Chapter 3 Chapter two

Diana didn't stop shaking until daybreak.She felt bitingly cold.Richard is dead.She would never see him again, never hear his voice, never feel him holding her tightly.It's all my fault.I should never have run to that courtroom.Oh Richard, forgive me...please forgive me...I don't think I can live without you.You were my life, my reason for living, and now I have nothing left. She wanted to curl up into a little ball. She wants to disappear. She wants to die. As she lay there desolate, she recalled the past, how Richard had changed her life... Diana West grew up in Sands Point, New York, a quiet and wealthy area.Her father was a surgeon and her mother was a painter. Diana started drawing at the age of three.She attended a boarding school in St Paul's and had a brief fling with a charismatic maths teacher during her freshman year.He told her that he would marry her because she was the only woman in the world worthy of him.When she learned that he had a wife and three children, Diana decided that neither his mathematics nor his memory would stand up to scrutiny, and she immediately transferred to Wellesley College.

She has a special liking for art and spends every spare moment in painting.She started selling her paintings as soon as she graduated, and was widely favored and famous. That fall, a well-known gallery on Fifth Avenue gave Diana a personal exhibition, which was a great success.Gallerist Paul Deacon, a wealthy and knowledgeable African-American, helped Diana's career. On opening night, the salon was packed.Deacon hurriedly came to Diana with a big smile on his face: "Congratulations! We have sold most of the exhibits! I plan to do it again in a few months, just wait for you to be ready."

Diana was overjoyed: "That's great, Paul." "You deserve it." He patted her on the shoulder and left in a hurry. Diana was signing autographs for guests when someone walked up behind her and said, "I like your curves." Diana froze.Furious, she turned sharply, opened her mouth, and was about to retort when he continued: "They have the same delicacy as the curves of Rossetti or Manet." He was contemplating a work on the wall. Diana held back in time: "Oh." She took a closer look at the man.Thirty-five or six-year-old.He was six feet tall, with a gymnast's build, blond hair, and bright blue eyes.He was wearing a soft light brown suit, white shirt, and brown tie.

"thank you." "When did you start drawing?" "Childhood. My mother was a painter." He smiled slightly. "My mother is a cook, but I can't cook. I know your name. My name is Richard Stevens." At that moment, Paul Deacon came over with three packages: "Your painting, Mr. Stevens. Take your time." He handed the packages to Richard Stevens and turned away opened. Diana looked at him in surprise: "You bought three of my paintings?" "There are two more in my apartment." "I—I'm very honored." "I appreciate talent."

"Thank you." He hesitated to speak: "Well, you must be very busy, then I'll—" Diana heard herself say, "No busy. I'm fine." He smiled. "Okay. You can do me a great favor. Miss West." Diana looked at his left hand.No wedding ring. "What's up?" "I happen to have two tickets for the opening performance of Nowell Coward's "Happy Elf" to-morrow evening, and no one is coming with me. Wonder if you're free-?" Diana studied him for a moment.He seemed like a nice guy, and very handsome, but, after all, a total stranger.too dangerous.too dangerous.But she heard herself say, "I'd love to."

The next night's date was really good.Richard de Stevens was hilarious, and there was an immediate sympathy between the two.In addition to sharing a love of art and music, they share other broader interests in common.She feels attracted to him, but isn't sure what he thinks of her. As the night drew to a close, Richard asked, "Are you free tomorrow night?" Diana's answer was an unhesitating "yes." The next evening they ate at a quiet restaurant in the southern suburbs. "Tell me about yourself, Richard." "Not much to say. I was born in Chicago. My father was an architect and built houses all over the world. My mother and I followed him everywhere. I went to about a dozen different foreign schools and learned to speak several countries for self-defense language."

"What do you do?" "I work at KIG - Kingsley International Group. It's a big think tank." "Sounds exciting." "It's fascinating. We do cutting-edge research. If we had a motto, it would be 'If we don't have the answers now, we'll have them tomorrow'." After dinner, Richard takes Diana home.At her door, he took her hand, "I had a great time tonight. Thank you." Immediately he left. Diana stood there, watching him go away.I'm glad he's a gentleman, not a pervert.I am really happy.Damn it! They met every night after that, and every time Diana saw Richard, she felt the same warmth, the same joy.

One Friday night Richard said, "I'm coaching a Little League team on Saturday. Would you like to see it?" Diana nodded: "Yes, coach." The next morning, Diana watched Richard train the lively young baseball players.He was gentle, considerate, and patient, and when ten-year-old Tim Holm caught a fly ball, he let out a yelp of joy that they all liked him. Diane thought, I'm in love.I am in love. A few days later, Diana was having a potluck with some girlfriends, and as she was leaving the hotel, she passed a gypsy fortune-telling parlor. Impulsively, Diana said, "Let's go in and get our fortunes told."

"I can't, Diane. I have to go back to work." "Me neither." "I'm going to pick up Johnny." "Why don't you go? Tell us what she said." "Okay. I'll go." Five minutes later Diana found herself sitting alone with a wizened old woman with gold teeth and a large dirty scarf tied around her head. Ridiculous, Diana thought.Why should I do this?But she knew why she did it.She wondered if she and Richard had a future together.Just for fun, she told herself. As Diana watched, the old woman picked up a deck of cards and began to shuffle them without lifting an eyelid.

"I wonder if—" "Hush." ​​The old woman flipped over a card.It is a portrait of a clown, wearing colorful clothes and carrying a schoolbag.The old woman looked at it for a moment. "You have many secrets to explore." She flipped another one. "It's the moon. You have uncertain desires." Diana hesitated, then nodded. "Is it about a man?" "yes." The old woman turned over the next card: "It's a lover's card." Diana smiled. "Is it a good omen?" "We'll see. The next three cards will tell us." She turned over another. "The hanged man." She frowned, paused, and turned to the next one. "The devil," she muttered.

"Is it a bad omen?" Diana asked softly. The gypsy fortune-teller didn't answer. Diana watched as the crone opened another sheet.The old woman shook her head.The voice was weird and hollow: "Death card." Diana got up. "I don't believe it at all," she said angrily. The old woman raised her eyelids, and when she spoke, her voice was full of ghosts: "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Death surrounds you."