Ch. 61..65: Begging For A Reconciliation Chapter 61-65

Chapter 61

Gordon sighed and said, “Never mind. I’ll hire the best doctor to treat you.”

Rather than feeling love or pity for the daughter who suddenly appeared, Gordon did not know what to feel about her.

However, that did not mean he was willing to have his feelings manipulated.

He had a hunch that… something smelled fishy.

Gordon opened a door to a room. When Leah saw that, she said, “That’s Charlie’s room. He never let me go inside.”

“How does Charlie treat you?” Gordon asked as he pushed the door and went inside.

Leah was silent for a while. “… So-so, I guess.”

The truth was that Charlie Parridge had always mistreated Leah.

The man had a violent temper. Ever since his wife’s death, he numbed himself with alcohol. Whenever he got home drunk, he would beat or abuse Leah.

However, that was already in the past.

That painful episode ended with Charlie’s death.

The furnishings in Charlie’s room were simple. There was only a bed and a cabinet.

Gordon walked up next to the bed. There was a photo frame placed there.

In the frame was a family photo. A young man was carrying a little girl with twin ponytails.

Gordon picked up the photo frame to take a closer look and immediately gasped in shock.

The faces of the three people in the photo had been blanked out!

“What’s the matter with this?” Gordon frowned and asked.

Leah also frowned when she saw the photo. She shook her head and said, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this photo before.”

The voice of an old woman was heard at the door. “Oh, is the Parridge girl back?”

Leah and Gordon looked at each other and exited the room. They saw an old woman with a walking stick standing in the front yard.

Leah recognized her immediately. “Why are you here, Mrs. Konigsburg?”

“I was told someone is here at Charlie’s house, and I guessed it’s you,” Mrs. Konigsburg said while walking toward Leah.

Leah introduced the old woman to Gordon. “This is Mrs. Konigsburg. I’ve known her since I was a child. She gave me food whenever I had to starve.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Konigsburg,” Gordon said. He thought for a while and continued, “I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember what happened to Charlie Parridge’s daughter when she was twelve?”

The news would have traveled quickly in a small village, especially if it was something major.

Mrs. Konigsburg thought for a long time. Her clouded eyes were transfixed on Leah’s face. “Nothing important as far as I can tell. Charlie did bring his daughter out for a trip once, but when they came back, the girl’s personality changed.”

“His daughter’s personality changed?”

“That’s right. That girl used to be arrogant and naughty, and no one in the village could stop her. After she returned from the trip, she became soft-spoken and well-mannered like a girl from a noble family. I bet she learned a lot on her trip to the big city!” Mrs. Konigsburg said.

Gordon and Leah looked at each other.

Charlie and her daughter went away when she was twelve, and her personality changed when she returned… All that could only point to a singular truth: It was very likely that Charlie knew Leah was not his birth daughter.

However, if that were the case, why did Charlie raise her under the lie that she was his daughter and tell her about what happened back then?

Neither Gordon nor Leah could figure out why. Perhaps only Charlie knew the real answer.

Now that Charlie was dead, there was no one left to ask.

As they left the village, Gordon’s brows were tightly knotted. He seemed to be thinking of something.

“What do we do now?” Leah said with a sigh.

Gordon looked at her and said sternly, “I’ll continue the investigation. I’ll do whatever I can to find the truth.”

“But…” Leah said but stopped herself.

She wanted to tell Gordon she might have seen Charlie in contact with Sasha.

What if she was wrong though? Could that man coincidentally have a scar at the same place?

She had watched Charlie die in the fire with her own eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I hope you won’t tire yourself,” Leah said.

Charlie smiled warmly when he heard that. “I’m not tired. I want to get to the bottom of this. You deserve to know the truth.”

…

Shyanne heard her phone ring as she stepped out of the bathroom.

She looked at the screen. It was an unknown number.

Frowning, she rejected the call.

The phone rang again a few seconds later. Impatiently, Shyanne answered the call and said, “Who is it?”

“You don’t have to know who I am. All you have to do is follow what I tell you to do.” The voice on the other end of the call was heavily distorted.

Shyanne frowned. “What is it?”

