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Chapter 189
Chapter 189
Chapter 189
Chapter 189
Seraphina didn’t linger in Leandro’s arms for long
The pain from the past suddenly resurfaced, and she could no longer run from it. She had to face it.
She had always been good at controlling her emotions.
She quickly pulled herself away from Leandro’s embrace, took a seat, and just stared at the big screen, letting the tears silently roll down her cheeks.
When Leandro reached out to her again, Seraphina calmly dodged him.
Leandro’s suit and shirt were still damp. It had only been a few hours, and because of Betty, she had lost control and cried twice.
But he knew it wasn’t enough.
The pain of loss couldn’t be released by crying twice.
After many photos and a few videos of Betty played on the big screen, Leandro hit the pause button.
Initially engrossed in the screen, Seraphina suddenly stopped and turned to look at Leandro.
Her eyes were full of undropped tears, filled with confusion and anticipation.
There was still hope, and that was good.
Leandro knew he couldn’t let the slideshow play to the end. If it did, it would mean Betty’s short life had ended.
As long as it didn’t finish, it meant they were still reminiscing, giving the illusion of hope, as if Betty was still alive.
Even if it was self–deception, sometimes an illusion of hope was important.
“Let’s watch it next time,” Leandro said slowly.
The image on the screen paused on a photo of Betty eating, her face smeared with food because she hadn’t quite mastered using utensils.
Seraphina curled up in her chair, staring at the big screen. It took her a while to murmur, “I want to sit alone for a bit.”
Leandro’s gaze was cloudy yet distant. “Alright”
He stood up but stayed put, only turning to leave once Seraphina looked at him.
Looking at his retreating figure, Seraphina chuckled.
Was this Leandro?
She had never seen this side of him before–not seven years ago, not now
A man who always did things his own way just said “alright to her?
Her gaze returned to the screen when suddenly she heard Keen’s exclamation from outside, “Mr. Reynolds!”
The door to the multimedia room closed, muffling any further sound.
Seraphina stayed put
She stared at Betty’s face on the screen as if she were back in the past, back when she and Betty lived together.
She sat in the dark room, silently recalling those buried memories as if time had stopped.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the multimedia room opened again, and someone slowly walked over and sat where Leandro had been.
Turning her head, Seraphina saw Conway.
Without looking at Seraphina, he just stared at the face on the screen. After a while, he sighed lightly and said, “So this is Betty, such a beautiful little girl.”
Seraphina didn’t respond, but the tears fell uncontrollably once more.
Conway finally turned to look at her, reaching out to gently wipe away her tears.
Quickly, Seraphina covered her eyes with her arm, trying to hold back the tears.
Seeing her like this, Conway didn’t push any further. He looked back at the screen for a while before saying, “Modern technology is really great, able to preserve so many photos and videos, capturing those fun moments.”
“What’s so great about it?” Seraphina’s voice was a little hoarse as she responded quietly
“Why not?” Conway glanced at her and said, “Back in our day, all we had were a few black and white photos, low quality and hard to preserve. Like your grandmother, she only left a dozen photos, and two of them were damaged. Sometimes when I look at those photos, I don’t quite remember how she used to be, always smiling and playful. But now, it’s so much better Videos capture expressions and voices. When you look at them, it’s as if they’re right in front of you*
“But she’s still gone, Seraphina said, looking away
“But you had her once, Conway said softly. “Why focus on the pain of loss? Think about the joy you had when you were with her. Those are the things you should remember!”
Seraphina hugged her legs, not responding
“Everyone loses something in life. Like me, I’ve lived for so long and lost lovers, relatives, and friends one by one. There are regrets, but once you accept them, the memories are always beautiful. Life is long, you’ll meet many people, experience many things, and probably lose them one by one. But before you lose them, you truly had them. Those beautiful moments belong to you and to her. They shouldn’t be regrets, but beautiful memories.”
Seraphina listened silently, burying her face in her knees.
“Betty must be watching you from somewhere, Conway said “She would want to see her mom smiling, right? Only when you smile will she smile!”
With her head lowered, Seraphina eventually broke into sohs.
After a while, she calmed down and left the multimedia room with Conway
Stepping out, she realized it was already dark. She had spent the entire afternoon in there
Seraphina’s bag was still in Leandro’s office, so she headed to the 26th floor first.
When she entered Leandro’s office, she realized why Conway was at the Reynolds Group:
The office was filled with doctors and nurses, and Keen and Yasmina were both looking worried. The door to the restroom was ajar, indicating that Leandro was inside.
Seraphina didn’t ask, and Conway didn’t seem to want to share either. He just said, “You must be tired from the day. Go home and rest early. I’ll have someone take you”
“What about you?” Seraphina asked
Conway glanced towards the lounge, let out a sigh, and said, “I’ll stick around here for a bit.”
Seraphina stayed quiet for a moment, then finally asked, “What’s the matter with him?”
Conway gave her a glance and simply said, “He’s got a fever, and he’s on a drip. He should be fine once he’s done with it.”
Keen, standing nearby, couldn’t help but interject when he heard Conway’s nonchalant reply, “Mr. Reynolds has been sick for three or four days now, without proper care or rest. He just collapsed after leaving the recording studio with a fever of 40 degrees, showing signs of developing pneumonia, and he’s still not awake yet.”
Seraphina cast a glance at him but didn’t say a word
Conway didn’t look too pleased either; he shot him a look as if he was talking too much, then said to Seraphina, “He’s alright, pretty robust. Shouldn’t be a big deal. You should head home and rest.”
Keen looked a bit aggrieved, then Yasmina gently tugged at his sleeve and quietly asked, “What’s going on? They’re about to get married; why the discord? Why doesn’t Conway want them to make up?”
Feeling uneasy and as if he’d done something wrong under the scrutiny of the two, Keen responded with some annoyance, “How should I know?”
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