Mary was shaky with unshed tears, "Please, check on Anne. Don''t let her cope alone."


    The cemeteryy in the serene outskirts, dusk creeping over the horizon. Leanne sat on the grass in


    front of a tombstone, lost in the photograph of a young couple in love. Her life shed before her eyes,


    a life altered since she was six.


    She recalled the arguments of her aunt and uncle through a door, the peace pendant broken by a bully


    at the orphanage, the days she tiptoed around the Richardson family... She also recollected the smiling


    face of Mary who called her darling with her rough yet tender touch but always scolded Curtis


    whenever he picked on her...


    But Curtis appeared in her memories the most.


    His handsome features, his annoyingly endearing ways, the warmth of his embrace, and those carefree


    days in d...


    It dawned on Leanne why Chuck had said finding the killer would do her no good.


    Because it would shatter the life she now had.


    If the price was losing the person who loved her most in this world, was it worth relentlessly pursuing


    the truth, no matter the consequences?


    Leanne was suddenly lost too. Should she just stay snug within her bubble, continuing as Mrs.


    Richardson?


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Perhaps a fa?ade of peace was better than the chaos that would follow its shattering.


    The air in the suburbs was fresher than in the city. Curtis stood by the roadside, borrowing a cigarette


    from Jake.


    Jake hesitated, pulling out his cheap pack. Was it overstepping to advise Curtis against smoking?


    "Are you trying for a baby with Leanne, aren''t you?" he ventured.


    Curtis remained expressionless as he replied, "Not smoking would kill me."


    Jake quickly handed him the cigarette and lit it for him.


    The harsh tobo hit Curtis hard, the taste acrid.


    He gazed towards the distant hills, the sky transitioning from amber to a deep blue, the path to the


    cemetery almost swallowed by darkness.


    It was getting dark and she hadn''te down yet.


    Curtis stubbed out the cigarette and started walking towards her.


    1


    Leanne didn''t know how long she had been sitting there. The tombstones seemed eerie in the dim light


    the silence unnerving, yet she felt no urge to leave. Content


    belongs to NovelDrama.Org S


    It was as if she was punishing herself, making amends to her parents in this futile way.


    When Curtis found her, she was sitting motionless in front of a dark tombstone, almost meditative.


    He crouched down, gently touching her lifeless face, "Let''s go home."


    Obediently, she stood and followed him past the rows of solemn tombstones, down the steps.


    Curtis had asked the wrong question that day. It wasn''t about her choice to leave him but whether he


    deserved to have her stay.


    He wanted to ask her if he left everything about the Richardson family behind, could they be together?


    But he knew he couldn''t.


    He was raised amidst the luxury and


    privilege of the Richardson family


    His body, his talents, his capabilities, and even his character were products of his parents, of the


    Richardson upbringing.


    All was built on the deaths of Joseph and Rose.


    Their blood nourished the soil of his childhood. These were not things he could cast off.


    Back at Leanne''s Castle, after a shower, Leanney on the bed, her dark hair spread across the pillow,


    staring nkly at the curtains.


    Curtis wrapped his arms around her from behind, with the light casting a soft glow. He whispered


    against her hair, Leanne, no matter where we are, I will never stop loving you."