The mechanical voice spoke again. “Leah is not dead. She is still alive and using the identity of Sarah White.”

“What did you say?” Shyanne exclaimed. Realizing she might have been too loud, she dropped her voice to a whisper and asked, “Who are you? Why do you say that? Do you have any evidence? The Howard and White families won’t forgive you if you are lying.”

“I can’t be lying, my dear Ms. Howard,” the voice said. It paused for a moment before continuing, “Sasha White is the only daughter of the White family. Sarah White is Leah Murray after plastic surgery, and she has conspired with Ian Sanders to deceive the White family. As for the evidence, I’ve sent it to you in an email.”

Shyanne felt a chill course down her spine.

If Sarah is really Leah… and Han knows about it…

Shyanne’s grip on the phone became tighter. “Why are you telling me this instead of my brother? He’s more influential than I am.”

“Heh. Your brother can’t bear to kill Leah Murray,” the voice chuckled and said. “Not only that, he will protect her. It’s up to you if you want to tell your brother.”

The call ended after that.

Shyanne tried to call the number again, but it was not in service.

With trembling fingers, Shyanne took a deep breath and opened her mailbox on her computer. There was indeed a new mail!

Her eyes widened as soon as she clicked on the link.

All the documents and the photos attached in the mail proved that Sarah White was indeed Leah Murray.

No. Someone could have forged this. I’ll have to investigate this myself. Also, I can’t let Han know about this. The mysterious voice is right… Han has indeed become soft-hearted.

If Shyanne told Han about it, she would not be able to do anything to Leah.

Arriving at that thought, Shyanne gave a call to Molly. “Hey, Molly! Your birthday is coming soon, right?”

“Mm, yes. What’s up?” Molly was very friendly toward her future sister-in-law.

“You’ll be inviting the White family to your party, won’t you? Can you do me a favor?”

Chapter 62

Gordon did not tell anyone else about his findings at Charlie’s house.

For the next few days, Sasha was on tenterhooks. She felt slightly more relieved when she saw Gordon behaving just as usual.

After confirming that nothing would happen to her, she resumed her previous personality.

That person was helping her from behind the scenes. All she had to do was not step out of line as the daughter of the White family.

That night, Gordon returned home with an unpleasant expression on his face. He tossed a gold- stamped invitation card on the table.

“What’s that?” Jane asked curiously as she picked up the card.

“An invitation from the Lamere family,” Gordon said with a frown.

Jane glanced at the details. “It’s Molly Lamere’s 23rd birthday. Why the long face though?”

At that time, Leah happened to walk in.

Gordon shot a glance at Leah and pointed at her. “Molly says she’s a good friend of Sarah and wants Sarah to attend.”

“Nonsense. I know Molly treats Sarah like an enemy. Why is she claiming the opposite this time?” Jane said worriedly.

Leah could hear their conversation. She was surprised that Molly specifically wanted her to attend.

Could Molly have thought up some new way to torment Leah?

“What choice do we have? Molly is Jackson’s princess, and we can’t afford to offend Jackson because our company has two projects with Jackson,” Gordon said with a sigh.

“Sorry for troubling you, Sarah,” Jane said while looking at Leah worriedly.

“Don’t worry,” Leah said.

After all, Molly had always found ways to torment Leah. Leah could not hide from her forever.

The next day, Jane brought Leah and Sasha to attend Molly’s birthday party.

Before they went inside, Jane nagged at Sasha again, “Keep a close eye on your sister. Don’t let anyone bully her.”

Sasha pouted when she heard that. I hope she gets bullied!

Even so, she smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on her.”

After they stepped inside the banquet hall, Leah made a beeline to the sofa in the corner and sat down.

That had always been what she did whenever she attended parties with Han. Han ignored her and let her be.

Standing for too long made her feet sore, so she found places to sit down and rest.

Over many parties, that had become a habit. After all, she had no friends to meet.

On the other hand, Sasha found her circle of friends as soon as she stepped into the banquet hall. She had forgotten everything that Jane told her.

Some time later, Molly finally appeared. Behind her was… Shyanne.

Leah’s face stiffened when she saw Shyanne.

