Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1624

Maja stumbled backward, feeling the ground tremble beneath her once more. Nana reached out to steady her, her expression etched with concern.

"It's an aftershock. No telling how long it'll last. From the looks of it, the entire mountain's been decimated. See those broken bricks over there? Those must be from the research base, just blasted apart by some immense force."

In the face of nature's might, human innovation seemed insignificant.

Maja and Nana stood there for an hour, waiting for the tremors to subside before they began to navigate the rocky path that led deeper into the chaos.

Among the stones, twisted pieces of modern machinery lay scattered - the remnants of the research base's equipment.

Sweat beaded on Maja's anxious forehead as she thought of Dylan, who was also inside. Her pace quickened, and she nearly tripped over a jutting rock, almost tumbling down.

Nana caught her, and together they glimpsed the horror below: a mass grave in the crevice, bodies piled upon each other, distorted beyond recognition.

Maja couldn't hold back any longer, bending over to retch beside a tree.

The dead were unidentifiable, their features twisted, causing a sourness to rise in Maja's stomach. She vomited for a full minute, her eyes reddening before she rinsed her mouth with bottled water.

Even Nana, hardened by countless assassinations and her own dark deeds, felt a twist in her gut at the sight.

The fissure was deep, snaking down for miles, filled with the dead. It was too much to bear, and she supported Maja's arm instead.

"We should keep moving. There's a long crack here. The base must have been underground and got heaved up by some force. That's good, in a way. It means not everyone inside got buried deep. But who knows how many are still alive."

Maja was at a loss for words, simply trudging forward in a daze.

The bodies became more numerous as they walked on, apparent victims of the base's disaster. Some were still breathing, pinned under massive boulders, staring blankly at the sky as if pain was an alien concept, murmuring to themselves.

"The sky, the blue sky, it's been so long since I've seen it."

"No, it's been years since I've seen the blue sky."

Maja nodded, nibbling on a granola bar.

Nana crafted a makeshift shelter from the tall grass to provide some protection from the wind. After setting up, she sat down and took a few bites of the rest of snacks.

Maja's gaze landed on the jade bead around Nana's wrist, which was carefully protected, strung on a red cord and evidently cherished for many years.

"What will you do if you find your brother?"

Nana smiled, her hand instinctively caressing the bead, "I'll take him to Mom's grave first. She must have missed him a lot."

After a pause, she suddenly looked up at the darkening sky, "It's all my fault."

She would always say that whenever the topic arose.