her breathing came fast, her voice trembling between anger and despair. "He was real! He held my hand! He gave me his coat! We talked for a long time!"
Several responders exchanged glances.
No one dared contradict her.
But neither did anyone truly believe her.
A medical worker approached carrying a folding stretcher.
"Ma'am, you should go to the hospital first," the worker said gently. "The wound on your head needs further examination."
Tania did not answer.
Her gaze still swept across the road, now filled with vehicle lights.
The fog slowly began to thin.
But...
The man in the black coat was gone.
The blue eyes that had looked at her so tenderly were gone.
With slow steps, Tania walked toward her wrecked car.
The windshield had shattered.
The hood was badly dented.
The right headlight flickered weakly before finally going out.
She looked at the passenger seat.
Empty.
Then her gaze shifted to the driver's seat.
There...
Something suddenly caught her breath.
On the seat...
Lay a strand of black wool.
Extremely fine.
Exactly like the fibers from the long coat Nicholas had worn.
Tania's hand trembled as she picked it up.
"If all of this was only a hallucination..." Tania murmured, almost whispering. Her fingers tightened around the thread. "...then who does this belong to?"
Before anyone could answer...
The night wind blew harder.
Fog rolled across the road again.
From behind the pine trees...
Faintly...
It seemed that a tall man in a black coat stood watching the accident site.
Only for a moment.
Then the figure was swallowed by the fog once more.
Tania's eyes widened.
"Nicholas..." Tania whispered.
When she blinked...
The figure had vanished.
All that remained was the white fog continuing to drift slowly.
And a question that had begun to haunt her thoughts...
"Who, exactly, is Nicholas Winston?"