Back when she was with the Howard family, Shyanne was the only one close to her. For some time, Leah thought that Shyanne admired her.

Now, she realized that Shyanne was not only nice to her.

Shyanne whispered something into Molly’s ear, and the two women walked toward where Leah was sitting.

“Hey, isn’t this Ms. White? Why are you sitting here all alone?” Molly smirked and said sarcastically.

Leah did not say a word. She cast her gaze down and looked at her feet.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you mute?” Molly asked coldly.

Leah lifted her head and looked at Molly impassively. “Ms. Lamere, don’t you have anything better to do than humiliate me?”

A hint of anger flashed past Molly’s face.

“How dare you talk to me like that?”

“I’m talking to you the same way you talk to me,” Leah said tactfully, trying not to criticize Molly’s character.

Molly’s face turned red. She was about to lay it on Leah when a cold voice rang out from behind her.

“What are you doing here?”

A shadow cast down on Leah. She lifted her head and saw Han’s frigid eyes.

“Han!” Molly turned around and smiled charmingly. “I’m here to say hi to Ms. White. Isn’t that so, Ms. White?”

Molly turned her head and glared at Leah threateningly.

However, Leah was not intimidated at all.

“That’s not so,” she replied impassively.

She pointed a finger at Molly and said, “Your fiancée was humiliating me earlier, Mr. Howard. I hope you can rein her in.”

She emphasized the word “fiancée” a lot.

Han frowned as he looked at Leah. He wanted to say something but stopped when he heard a set of footsteps behind him.

“You’re here, Sarah. I’ve been looking for you.”

It was Ian.

Ian jogged over and draped his arm over Leah’s shoulder. “Let me introduce you to some of my friends.”

Then, he turned his head and looked at Han. “Pardon the interruption, Mr. Howard.”

Han frowned imperceptibly when his gaze shifted toward Ian’s arm on Leah’s shoulder.

Why does that arm look so… offensive? I want to chop it off.

“Thanks for helping me out,” Leah said to Ian.

“Don’t mention it. I didn’t mean to touch you,” Ian said apologetically.

“It’s fine,” Leah said with a smile.

A woman ran past them with a wine glass in her hand. She tripped and emptied the contents of the glass on Leah!

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it. I nearly sprained my foot!” the woman apologized hastily.

Seeing how apologetic the woman was, Leah did not think she did it on purpose. “It’s fine,” she said.

“I’ll clean it up for you in the washroom,” the woman said.

Leah thought for a while and nodded. “Wait for me for a bit,” she said to Ian.

Then, she followed the woman to the washroom.

After Leah turned and walked away, the apologetic woman smiled smugly. She gestured an “OK” sign toward Molly behind her back.

In the washroom, Leah was washing off the red wine stains.

The woman walked in and said, “Let me help you.”

“It’s okay, I can do this myself…” Leah shook her head. Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a sharp pain on her bare neck.

She shoved the woman away and took two steps back while rubbing her neck.

The smiling woman looked like she was possessed by someone else. She held a syringe in her hand, and it was still dripping.

“What did you inject me with?” Leah frowned as she felt the stabbing pain in her neck.

“What did I inject? … Penicillin, of course!”

The woman did not speak. Someone else had spoken that line instead.

Leah turned her head around, and her eyes widened!

Chapter 63

The people coming in front outside the washroom were Molly and… Shyanne.

Leah had expected Molly to set her up, but why would Shyanne be with Molly?

Leah stumbled two steps backward and steadied herself by gripping the edge of the wash basin.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Molly asked Shyanne as she looked at Leah.

Shyanne took a deep breath and gazed sullenly at Leah. “She’ll be fine if she’s not that woman, but if her body starts acting up, I’m sure it’s her.”

As she spoke, she took two steps forward and stopped in front of Leah. “After all, it’d be too much of a coincidence if both of them are allergic to penicillin.”

Leah’s expression dropped when she heard that.

She gripped the edge of the wash basin tighter so she would not fall.

However, she suddenly felt a stabbing pain from within her body!

“Ahh!” Leah cried out uncontrollably. Her knees went weak, and she fell on the floor.

