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Chapter One hundred and seventy-two
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-three
Lana’s POV“Is there a problem?”Of course there was none; I hoped there would be none. But my heart would not stop beating, and my imagination would not stop conjuring unlimited thoughts, all of which were worse than the former. “I used to sit with her here.” He continued in that lilting tone. I was sure that if I looked into his eyes in that instant, I would catch the memories as they unfurled in his vision. “We would sit here for hours just watching the stars. During that time, I used to feel content. Happy even... I wanted her to be happy; she worked a lot for me, and I would have done anything to pay her back.”Including giving her my life. I thought wryly, though I did not voice out the thought. I glanced instead at the twinkling stars and tried to imagine him with Kathy, sitting on this cold but oddly comfortable bench, stargazing. Was this how they were? I thought. The same way he and I were now, only that they were no strangers to each other. They had both been familiar w
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-four
Lana’s POV“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Fred's voice sounded melancholic. Although his expression was stoic, it was not hard to see that he was hurting and that the cool facade, which he was trying very hard to keep up, was slipping. “This way, please.” A lady, who I assumed to be the cremator’s assistant, gestured towards a narrow hallway. “How are you holding up?” As we all staggered behind the assistant, I whispered to Fred. “You should join us for dinner after this. We’re not close, but I’ll not advise that you should be alone during this period.”Fred opened his mouth to speak; the look on his face said he was going to turn down my request, but Cameron chipped in. “She’s right. A dinner after all this is over would be a good way to send her off with only good memories, and you should be there. Grieving all alone can be hard, and we would love to be there for you.”The atmosphere around the crematorium was sombre when we arrived. The assistant who had escorted us into the
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-five
Lana’s POVThe diner was only several kilometres from the cemetery, and by the time we arrived, it was almost dusk. Still, I made sure to send Fred updates by the minutes just to ensure that he did not forget to join us once he was done and lost his way. Although the place seemed to have stood for a long time, it appeared to have undergone recent reconstruction—I had no idea how it had looked before—and this made it appear quite appealing to the eyes. Cameron held my hand as we trudged into the place, and for the first time since our day began, my stomach rumbled. I had not even realised I was that hungry. The smell of coffee, spices, tangy vinegar wafting off fresh coleslaw, and melted butter wafted through the air and into our noses as soon as we stepped through the thingy curtains, and a hard-looking waitress in a brown and white uniform met us at the door, featuring us towards one of the boots nestled against the newly painted walls and large windows.From here, we had a view
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-six
Lana’s POV “All this is so surreal.” I voiced. “I still find all of this hard to believe. My father was so...”.Fred's face hardened. "Your father abandoned us.” He spat. “He chose his other family over us. That's the story as I know it. For a long time, I was upset and bitter; I still am."I hung my head. “I’m sorry.” Although I had no idea what I was sorry for, I had no idea about anything that was or had been happening, but still, I felt the need to fall on my knees and claw at his feet till he softened his heart and forgave my family.Cameron interjected, "But Marcus has new information, right? Maybe it can shed more light on what really happened."Marcus nodded. "Yes, but it's circumstantial. The only person who might have a concrete story is Freda, André's mother. And she's not exactly on our side."Andre sighed. “I wonder how all of this relates to Freda.”“She was my mother’s best friend.” Fred answered, and all our eyes turned to him. “They were friends for the longest of ti
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-seven
Lana’s POV I woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of calm, happiness, and all-round happiness. The sky above was clear, reflecting my mood, and the day looked promising. Sally and I spent the first half of the morning preparing our plans for the day: the places we were going to visit, the shops we would patronise, and the provisions we would get. In all, the day promised to be quite eventful and filled with fun activities. It was going to be our last day in Cartonica before we once again returned to our realities—the harshness of it—and it was only right that we spent the day doing something fun. As for the men, they would spend the day while we were away preparing for our return (I had no idea of the things they might have already planned out, but I was sure it was going to be something naughty and childish). Once we returned from our trip to all the beautiful places in Cartonica, we should visit the beach as a group, and after that, we would meet Cameron’s family for one
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Seventy-eight
Lana’s POV Finally, I would return to reality, with all its challenges and responsibilities.Cameron took my hand as we walked back to our suite. “You okay?”“Yeah,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I'm just going to miss this place.”“We’ll come back,” he promised. “And who knows? Maybe someday we’ll find a way to stay longer.”I smiled at the thought. As much as I loved Cartonica, it was the people I shared it with that made it special.***The next morning, the sense of calm and happiness from the day before was replaced by a bittersweet feeling. As we packed our bags, preparing to leave Cartonica, the reality of our departure sank in. Cameron, Andre, Marcus, and I were returning to Hastvin, while Sally was still bent on staying behind for a few more days or weeks of vacation. Perhaps even months. The truth was that I would miss her, and if there was a way, I would have tried to walk her out of this decision she had come to. But she was right. In the last few months, a lot had happe
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Seventy-nine
Lana’s POVThe news hit me like a freight train.“Your child has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.”Suddenly, I felt like the floor had been pulled from beneath my feet. My leg wobbled, my vision spun, and my throat felt like someone was squeezing too tight. I could not breathe, and the tears in my eyes would not let me see anything. “What?” It was me who spoke, but I could not recognise the voice as mine. “What?”I was on the ground when I came, and Cameron was gripping my arm, saying words that I could neither hear nor understand. The doctor was speaking too, but nothing registered. All I could hear was the continuous ringing in my ears and the echo of the doctor's words. Lymphoblastic leukaemia...Your child was diagnosed... Lymphoblastic leukaemia.My eyes stayed on my daughter, where she lay on the bed, small, frail, almost lifeless, her breathing shallow. It has barely been a day since she fell ill, but she already looked so gone. “What… what can we do?” I hea
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Eighty
Andre’s POV I took her hands in mine, my eyes pleading. “Lana, this isn’t about complicating things. It’s about giving Zoe the best possible chance. If there’s even a small possibility that my blood could be a better match, we owe it to her to find out. Please, let me do this.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at me. The fear and desperation in my voice mirrored her own. “Andre, I…” “Lana, please,” I said, my grip tightening. “For Zoe’s sake, Let me be tested. Let me know if I can help her.” She took a deep breath, her mind racing. This wasn’t just about the past or our unresolved issues. This was about Zoe and giving her the best chance at life. She nodded slowly, wiping away her tears. “Okay, Andre. I’ll talk to the doctor.” The next few hours were a blur of activities. Nurses bustled in, explaining the procedure to me as they prepped me for the blood test. I sat still, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils as a nurse drew a vial of my blood. Lana and C
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