It was raining when Ranon and Greyson waited for the ambulance that would bring Hazel’s body. Ares was also there, and when he got out of the car, he approached Ranon.
Ares didn’t know what to say. He had never imagined it would end up this way. There would be no word that could help Ranon at this mont.
Not being able to do anything, Ares placed his hand on Ranon’s shoulder as Greyson moved toward the stretcher, where Hazel’s lifeless body lay.
Greyson couldn’t bring himself to open the body bag. He stood under the rain. His old figure looked so frail as he gathered the courage to see his daughter.
anwhile, Ranon didn’t budge; he was still standing at the entrance, ten ters away from his wife’s dead body. His expression was devoid of any emotion as he watched Greyson.
"Ranon..." Ares called him, but he stopped himself. He wanted to ask whether he wanted to go over and check the body himself, but then, if Ranon wanted to do it, he would have done it.
On the other hand, Greyson was soaked in the rain as he finally opened the body bag with trembling fingers.
When the zipped bag opened, his legs gave in. Two n imdiately helped to steady him. It was so hard for Greyson to stand up, as if both of his legs were paralyzed.
He felt as if standing up was the hardest thing he had to do; this was the deepest sorrow that he had to endure after he lost his wife. The grief hit him so hard.
"Yes, it’s her..." Greyson said in a weak and small voice, which was barely a whisper. "That’s my daughter."
Greyson thought he hated this daughter of his because, in his mind, she was the reason why he lost his wife, but now that she was gone, why did he feel as if the world crumbled under his feet?
Everything ca rushing back to him like a broken dam. All the mistreatnts, the beatings, her cries, the way she looked at him as if asking him to love her too, the way she told him how much she hated him, and then she was not around as often.
Greyson started to think back on all of his actions and regretted them.
He believed he would have ti to make ands with her. He thought he would be able to fix the relationship with his daughter; no matter how long it took, he would take that ti.
But now, there was no longer any question of "how long it took"; it had all co to an end.
The ti that Greyson believed he had to make things right with Hazel was lost. She was gone.
He had no more ti with her; he couldn’t make things right with her, because she was not with him anymore. She was already far beyond his reach.
She was gone.
Hazel was gone.
That reality hit Greyson so hard.
The ti he thought he had was gone.
"No... No..." Greyson shook his head. He cried so hard as he hugged Hazel’s dead body. Her body was cold, and her skin felt weird to his touch, but it was her. It was his daughter. "I am sorry... I am truly sorry..."
Yet, his daughter wouldn’t be able to answer him.
Everything played out before his eyes as he stared at Hazel’s pale face. The first ti he held her in his arms, the way she used to smile when she was little, the mont she looked at him, the way she called him...
But then, he also rembered how he had ignored her, how the smile had slowly faded away from her face, and how her brown eyes had dulled from his constant anger.
The anger that shouldn’t have been directed at her...
anwhile, Ranon saw Greyson’s reaction and then turned around, which made Ares confused.
"Where are you going? Don’t you want to see her? Ranon!" Ares grabbed Ranon’s elbow to stop him. "Where are you going?" He asked again. He beca even more worried about how calm Ranon was.
"I need to check on Ashlyn," Ranon said casually. He yanked his arm from Ares’s grip and walked away.
However, Ares couldn’t understand it. "Don’t you want to see her? At least, you have to confirm the body..."
Ares knew there was no need for Ranon to do that. Hazel’s body was the sa. He was one hundred percent sure it was her. And judging by Greyson’s reaction, there was no doubt about it.
But Ranon didn’t even want to see her for the last ti...
"That’s not her."
That was the only thing that Ranon said before he turned around and left.
***
The funeral went uneventfully. It was raining again. The sky was so dark.
Greyson led the funeral because of Ranon’s absence. To answer the questions from all the people who ca, Greyson had to make an excuse for his son-in-law.
Ranon had to stay with his daughter at the hospital.
That excuse was la, hardly a sufficient reason to justify not attending his wife’s funeral.
However, they were not in a position to ask more questions about it; thus, they said nothing and focused on the funeral.
Logan attended it. He was devastated. He kept crying like a child, which confused the mourners, because they didn’t think both of them were close. It was not a secret that the siblings in the Rose family were not close to each other.
Even Dylan didn’t shed a tear for his only sister, but he looked quieter than usual. He didn’t even make conversation and kept it short when soone tried to talk to him.
There were many people from influential families who ca to the funeral. Even Jas and Carl ca, as they showed their condolences to the Roses and the Leightons.
Laurel was the only person who ca from the Leightons, as she represented her family. She just learned what happened, a watered-down version that Lucian told her.
She despised Daniel for it.
And just like that, the funeral ended quietly...
***
Renna had been crying her eyes out; her eyes had turned very red as she stayed with Ashlyn in the hospital.
Everything went so fast; a day after Hazel’s body was found, they imdiately took her back and prepared a funeral. Ashlyn had been moved to Talbar City and is currently in the Royal Hospital.
anwhile, Renna ca straight to the hospital after the funeral. She saw Ranon watching a movie with Ashlyn, but the look in his eyes couldn’t lie. His mind was elsewhere.
"Mr. Leighton," Renna called him to announce her presence, because it seed that he didn’t realize it. Ashlyn was sitting on his lap. "I am sorry for your loss..." Renna wanted to cry again, especially when she saw Ashlyn tilt her head at her.
The little girl was staring at her with the sa brown eyes that Hazel had. It almost felt as if Renna was seeing the little Hazel again.
"Stay with Ashlyn for the night," Ranon said. He put Ashlyn on the sofa, but his daughter clutched his front shirt. She refused to be with anyone but her father.
And even though she didn’t speak, she kept looking around, as if she were searching for her mother. This sight would break Laurel’s heart, since she ca to visit every day to take care of Ashlyn.
"Yes." Renna approached Ashlyn, and she coaxed her to let go of her father, but Ashlyn was stubborn; she kept shaking her head. "Mr. Leighton, why don’t you stay for a while?"
However, gently Ranon pried his daughter’s grip from his shirt and then walked out of the room without saying a word.
It was not normal because usually, Ranon wouldn’t be able to stand the sad look on his daughter. He would give her the world.
But right now, Ranon didn’t have the world to give. His world had gone. It was shattered...
Ranon walked to the room next door, where Cam was under intensive care. Just like Ashlyn, Cam was also moved to the Royal Hospital in Talbar City, and he just woke up yesterday.
However, only today was he lucid enough to have a conversation.
"Mr. Leighton..." Cam pushed himself to a sitting position on his bed when he saw Ranon there. He looked at him fearfully. He didn’t dare to look him right in the eyes. "I am sorry. I am sorry that I failed you..."
He learned about today’s funeral. Hazel was gone. And as soone responsible for bringing her to safety, he was guilt-ridden.
"Tell what happened," Ranon demanded. He didn’t acknowledge the condolence, and he didn’t want to waste ti here either.
"That..." Cam recalled everything that happened when the car went out of the barrier and plunged into the river.
Because the car was not bulletproof, the bullet pierced through the window. The car swerved, and Hazel’s side took the brunt when it hit the divider.
At that critical mont, Hazel pushed Ashlyn toward Cam; if she didn’t do it, they would have had two funerals at this mont.
"The rest is a blur... I rembered that the water filled the car instantly, and the window cracked and broke. Mrs. Leighton was sucked out. I wanted to look for her, but I couldn’t... Your daughter—I needed to save her first."
Cam did his best at a mont like that.
And after hearing all the details, Ranon left the room, but he didn’t return to Ashlyn...
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