“I’m right. She has an allergic reaction to penicillin,” Shyanne said while exhaling slowly. Leah could not tell if she was happy or relieved.

“Grab her,” Shyanne said to the woman who had injected penicillin into Leah’s body.

Leah struggled to breathe because of the pain. It felt as though she was being stabbed by a thousand needles.

However, the more pain she felt, the more composed she was.

“What… do you want?” Leah asked, struggling to lift her head and open her eyes.

Shyanne crouched down in front of her and lifted her chin. “Tch,” she spat.

“You don’t look like her at all. No wonder you could even deceive my brother. Too bad, you gave yourself away,” Shyanne said with a slight smile. “Long time no see, Leah Murray.”

Leah’s body trembled. She lifted her head with much difficulty and met Shyanne’s gaze.

It was then she realized: Only she and Shyanne knew she was allergic to penicillin!

Whenever she was injected with penicillin, her body would be assaulted by stabbing pain. Shyanne had gotten someone to inject her with penicillin to see if she was really Leah.

“… Why?” Leah asked with the last of her remaining strength.

Why must you treat me like this? Why can’t you let me be? We used to be good friends, right?

“Heh, you ask why?” Shyanne smirked mockingly.

At this point, she did not have to mask her true colors.

She grabbed Leah by her hair and said, “I’ll bring you somewhere. You’ll see why very soon.”

She flung Leah’s head toward the basin, which knocked her out.

“Take her away,” Shyanne said coldly.

Then, she turned around and said to Molly, “Thanks so much for your help, Molly. Would you like to witness this woman’s last moments together with me?”

Molly smirked and said, “Sure…”

Before she could say the next word, her expression suddenly changed. She lunged at the nearest wash basin and began to retch.

She coughed and retched so hard that it sounded like she wanted to vomit her stomach out.

“What’s wrong, Molly?” Shyanne quickly went over and asked.

Molly waved her hand. “I’m fine. I might have eaten something bad…”

She began to retch again.

“Why don’t I ask my brother to bring you to the hospital for a checkup? Your health is more important,” Shyanne said out of concern.

“What about Leah then?”

“I’ll handle her myself. Don’t worry, Molly, she will die today,” Shyanne said hatefully.

“Okay.” Molly nodded and left the washroom.

Han was drinking wine by himself in the hall. His gaze flitted about the area as though he was looking for someone.

“Han,” Molly called out.

Han turned his head and looked at Molly. He noticed that the hem of Molly’s gown was wet.

He frowned and asked, “Where have you been? You were away for so long.”

“I went to the washroom.” Molly’s smile stiffened. She took a step forward and hugged Han’s arm. “I don’t feel very well. I might have eaten something bad earlier. Why don’t you bring me to the hospital?”

Han was silent for some time. He put the wine glass down and said, “Okay.”

…

Linkville’s summer weather was unpredictable. It was sunny and clear earlier in the day, but a few hours later, rain poured from the sky.

The downpour woke Leah up. The raindrops burned her skin as they battered her body.

Leah moaned in pain and slowly opened her eyes.

“Are you awake? Good. Take a look at where you are.” An ice-cold voice rang out next to her ear.

The voice had a hint of mania in it.

It belonged to Shyanne.

Leah tried to recall what happened before she passed out.

She pushed herself up with much difficulty and looked at her surroundings.

White marble tombstones and wreaths of all colors stretched out as far as her eyes could see.

Goosebumps rose on Leah’s skin.

She looked at Shyanne and asked, “Why did you bring me to the graveyard?”

Shyanne glared at her. Her eyes were bloodshot. “Why? For you to repent, of course! You shall repent for the sins you have committed! Then…”

She paused dramatically for a moment and said, “Then, you go to hell.”

The rain became heavier. It spattered loudly on the tombstones.

Leah wondered if she had misheard. “Annie, could you have been mistaken…”

“I’m mistaken? Hahahaha!” Shyanne suddenly burst out laughing.

She abruptly crouched down and grabbed Leah’s hair.

Leah’s scalp burned with pain, but she did not have the strength to retaliate.

