Lahat ng Kabanata ng TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

Andre’s POVCartonica was indeed one of the most beautiful places to exist, and we had not even walked for that long. The soft crunch of leaves and twigs beneath our feet provided a soothing accompaniment to our chatter-less walk, filling the air with a gentle rhythm. In the distance, my eyes spied high-rise buildings radiating the rays of the evening sun and imbuing the rest of the surrounding buildings with their warm glow, which illuminated the vibrant hues of the city. “I’m glad we came out here,” Sally said from beside me. Her voice had an otherworldly tinge to it. It was as though she was far away, even when she was right beside me. “I never knew such a beautiful place existed.” She took a deep breath in, and from the corner of my eyes, I could see the tension in her shoulder. “So peaceful.”At a loss for words, I could only nod in agreement. Although, for a moment, I had been distracted by the peaceful facade that we walked around through and the air, which scented like a co

Lana’s POV“Is there a problem?”Of course there was none; I hoped there would be none. But my heart would not stop beating, and my imagination would not stop conjuring unlimited thoughts, all of which were worse than the former. “I used to sit with her here.” He continued in that lilting tone. I was sure that if I looked into his eyes in that instant, I would catch the memories as they unfurled in his vision. “We would sit here for hours just watching the stars. During that time, I used to feel content. Happy even... I wanted her to be happy; she worked a lot for me, and I would have done anything to pay her back.”Including giving her my life. I thought wryly, though I did not voice out the thought. I glanced instead at the twinkling stars and tried to imagine him with Kathy, sitting on this cold but oddly comfortable bench, stargazing. Was this how they were? I thought. The same way he and I were now, only that they were no strangers to each other. They had both been familiar w

Lana’s POVThe diner was only several kilometres from the cemetery, and by the time we arrived, it was almost dusk. Still, I made sure to send Fred updates by the minutes just to ensure that he did not forget to join us once he was done and lost his way. Although the place seemed to have stood for a long time, it appeared to have undergone recent reconstruction—I had no idea how it had looked before—and this made it appear quite appealing to the eyes. Cameron held my hand as we trudged into the place, and for the first time since our day began, my stomach rumbled. I had not even realised I was that hungry. The smell of coffee, spices, tangy vinegar wafting off fresh coleslaw, and melted butter wafted through the air and into our noses as soon as we stepped through the thingy curtains, and a hard-looking waitress in a brown and white uniform met us at the door, featuring us towards one of the boots nestled against the newly painted walls and large windows.From here, we had a view

Lana’s POV I woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of calm, happiness, and all-round happiness. The sky above was clear, reflecting my mood, and the day looked promising. Sally and I spent the first half of the morning preparing our plans for the day: the places we were going to visit, the shops we would patronise, and the provisions we would get. In all, the day promised to be quite eventful and filled with fun activities. It was going to be our last day in Cartonica before we once again returned to our realities—the harshness of it—and it was only right that we spent the day doing something fun. As for the men, they would spend the day while we were away preparing for our return (I had no idea of the things they might have already planned out, but I was sure it was going to be something naughty and childish). Once we returned from our trip to all the beautiful places in Cartonica, we should visit the beach as a group, and after that, we would meet Cameron’s family for one

Lana’s POVThe news hit me like a freight train.“Your child has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.”Suddenly, I felt like the floor had been pulled from beneath my feet. My leg wobbled, my vision spun, and my throat felt like someone was squeezing too tight. I could not breathe, and the tears in my eyes would not let me see anything. “What?” It was me who spoke, but I could not recognise the voice as mine. “What?”I was on the ground when I came, and Cameron was gripping my arm, saying words that I could neither hear nor understand. The doctor was speaking too, but nothing registered. All I could hear was the continuous ringing in my ears and the echo of the doctor's words. Lymphoblastic leukaemia...Your child was diagnosed... Lymphoblastic leukaemia.My eyes stayed on my daughter, where she lay on the bed, small, frail, almost lifeless, her breathing shallow. It has barely been a day since she fell ill, but she already looked so gone. “What… what can we do?” I hea