# 33
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“I'd like to go. "I've never been on a hot air balloon before."
Chloe spoke in a somewhat urgent tone. A slight smile appeared on Eric's lips.
"Good."
He spoke in a stern voice, as if he couldn't be bothered to continue the conversation
“Maintenance won't take more than an hour. If you rest alone, I'll be right back. It's an air cruise ship, so there are a lot of things you can do.”
“I'm really looking forward to it.”
Chloe placed her hand over her heart, which was beating hard. She was filled with feelings of anticipation, but at the same time she was still anxious. So, I asked cautiously.
“Is it really okay for me to come with you?”
"What do you mean?"
“Simply, I don't deserve to go...”
“Chloe.”
Eric frowned.
“This airship is something I built myf. No one dares to stop you from entering.”
Chloe let out a sigh of relief. Then she gave him a slight smile.
“Thank you. I will get ready now.”
She pointed to Andrea, who was standing in one corner of the room. She also added:
“I've always wanted to ride one, too.”
This amount of answer was satisfactory to Eric, so he also ended the conversation with a smile.
* * *
When Chloe saw the balloon up close, she realized how big it actually was
In the past, when she heard that one balloon could hold hundreds of people, she would just laugh and tell them not to lie. But in reality, it seemed like hundreds or even more than a thousand people could accommodate them.
It was a bit over the top most of the time, but it was really cool. That's why, after Eric built something like this, he gained great respect from others.
Chloe looked at Eric with a look of deep pride.
“You're really cool.”
Chloe's look of admiration made Eric feel a little flattered. He'd heard that phrase so many times, but it seemed to have a different meaning when Chloe said it. He felt more cheerful
“It's even more amazing on the inside. Make sure to visit the pool and banquet hall.”
“I will.”
Chloe gave a definitive answer. Eric continued with a smile.
“I'll be in the engine room. If anything happens, you can come over there.”
“I'm sure nothing will happen. Don't worry, stay safe out there.”
Chloe answered and entered the room where Eric had taken her.
Since it was an air cruise ship, the room was spacious and luxurious. It was very similar to a hotel room.
The bed, with its art deco wallpaper, was wide enough to easily fit three people, and the lace over its canopy was gorgeous, too. As for the desk and chair, as well as the sofa, they were all antique.
It is said that Eric chose all of this himf, and it was part of his design taste.
When the balloon took off, Chloe felt weightless. She brought a chair near the window and sat down.
The airship slowly rose into the sky. When I looked down, the city below seemed very small.
She could see the clouds. It was so close that she could touch it if she extended her hand. Chloe felt a strong desire to open the window, but she was able to restrain this desire because she knew that everything in the room would turn into a complete chaos.
Instead, she got up from her seat and walked out. She walked down the hall and went to the deck.
Strong winds swept the area.
“Ma’am! It’s dangerous! Please come back inside!”
Someone shouted at Chloe, who was reeling. But Chloe couldn't hear that sound clearly – the wind was too strong.
"I can't hear you! I'll only be gone for a little while! I'll be right back!"
“This is dangerous, ma’am! If you want to stay outside, tie this rope around your waist! Yes! Like this!”
This time, Chloe listened to what the other person was saying. Following the instructions, she tied the rope around her waist. I fixed the other end of it to the railing.
But if she really fell, would it be possible for her to cling to this rope and survive? Chloe leaned over the railing, thinking the chance was slim.
The strong wind blew and shook her entire body. Her hair flew.
Chloe tied her hair clumsily with the hair tie on her wrist, then looked out again.
The view of the newly rising sun was breathtaking. The bright red sun slowly rose from the horizon, emitting an incredibly bright light. The bright clouds sparkled and hovered in the air, and the balloon continued to soar above them.
Chloe extended her hand toward the passing clouds. She loved the cool feeling on her hands. And I smiled. It was a sight that made her smile from the bottom of her heart.
It would be nice to die here.
She slowly let go of her hand from the railing, and closed her eyes.