Shyanne dragged Leah by the hair, not caring whether Leah was in agony. They eventually stopped in front of a tombstone and said savagely, “Look at it yourself!”

Leah opened her eyes.

“Here lies Randall Howard.”

Randall Howard?

“You’ve never heard of the name before, have you? Randall Howard is my father! Hahaha! You don’t even know his name, but he died because of you…” Shyanne said while laughing maniacally.

Leah winced in pain.

Shyanne’s father? That means he’s Han’s father too.

How did Han’s father die because of me?

“Ten years ago, you fell into the water. My father happened to be passing by, and he saved you, but his leg was tangled by the weeds! He told you to get help, but you ran away instead because you were afraid! My father drowned because of you! Do you think no one knows about it? You’re wrong!”

Shyanne’s gaze was almost deranged as she glared at Leah.

“You didn’t expect someone to watch all this happen and tell that to my brother!”

Chapter 64

Leah’s head throbbed hard. She was in so much pain she almost forgot to breathe.

She could not stand up. Crawling on the ground, her long hair fell all over Randall’s tomb. She lifted her head and saw Randall’s photo.

The man in the photo wore glasses. He was smiling gently.

It hurts…

Leah’s head continued to throb. Her vision went blurry from the pain.

She vaguely remembered she fell into the water when she was twelve years old.

However, she could not remember what happened after that.

Charlie told her she had lost some memories because of the shock.

Did those lost memories coincide with what Shyanne was telling her? Did she really cause Han’s father’s death?

Every word Shyanne said through gritted teeth was like a knife that cut deeply into Leah’s heart.

“Do you think my brother really loves you? Think about it for yourself. You are as unremarkable as a woman could get. How could my brother fall for you? He wants revenge, Leah Murray! We want you to suffer a fate worse than death!”

Leah covered her ears and screamed hoarsely, “Stop… please stop…”

“Why? Are you afraid to face the truth? I thought murderers are all cold-blooded. I didn’t expect you to be afraid!”

Shyanne walked up to her and pulled her hair upward. Leah had no choice but to lift her head.

“Look closely! That’s the man! He’s the person you killed! He is my father, and he is Han’s father!”

Leah struggled to breathe.

She finally understood why Han hated her so much. Even so, he married her but ignored her.

That was… his way of taking revenge on her.

He had never loved her.

Tears fell from Leah’s eyes, mixing with the rainwater and falling onto the tombstone.

She closed her eyes in agony.

“Repent!” Shyanne screamed.

She grabbed Leah’s head and slammed it heavily onto the tombstone.

Twice. Thrice. Blood gushed freely from Leah’s forehead.

“Repent!” Shyanne continued. “Then, you can finally… go to hell!”

…

Meanwhile, Han drove Molly to the hospital for a checkup.

Molly stole glances at Han bashfully. She tried to strike up a conversation to get closer to him.

It was rare that Han was so patient with her.

While waiting for the results, Molly walked up to Han and said, “Han.”

“Hm?” Han raised his eyebrows.

Molly tried to find a conversation topic when a sudden thought came to her. “Right, do you know that Sarah… is allergic to penicillin?”

Han did not know that Leah was allergic to penicillin. He thought Molly was being very random.

He frowned and asked, confused, “What about it?”

“Don’t you know?” Molly did not want to tell him directly that Sarah White was actually Leah Murray. She ventured, “Shyanne injected Sarah with penicillin, and Sarah fell on the floor in a few seconds. She can’t even stand up.”

Han’s eyes widened slightly. “What happened?”

Molly’s expression froze.

Wait, something’s not right. Does Han… not know about it? Didn’t Shyanne tell him before she acted?

Molly fell awkwardly silent.

Han grabbed her shoulders and asked her in a low voice. “What is going on?”

Somehow, he had a very bad feeling about this.

Molly was intimidated by his appearance. She could only tell him what happened earlier.

Han scowled even harder.

He gripped his fists tightly and squeezed some words through gritted teeth. “Where are they now?”

Molly pursed her lips.

“Speak!”

“They’re at… the graveyard…” Molly stammered.

When Han heard that, he turned around and left without looking back.

