Never Pick Up a Stranger on the Road—Unless He’s Useful Chapter 2

The next day, news spread throughout the village that Cole had run off in the middle of the night. Aunt Martha, my neighbor, stood on the other side of the wall, raising her voice deliberately. "Did you hear? Ivy Rivers' handsome husband ran off! I saw it myself; he was picked up by a grand retinue!"

"I told you! How could such a handsome man fall for her? He must be a powerful figure from Newhaven, and Ivy Rivers just got lucky, picking him up off the street."

Aunt Sarah gasped. "He ran off on their wedding night? Doesn't that make Ivy Rivers a deserted wife?"

"Do you think someone will come for her and take her back to Newhaven in a few days?"

"You two need to stop reading so many romance novels…"

I smiled wryly, my voice calm, almost amused. I was a widow, and most villagers looked down on me, but they weren't malicious. For the past two years, as I cared for Cole, they had gossiped about me finding a new lover right after my husband's death. But no one had ever exposed the fact that I was already married. For that alone, I was grateful.

"Ivy, I told you long ago that Cole didn't care for you, but you wouldn't listen!" Aunt Martha, producing a handful of sunflower seeds from somewhere, began cracking them. "That man, after you saved his life, did nothing all day but read books and practice sword fighting. He clearly never suffered a day in his life and treated you like a servant."

"Tell Aunt Martha the truth, is he from Newhaven?"

I gave her a mysterious look. "He's more powerful than anyone in Newhaven. He's a celestial warrior from the heavens!"

"…" Aunt Martha and Aunt Sarah fell silent, a rare occurrence. After a moment, they exchanged glances. When they looked at me again, their voices were filled with sympathy. "She must be heartbroken, lost her mind?"

"Oh well, what can you do? She’s my neighbor. I’ll slaughter a hen for you to get your strength back."

I smiled softly and turned back into the house. No chicken for me. I was preparing to move.

Everyone in the village knew Liam had died two years ago. If he came back to life, wouldn't he be seen as a monster? I needed to find a distant village, where no one knew us.

Over the next two days, I sold what I could, gave away what I couldn't. Then, I packed my belongings and moved to Maplewood Village, a dozen miles away. After tidying up my new small courtyard, I pulled out the jade token Cole had given me.

The jade token flashed with white light, conjuring an ethereal barrier. I looked left and right, confirming no one was around. Then, I stepped inside.