Ron glanced at the lifeless woman in Leah’s arms and he knew instantly Regina was dead.
In the many years treading the underbelly of the city, he had killed countless people and it was clear as
day to him Regina was beyond saving.
Ron sighed and he took Leah’s hand. “Let’s take you home first, and then I’ll take care of this woman,
alright?” Leah shook her head, seemingly in a daze. “No, we have to send her to the hospital. She
needs treatment. She cannot die like this.”
His heart clenched in his chest looking at a crestfallen Leah. He shouldn’t feel anything by now seeing
Regina dead, but he cared about Leah.
Leah couldn’t accept the fact Regina was dead. She wouldn’t allow her friend to die in front of her,
especially when Regina sacrificed herself for Leah.
Ron knew he had to tell her the truth no matter how cruel it was. “She’s dead. There’s nothing a doctor
can do now. If we send her to the hospital, the cops will get involved and they’ll find out about Jack and
us eventually.”
He had tried his best to analyze the situation, hoping Leah would return to her senses. She was
choking back tears as she mumbled, “No, she’s not dead. You’re lying. Stop lying to me!”
She wasn’t listening to him. He stepped forward to carry her in his arms. He said softly, “I’ll take good
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcare of her body, alright?” Leah tugged at his shirt and she cried her heart out.
Leah knew what was happening, but she couldn’t accept it. She couldn’t accept the fact Regina died
because of her. I thought you hated me! Why did you risk your life to save me?
Ron’s heart ached with pity for her. He let out a deep breath. He told his men to take care of things and
he carried Leah to the White residence.
After a shower, Leah stopped crying, but she still looked dazed. While she was showering, Ron quickly
whipped up some pasta.
“Hungry? I’ve made pasta. Get over here and grab some,” he asked, seeing Leah fresh out of the
shower. Her hair was still wet but she didn’t seem to care.
She sat down by the dining table, but she didn’t feel like eating. Ron was nervous as this was his first
time cooking for Leah. Even though he had made pasta before, he wasn’t confident Leah would like the
taste.
Leah eventually thanked him and she took a bite. She had barely eaten when she started sobbing
again. She asked Ron, “What did you do with her body?”
She looked pale, but she was calm. Her heart ached when she thought of Regina’s lifeless body in her
arms. Ron answered swiftly, “My boys have sent her to a funeral home. They will take care of
everything from there, so don’t worry.”
Leah sighed. “I haven’t even told her I’m sorry.” Ron sat down beside her, “It’s not your fault.” Leah
shook her head, “No, it’s my fault.”
“If I hadn’t looked for her last night; if I hadn’t brought a dagger; if I hadn’t stayed after giving the
money, would she still be alive now? Maybe she wouldn’t be dead now.” She buried her face in her
hands, weeping uncontrollably.
Ron tried to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. It’s not, alright?” Leah was inconsolable. She continued
crying for almost an hour before she finally fell asleep.
He waited until she was sound asleep before he gently carried her back to her bed. He tucked her in
and he quietly left the room.
Leah was in a bad place for a long time after Regina’s death. She barely gathered herself to deal with
Regina’s funeral together with Ron. Two weeks later, they found Regina’s final resting place and she
was given a proper burial.
Regina’s funeral was carried out on a rainy day, attended by only Leah and Ron. Ron followed Leah
silently, holding an umbrella over both their heads.
As the coffin was lowered, Ron asked, “Should we inform her stepfather?” Leah recalled how Regina
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmdespised the man for beating her and selling her to Colors. She pursed her lip and she shook her head.
“No, he doesn’t deserve to know.”
Ron nodded and he took over a paper box from his men. “Well, my boys took a trip to Regina’s place
and here are all her things in this box. It’s not a lot.”
Leah took the box. It was light. For the 25 years Regina had lived, she had only left behind this much.
She glanced up at Ron, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Ron waved his hand. Leah opened the box with a smile. Even though it was raining,
she could see the contents of the box without getting wet, as Ron’s umbrella was big enough to cover
both of them.
There weren’t a lot of things, but Leah found quite a bit of unexpected stuff. For example, there was a
stack of love letters addressed to Han; Regina wrote a letter every year during high school.
There was also a photo album. Leah found Regina’s pictures from young until she was a grownup. She
was seen together with her family in some of them when she was still a carefree girl, smiling from ear
to ear.
Leah turned a page and she was stunned. She saw two girls in a photo with the same hairstyle, smiling
at the camera. It was a photo of Regina and Leah taken during high school.
She took the photo out. At the back of the photo, someone wrote, “Regina’s best friend at 16.” Leah
stared at the words and tears began to well up in her eyes.
Regina did consider Leah as her best friend for a time. Perhaps it was all Leah needed to know.