Molly wanted to follow him. However, a nurse called out from behind her, “Ms. Molly Lamere? Your results are ready.”

…

Leah’s face was covered in blood. Her vision was blurred, and she did not even have the strength to lift her head.

Shyanne pulled her hair and tossed her aside. She fell on the ground like a used rag.

“I’ve brought your killer to you, Father. She’s here to repent for what she’s done!” Shyanne mumbled to herself as she gazed at the photo of the man on the tombstone. “I’ll kill her now so she can repay what she did with her life!”

Shyanne began to walk toward Leah.

Leah was having a splitting headache. What happened ten years ago? Why can’t I remember anything?

“No, Annie, no,” Leah said weakly while looking at Shyanne. “Don’t…”

Shyanne walked up to Leah and lifted the dagger in her hand.

“Right now, you look like a dog,” Shyanne said impassively. “I don’t know why my brother didn’t kill you earlier, but it’ll all be over soon.”

She raised the dagger above her head, then brought it down without giving it a second thought.

“Ahh!”

Leah summoned the last of her strength to roll backward. The tip of the dagger drew a line across her calf. Blood flowed out instantly.

“How dare you dodge!” Shyanne bellowed and prepared to strike again.

Screech! The sound of brakes was heard in the distance.

Shyanne instinctively turned her head and saw a black sedan stopping at the edge of the graveyard. A black umbrella appeared from the door, and a person quickly came out.

“Han?” Shyanne yelled.

Why is Han here? Leah thought, trembling.

If she was really the person who caused his father’s death, how was she going to face him?

She heard the sound of leather shoes stepping on marble. Then, it was Han’s cold voice, “What are you doing, Shyanne?”

He frowned as he looked at Leah sprawled on the ground covered in blood.

“You’re here, Han.” Shyanne was unexpectedly calm. “Today, I will avenge Father.”

Han’s expression froze. He tilted the umbrella slightly backward, and raindrops fell on his leather shoes.

“What do you mean?”

Leah’s entire body was trembling. She shouted hoarsely, hoping to stop Shyanne, “No, don’t tell him!”

Shyanne smirked mockingly and said, “You’re too merciful, Han. Don’t you know? This woman deceived you once again. She’s not Sarah White.”

“Don’t…”

“She is…”

“Please don’t tell him, I beg you…”

“… Leah Murray,” Shyanne cruelly spat out those two words.

Leah slumped on the ground.

A hint of shock flashed past Han’s face. He reflexively lowered his head to look at Leah.

Chapter 65

Han let go of the black umbrella in his hand. He pressed his lips together and walked toward Leah.

The rain was pouring, and it drenched him in no time.

Those dark and profound eyes in the rain seemed clearer than ever.

He crouched down in front of him, gripped her chin, and forced her to look at him.

Turbulent emotions roiled in his eyes.

Who could this woman be, if not for Sarah White? This face… doesn’t look like Leah at all.

“Han, this woman changed her face and deceived the White family. I have evidence of it. She’s deceiving you too. She’s back at your side to take revenge on you!” Shyanne said anxiously when she saw Han was silent.

She gritted her teeth and glared at Leah. “I didn’t believe it at first, but I can confirm that it’s true. Leah Murray is allergic to penicillin, and Sarah White is too. How else can you explain the coincidence? The two of them are the same person.”

Han glared at Leah coldly. “Is what she said true?”

Leah’s heart sank as she looked him in the eye.

Han would not forgive her.

“Speak!” Han ordered sternly.

“Cough! Cough cough!” Leah coughed violently. Her eyes were blurred by tears.

She bit her lip hard. A long time later, she said, “Yes, Han. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I…”

Thud!

Han flung her aside.

The coldness of the marble slab chilled her to the bone, and she was about to lose consciousness.

“How dare you,” Han said.

He finally knew why he had certain feelings for Sarah.

Sarah was Leah Murray all along.

“I didn’t mean to do that, really. And…” Leah took a deep breath. “I don’t know what happened to your father. I’ve lost my memories…”

“Shut up. You’re not worthy of mentioning him,” Han chided.

Leah bit her lip. “So is that the reason why you hate me?”

