Philip Shaw said from behind her, "In this world, you're the only person I know. Even so, are you going to leave me behind?"
Aldana Candi said, "Even if you're alone, you can live well."
Philip Shaw fell into silence, understanding that things had reached this point and there was no longer room for reconciliation between them.
It was just sympathy, with no other choice, and she couldn't be said to be good to him, not really passionate either. But for him, this just-right indulgence was already satisfying.
He never wished for her love; all along, he just wanted to stay by her side.
Even such a small wish shattered with the arrival of those two people.
He lay on the bed face-up, suddenly feeling that he was actually of no use; washing clothes and cooking, others could do for her, couldn't they? She could even do those herself.
He was not irreplaceable.
He closed his eyes, feeling a wave of powerlessness.
At lunch, Aldana Candi was accompanying Ellen Candi on the boat.
