Leon nodded slowly as Laura explained about Bob, feeling that he could at least try to put that misunderstanding behind him. But, it reassured him not to get too involved with Laura, just in case Bob still had his claws in her. He had been used to Bob’s bullying, even back in senior high school. Bob, being a wealthy kid surrounded by others who only wanted his money, always tried to pester less popular kids like Leon.
“Okay,” Leon replied softly.
Laura looked at Leon, observing his face as he glanced away. Although she still felt uneasy and guilty, she had so much more she wanted to say. She kept struggling to choose her words carefully and figure out what she wanted to convey to him first.
“Thanks for listening to my explanation,” she replied.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“Yes…” she answered, her heartbeat quickening. This time, she truly wanted to dive into the main topic that had been weighing on her heart for so long.
“Leon… I want to talk about something from the past,” she began, watching his expression closely, trying to gauge what he might be thinking.
“You have every right to hate me for what I did to you… I want to apologize for what happened,” Laura continued, her voice trembling.
Hearing those words, an urgent desire to flee welled up inside Leon. This conversation was tugging him back into a past he’d worked hard to leave behind.
“Can we not talk about that, Laura?” He asked, his discomfort evident.
“Leon!” Laura’s voice carried a note of panic as she reached out and gently grasped his hand. There was a hint of hesitation in her touch. “I understand if this makes you hate me or if you never want to speak to me again, but I need to explain,” she pleaded.
Leon pulled his hand away and fell silent for a moment. “Okay, three minutes,” he relented.
Laura took a deep breath, clearly unsure of where to begin. “My father was very sick at the time… and,” she hesitated, her words faltering. “He found out about our relationship,” her voice was shaky, her lips quivering, and her entire body seemed tense. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cm
“He didn’t want me to be with you,” she continued, her eyes filling with tears that she couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she struggled to keep her composure.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, Leon; I just need you to understand. I was so scared of losing my father, and I didn’t have the courage to tell you. I ended up following his wishes. All I wanted back then was for him to get better,” she hurriedly explained, her voice tinged with desperation.
“We moved to a different city because my father wanted a change of scenery. He said this place reminded him too much of my mother. But even after we moved, his condition didn’t improve, and eventually, he passed away,” she revealed, her voice breaking as she started to sob openly. Tears fell freely as she choked on her words.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Laura,” Leon responded, his voice calm. “I didn’t know about your father.”
Laura tried to stifle her sobs, wiping her tears away as she bit her lip in an effort to contain the emotions tearing through her.
Laura quickly continued, “That’s what happened, Leon… I’m sorry…” she said.
But this time, Leon didn’t respond, even though he wanted to tell her that he had already moved past all of it.
“I want to be your friend again, like in the past,” she went on.
Leon remained silent. Should he delve deeper into her words? Should he forgive her? He thought he didn’t care about those things anymore. Yes, he thought he had already moved on. And now, hearing her apology was something he had needed back then.
“Thank you for the apology, Laura,” he finally admitted, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself.
Laura shook her head, “I should be the one thanking you for giving me the chance to explain,” she said.
She hurriedly continued, “I deeply regret what happened. Since then, I’ve been haunted by guilt, and you…” she hesitated. “You never left my mind…” her voice quivered. “I’ve always been trying to find a way to explain this… until… I decided to come back to this city and find you,” she finally expressed the words she had held in her heart for years.
Laura felt a wave of relief wash over her now that she had let it out. “Please, let me start over…” she said.
“I want to be friends again…” she continued. “I really want that…” she paused again. “I miss our friendship from the past…”
They had been friends for quite some time, about two years during senior high school, sharing many things, and during those moments, they opened up to each other and shared their feelings.
“Let’s just let this happen naturally,” Leon finally said, turning to her.
Laura managed a small smile at his words. “Thanks…”
Leon then stood up, “That’s six minutes. You’ve taken more time than you asked for.”
Laura nodded and smiled. “I’ll repay you with another cake I’ll bake next time.”
With that, Leon jogged away, leaving Laura with a sense of hope and a weight lifted off her shoulders.
Laura remained seated on the park bench, closing her eyes and trying to calm the turbulent emotions and tense body that had overwhelmed her while she spoke. It had been an incredibly difficult thing to do, but she had finally managed to get it off her chest.
Yet, one thought continued to trouble her: what if Leon discovered that Charmelyn was actually her? Would he see it as another deception? Should she reveal the truth to him? And did she have any reason to keep it a secret? But… doubt nagged at her.
In this delicate situation, she feared that Leon might truly turn away if she hastily disclosed her in-game identity. Perhaps it would be wiser to wait until their real-world relationship
improved.
Laura realized she still hadn’t been able to move on from Leon. He still held a place deep in her heart. Yes… she was sure that she still had feelings for him. Those feelings had only grown stronger since their separation.
Should she fight for him? Did she deserve another chance after disappointing him?
One thing Laura was certain of was that she still loved Leon. She resolved to slowly rebuild his trust and, one day, confess her feelings to him again.
Laura took out her phone and scrolled through her photos. There was a picture of her and Leon, taken in this very park, sitting in the same spot she occupied now. They had posed with cheerful faces, their cheeks touching, clearly happy together. Once again, tears streamed
down her face at the memory.
“I’ll fight for you, Leon,” she whispered to herself.
Meanwhile, Leon made it back to the hotel and opened the door to his room, and the sound of laughter and conversation spilled out from the half-opened door. Who could that be? he wondered. As he stepped inside, he saw Lily sitting with another girl her age. It was her school friend, Hazel, whom Leon had gone out to eat and shop with Lily and her before.
Hazel immediately stood up, waving enthusiastically. “Hi Leon… I’ve been waiting for you.”
Lily quickly tugged Hazel back down to sit. “You promised you wouldn’t flirt with my brother, huh… remember the age difference,” she said firmly.
“Oh, Lily, I’m just saying hi. Is that so wrong?” Hazel giggled, still waving at Leon. “I wanted
to talk about Immortal Legacy with you…”
But Lily tried to pull Hazel to sit again. “Stop it, Hazel!”
“Lily, stop being so protective… You know, I’m more approachable than the other girls around your brother. I’m sure I have more charm than they do,” Hazel said, giggling.
Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at their exchange. “Good to see you too, Hazel. What’s this about Immortal Legacy?” he asked.
Lily gave him a grateful look while Hazel shot him a playful smile. “Oh, nothing too serious. I just have a few questions about the game since you’re such an expert.”
“This is the last time I’m letting you visit here,” Lily warned.
Hazel pouted but then grinned at Lily. “I’ll behave, promise.”