“Yes,” Han answered.

“Ten years ago, when I was twelve, you made me fall in love with you because you wanted to take revenge. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Three years ago, you married me so that you could torment me. Right?”

“Yes.”

Leah’s voice was shaking, but there was no hesitation in Han’s replies.

He had admitted it. Whatever he did was only for revenge.

Leah felt as though her heart had withered and died. She began to cry.

“But Han… you appeared in front of me ten years ago, and you saved me from the darkness. You’re like a ray of light to me, you know?”

“.…

“I don’t remember much of what happened in the past, but I still remember very clearly everything that happened between us since ten years ago.”

“…”

“Han, why did you save me that time? Why didn’t you let me die?” As Leah spoke, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

She wiped the blood away. The stabbing pain of the allergic reaction and the sharp pain of the wound on her knee was nothing compared to the dull ache in her heart.

She remembered how she had fallen in love for the first time when she was twelve. She remembered the vows she gave in the church when she was nineteen. She remembered the stillborn baby.

It felt as though there was a gaping hole in her heart.

“Urgh!” Leah spat out another mouthful of blood and passed out.

Han stared at her and said nothing.

“That’s enough, Han. Let’s end her life once and for all,” Shyanne said while walking over.

Han’s lips were pressed together tightly. He did not say a word.

Shyanne lifted the dagger in her hand. Suddenly, Han gripped Shyanne’s hand and said, “Stop.”

“What?” Shyanne said with a frown.

Han sighed and said, “Don’t kill her.”

“Why?”

“She… doesn’t deserve to die.”

“Han? Have you changed your mind?” Shyanne was alarmed.

Han shook his head. He suddenly remembered how Leah had carried him on her back and ran out of the fire.

“We’ll spare her life. We can torment her in many ways while she’s alive, can’t we? We don’t have to kill her.”

Shyanne could not believe what she heard.

She felt a slight pain in her wrist. Han had snatched the dagger from her.

“Why, Han? Have you become soft-hearted?”

“I haven’t.”

“You have!” Shyanne exclaimed. “You… You had so many chances to kill her, but you squandered every chance until she went missing! Now that we’ve found her, why are you giving up the perfect opportunity to kill her with your own hands?”

“I told you. There are many ways to torment her.”

“No, Han. You’ve changed.” Shyanne looked at her brother like she was looking at a stranger. The crazed look in her eyes was nowhere to be seen.

“Han, tell me, have you fallen in love with her?” she asked calmly.

Boom! An explosion went off in Han’s head.

Me? Love her?

“No,” he blurted instinctively.

How can I possibly love that woman?

“If you don’t, how…”

“I don’t want to repeat myself,” Han interrupted angrily. He turned his head to hide the nervousness in his eyes. “Leave now. Don’t let me see you here again.”

Shyanne gritted her teeth and glared hatefully at Leah.

She knew she had failed.

After Shyanne left, Han walked toward Leah.

Looking at the woman curled up on the ground, he sighed and reached out to touch her.

Suddenly, he remembered what his sister asked him…

“Have you fallen in love with her?”

Han stood up abruptly. His jaws were tightly shut.

He snapped out of it when his phone began to ring.

The call was from Molly. Han thought for a while before answering.

“Yes?” Against the pouring rain, his voice was ice-cold.

Molly did not notice that because she was occupied by joy. “Come to the hospital, Han. I have good news for you,” she said happily.

Han shot a glance at Leah on the ground. “Okay.”

Then, he ended the call.

He looked at Leah again.

That woman did not deserve his pity.

Han’s expression became harsher than ever. He stepped into the car and left.

The rain only became heavier.

After some time, Leah finally stirred.

She opened her eyes very slowly. Her insides were screaming with pain.

She found her phone in her handbag and made a call.

Beep, beep, beep…

The wait felt like an eternity.

“Hello?” Finally, a warm voice was heard on the other end of the call.

“Ian,” Leah said with a dry throat. “Save me.”

Ian immediately frowned. He stood up and asked anxiously, “Where are you?”

Leah gave her location to Ian. After she ended the call, she lost consciousness once more.