The air around her rose like a tornado, engulfing her. She felt her body lifting off the ground.
"renal!"
But then, an arm quickly wrapped around her waist and pinned her to the ground. Chloe opened her eyes. Eric was here
He was panting so hard, it seemed like he had rushed to get here. Chloe looked at him with eyes of some surprise. As Eric stared at her, he looked in disbelief.
“I heard that a crazy woman ran up to the deck and died, but I didn't know it was you. Have you lost your mind?”
“I didn't come here to die.”
It was different. She didn't come here with the intention of dying, but she also thought it might be a good idea to die here.
If she came here with the intention of dying, it meant that she was determined to end her life. In the second case, her feeling that death is okay only means that her desire to live has stopped at that moment.
The two ideas were completely different to her. Therefore, Chloe felt a kind of injustice.
“I'm just here to get some fresh air. Don't worry.”
“How can I not be anxious?”
As he carried Chloe in his arms, he untied the rope around her waist.
“Your body is so thin, it looks like you will be swept away with a single breath of air. How can you say there is no need to worry? I had to come here quickly!”
He quickly became clearly angry, and Chloe flinched slightly. However, he gently grabbed her hand and brought her back inside.
"I should have asked you to stay in your room. If that were the case, I wouldn't have needed to come here so quickly."
“I'm sorry.”
“If you know, it's okay.”
Eric replied curtly. He still looked very angry. Chloe became curious
Why was he angry now? Why was he worried about her? She thought about it over and over, but she couldn't find the right answer.
If she were asked what the most difficult task in the entire world was, for her it would be understanding Eric's thoughts.
“Why?”
So, I decided to ask directly.
“Why are you worried about me?”
They were back in the room now, and it was just the two of them. She raised her voice slightly.
"It's strange. I did what you asked me to do. What's so worried about you?"
“So you mean it's wrong for me to worry about you?”
"No, it's not that. Maybe it's just your good intentions, or maybe sympathy. I understand that. But what I'm curious about is why you seem to be trying to fix things between us. We're going to break up anyway, and we'll soon be strangers. So why are you doing that?"
"This damned divorce talk. Again. It's really driving me crazy."
Eric messily messed with his hair. Then he wrinkled the middle of his forehead.
Chloe was always like this. Whenever he tried to do something good, she would wonder why. Why are you behaving like this? What's wrong with her?
Eric couldn't really understand.
For some reason, he loved spending time with Chloe. That's it.
It was an unexpected pleasure to eat with her, and it was nice to go out with her sometimes. It was really satisfying to see an innocent and refreshing smile on her face, a childish smile.
He didn't know when he started having such thoughts. However, based on what she was asking, he was sure that he enjoyed spending time with Chloe. That's it. But why did Chloe keep questioning him?
“I'm not doing it for you.”
Eric ruffled his hair some more.
“It's simply that I think I need to take responsibility for what happened between us, and try to fix things to restore our relationship.”
“When are we going to break up anyway?”
"the curse."
This is talking about divorce again. Eric gritted his teeth. He breathed deeply enough that his chest swelled
He wasn't going to let her go. How could he do that?
He never let anything slip through his hands.
You too, Chloe Rolfe. I will never let you go.
But it was difficult for him to express these thoughts that would surely have brightened Chloe's countenance. Eric pushed his hair back, thinking that he should ignore the divorce talk this time. He was convinced that he could change Chloe's mind at any time in the future.
"Yes. I'm trying to live with you until we get divorced. Then."
"Stay as still as possible. Never let anything like what happened before happen again."
“I understand. I apologize.”
Chloe answered calmly, clasping her hands together.
A slight smile was playing on her lips as she spoke, and Eric wanted to know exactly what that slight smile meant.
“Why are you smiling?”
Eric asked. Chloe looked at him and answered.
“Always do your best, no matter what.”
Chloe continued.
“So I'm glad to see that you're doing your best for us.”
She raised her hands to either side of her face, still clasped together, then tilted her head to one side. A bright smile appeared on her lips.
“You've never done that before.”