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Chapter One hundred and sixty-six

Author: Bunmi
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Lana’s POV

His eyes glistened with unshed tears, and his hand shook at the thought of what he was about to do. But he was not the only one trying not to cry; the other doctors were around too, as were some nurses. In their eyes, I could see the tears they tried to hold back.

Fred looked at her, and she smiled at him, nodding slowly. Giving him a silent go-ahead to do something, which for him might be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, he would miss her; that much was evident, but she wanted this.

This was not what they were trained to do. They were trained to save, but it seems that this one went beyond saving. Once, a wise man told me that ‘a person should always know when to step back and surrender. Doing that does not mean you give up; it just means that you are mature enough to see the bigger picture’.

My only wish as we all stood around her bed, waiting for the final moments of Kathy’s life, was that she had been given the opportunity to know that wise man. Why he had c
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  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and sixty-eight

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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

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    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

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  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and Ninety-nine

    Lana’s POV Fred smiled warmly, taking a seat beside Clara. “It’s been a long time, Aunt Clara. We have so much to catch up on, but there’s something important we need to ask you about first.”Clara looked at him. “Of course, anything. What do you need to know?”Fred glanced at me, and I handed Clara the letter. “We found this among my father’s papers. It mentions a promise to protect you. We need to understand what happened.”Clara took the letter and began reading it. As she read through it, I noticed the change in her expression. She took a deep breath and glanced up at us. “This... this brings back memories I thought I’d buried. Your mother and Mr. West were the best friends I ever had. But there was more to it, and it brought trouble or would have brought trouble had Mr. West not decided to act in what he believed to be the best interest of everyone, including your mother. Fred’s face lightened up, as did mine. “What do you mean?”Clara sighed. “Secrets.” She whispered. “Anne an

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and ninety-eight

    Lana’s POVFred shrugged. “She hinted at societal expectations and family obligations,” he replied. “But she didn’t give specifics. I think she knows a lot more than she’s letting on.”I nodded slowly. “My father never mentioned anything about your mother or you and Kathy. And I started going through his papers; maybe I would find something.”Fred’s expression softened. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it is not to be helped. I cannot say I know how you feel or what you are feeling right now. Finding out that a person you think you know has another side, which you have no idea of, can really do something to you.”I reached out and touched Fred’s hand briefly. “We’ll figure it out together. I have some of my father’s old letters and documents that might help us piece things together. Maybe we can confront Freda again with more concrete questions? What do you think? Right now, she’s the only person who can give us answers, and we are not even on good terms.”We returned to m

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and ninety-seven

    Narrator’s POV Freda’s smile faltered for the briefest of moments, a shadow crossing her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. She leaned back in her chair, interlacing her fingers and resting them on her desk.“That’s quite a heavy topic, Fred,” she said, her tone now more serious. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”Fred shrugged. “Perhaps after Kathy’s death, I realised something. I just want to know why he abandoned my mother, why he chose his other family above us, and why he caused us so much pain and loss. I want to understand all of these things; perhaps it would help me forgive, let go, and move on.”A shadow of a smile crossed Freda’s face. “Ahhhh... I guess it runs in the family then.” Fred narrowed his eyes, wondering what she meant by that statement. “I don’t understand. What runs in the family?”Freda stood to her feet and approached the floor-to-ceiling window, which offered a great view of the city. From here, he could view the city’s skyline and wat

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and ninety-six

    Narrator’s POV Freda’s office was located on the uppermost floor of the skyscraper that acted as Ranhold’s headquarters, a detail that made Fred pause as he stepped out of the taxi five minutes ago. He blinked against the rays of sunlight reflecting off the monolithic structure of steel and glass, momentarily blinded. The reflective surface mirrored the city below, creating an illusion of infinite depth.The other buildings around it were similar in their grandeur, each with its own unique design. For the umpteenth time since his arrival in the city, Fred was reminded of how little he had traveled. There were places outside of his known world yet to be explored, and this city of steel and glass was one of them. He had spent—wasted—five minutes entranced by the sleek, modern design, temporarily forgetting his purpose for being there.Pulling himself back to reality, he straightened his suit and approached the entrance. The revolving glass doors spun smoothly, ushering him into a grand

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and Ninety-five

    Lana’s POVI took tentative steps towards the bouquet. Whether unconsciously or by some reflex response in our system, we all had taken steps away from the bouquet. For some reason, we felt threatened by it. This was not the first time we would receive threats disguised as gifts, and I guess that has taught us a lesson. Slowly, I pulled out the card in the bouquet and glanced at Cameron and Sally, who both gave me curt nods. I opened it and began reading it aloud. “Congratulations on Zoe’s recovery. Best wishes for the future. – Freda.”The room fell silent as the implications of the message sank in. Sally was the first to break the silence. “Freda has acted once again. First of all, it was an almost dead bird on my door, and now congratulatory bouquet?”My grip on the card tightened. “Is this supposed to mean something?”Cameron stepped closer, resting his hand on the small of my back. “Hey, we’ll keep our guard up. She’s only trying to play mind games, but we won’t give her the sat

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