Chapter 622

The night deepened as Evelyn Carter sat alone on the stone steps outside the tent.

Her fingers absently traced the phone screen, still displaying the last message from her father. She looked up at the starry sky, where the Milky Way stretched like a shattered ribbon across the inky expanse.

"What are you thinking about?"

Alexander Hamilton's voice carried on the cool night breeze as he approached. He held two cans of beer and settled beside her.

Evelyn took the offered drink, the icy metal making her fingertips tremble. "The edge of the universe."

"Are all scientists this poetic?" Alexander chuckled, the crisp sound of his can opening piercing the quiet night.

"It's not poetry. It's fact." She took a sip. "According to Hubble's Law, the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. One day, all galaxies will drift beyond our reach—even light won't catch up."

Moonlight outlined Evelyn's sharp profile as Alexander studied her. "And humanity?"

"Extinct." Her answer was clinical. "Like the dinosaurs."

The wind rustled through the trees.

Alexander suddenly reached out, brushing a fingertip near her eye. "Then why are you crying?"

Evelyn froze. She thought she'd hidden it well.

"Afraid of loneliness?" His voice softened. "Or goodbyes?"

She didn't answer. The beer can dented slightly in her grip.

"I'll stay with you," Alexander said. "Until the end of the universe."

Evelyn finally turned to him. "Do you know how long the universe will last?"

"No. But I know my lifespan." His gaze held hers. "I'll outlive you by five years and three months."

"That specific?"

"I researched it." His tone was earnest. "Men have shorter average lifespans than women, so I exercise daily, quit smoking and drinking, get regular checkups. Five years and three months—enough time to arrange everything so you won't worry."

Her nails dug into her palms.

"Of course, if you marry someone younger," he continued, "I'll adjust to outlive him by one day."

"Alexander." Evelyn cut him off. "Do you know what male animals do to ensure reproduction?"

"Yes. But I'm human." He smiled. "Humans sacrifice reproduction for love."

Andrew Anderson's laughter echoed in the distance. The bonfire had died, but its warmth lingered in the air.

Evelyn stood abruptly. "I'll go prepare the sleeping bags."

Alexander watched her retreating figure but didn't follow.

Later, Emily Anderson came running in a panic.

"Alex!" She gasped for breath. "Evelyn's crying!"

He sprang up but paused at the tent entrance. Gently pulling the zipper aside, he heard muffled sobs inside.

"Should we go in?" Emily fretted.

Alexander shook his head, sealing the tent again. "Let her cry."

"But—"

"Some emotions," he said, gazing at the stars, "need to be felt alone."

The Milky Way still glittered, eternal and unchanging. Yet Alexander knew those starlight beams had traveled billions of years—their source stars likely long dead by now.

Just as the tears in that tent would eventually stop.