CHAPTER 247: THE FUNERAL

"Ranon, please... I need someone to talk to," Ema pleaded, and then there was a soft thud sound; Ranon assumed Ema was sitting on the floor, leaning against his door. "Ranon, please."

Ranon did nothing. He imagined that he was home with his wife and daughter. He thought that he should have taken a trip home so that he could attend the funeral with Hazel the next morning instead.

"Ranon... Why are you being so cold with me?" Ema asked in a pitiful tone. She pulled her legs up and hugged herself, resting her head on her knees. "I wish I could turn back time, and I would choose differently. I didn’t want him, Ranon. Call me evil, but I regretted my decision the day I was with your father for the first time. The guilt ate me alive. I am sorry that I hurt you. I truly am."

Ranon closed his eyes, but you could see how his brows furrowed. If Ema were a man and were not his father’s widow, he would have kicked her out a long time ago, since she disrupted his peace.

"Ranon, I’ve learned my mistake. I really have. I still love you; I have never stopped loving you, please understand..."

Ema must be crazy to confess her undying love to someone else when her dead husband had not yet been buried. From downstairs, there were the sounds of activity, as all the servants were preparing for the funeral the next day.

"Ranon, I am sorry. I am truly sorry." Ema cried. She hugged herself even tighter. "I know that you must be disgusted by me, but please, if there is any shred of love that you still have for me, please, open the door. I need someone to talk to. I can’t face it alone."

Ranon didn’t understand what Ema wanted, nor did he care to try to understand that.

And when Ema started reminiscing about the past, Ranon had had enough. He got out of bed and went to the balcony, where he proceeded to get out of his bedroom. His room was on the second floor, but he jumped from there like it was nothing.

As he landed on the ground, he entered the house again and went to Daniel’s bedroom. Because of how busy today was, he didn’t have a chance to talk to his brother alone. He was sure he was still awake.

Ranon knocked on the door, and Daniel opened it with a smile. He looked haggard and thinner than the last time he saw him. Sitting in his wheelchair, Ranon remembered what Hazel said about what she witnessed and Eilon’s drawing. She let him know about it before she left.

"I know you will come," Daniel said with a smile, and then pushed his wheelchair away from the door so Ranon could enter.

"Did you sleep?"

"I don’t think anyone can sleep tonight. Of course, Eilon is another matter. The boy fell asleep hours ago." Daniel went to his minibar and asked Ranon if he wanted something to drink, but Ranon refused, so he took two cans of soda for both of them.

"How are you feeling?" Ranon sat down on the sofa, while Daniel moved his wheelchair close to him.

"I am fine. The death is very unexpected, but Dad had been in a bad condition lately, so I think I had prepared myself a long time ago," Daniel replied.

Among all the siblings, he was the closest to Denzel, since Denzel raised Daniel to be his successor. Unfortunately, after the car crash, Denzel had to change the whole plan, and Daniel had to be put in the back.

"I saw Ema in front of your door," Daniel said and gave him an apologetic look. "She is still trying to pull that shit again."

"Let’s talk about something else." Ranon came here because he didn’t want to hear about Ema; thus, a topic about her was not really interesting for him.

"Okay." Daniel nodded in understanding. "How is your life with Hazel? Everything is good?"

"Yes." Ranon nodded. He then looked at Daniel. "How is your treatment? Any improvement?"

Daniel chuckled. "What improvement should I expect? It has been years. I think I’ve accepted my fate."

He was lying.

Ranon couldn’t tell how he knew that, and probably it was because of what Hazel had seen, but he believed Daniel was lying.

"Do you want to try a different therapy?"

"Nah. I am thinking of stopping the current one. I am fine like this. I think I can accept it."

And then they talked about trivial matters. They didn’t talk about their father, since it was not a pleasant topic, and it was very difficult to think of him in a bright light for Ranon. Daniel understood that.

***

Hazel was woken up when her phone was ringing. It was Ranon, and when she looked at the clock, it was four o’clock in the morning.

"Yes?" Hazel’s voice sounded sleepy. She rubbed her eyes, thinking there was something important Ranon would tell her, since he wouldn’t wake her up for a worthless thing.

However, she heard a woman moan from the other end, which made Hazel furrow her brows. She could recognize her voice the second she said Ranon’s name.

This crazy bitch.

Hazel thought Ema was messing with her again, but why was Ranon’s phone with her? Did he leave his phone recklessly again?

She put away the moaning sound that came from her phone and then reached for her other phone to call Alfred. He was the head of the servants in the Leighton family’s house.

"I am sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I can’t find Ranon. Can you please give the phone to him?"

"Sure, Mrs. Leighton. I just saw him go to Daniel’s bedroom."

Hazel smirked when she heard that. Not long after, she heard Ranon’s voice from the other end. "Where did you leave your phone?"

"Hm?" Ranon was confused by this weird question. "In my room. I am with Daniel now."

"I want you to hear something interesting." Hazel then put the two phones close to each other, so Ranon could hear Ema moan, as if she was having it with him. "Interesting, isn’t it?"

"I will call you back." And Ranon hung up the phone. From the sound of it, Ema would have a difficult time explaining herself.

Meanwhile, Ranon instructed Alfred to go to his bedroom and take his phone. "You don’t need to knock; just come inside, say nothing, and get my phone."

Alfred was confused with the instruction, but he did what he was told. Only when he was inside did he know what Ranon meant.

He heard Ema’s moan against the phone. She still believed that Hazel was listening to her, and she imagined that Hazel was likely crying in silence as she said nothing. But when a hand stretched out over her shoulder, Ema freaked out to see Alfred was behind her.

The old butler looked at her with a disapproving look, which made her embarrassed, but he said nothing. He took the phone from Ema’s hand and then left the room.

On the other hand, Ranon saw the phone number that Hazel used to call him. He memorized it.

***

The burial ground was wet because it had been raining since morning, and the funeral had ended an hour ago. Still, the family members lingered a little while longer.

After the stunt that Ema pulled last night, she didn’t even dare to look Hazel in the eyes or be near her. The new widow avoided her like a plague, and Hazel was more than happy for that.

The hearing of Denzel’s will would be held in a week. The family lawyer had told them to come. All of the siblings should be there, including Ranon’s sister, who had been missing for the entire funeral and had stayed away from the family for years.

This sister didn’t even show up at Hazel and Ranon’s wedding, nor did she come for her father’s funeral. Hazel knew little about her and did not think to learn more, since she was irrelevant to her.

Hazel’s father and her two brothers came to the funeral, and so did Rafael and Arlo. However, they did not interact much because there were hundreds of people wanting to express their condolences.

"How was your night?" Hazel asked as they walked toward their car. The driver opened the car door for her and Ranon.

"I missed you and Ashlyn." Ranon kissed her cheeks, and both of them went back to their home.

Ashlyn was playing with Peni when they arrived, and she immediately crawled toward them with her big smile, showing her teeth.

Ranon grinned and picked up his daughter. He told Peni that she could leave, since he would spend the rest of the day with his daughter.

Hazel didn’t say anything. She changed her clothes and cleaned herself up before she prepared dinner for them.

Meanwhile, Ranon called someone to check the phone number for him. This was the phone number that Hazel used to call Alfred the night before.

A few minutes later, the man got back to Ranon while he was entertaining Ashlyn with her new toy.

"This is the phone number that River used. I have sent you an email about the chat and the call logs from this number."

And after that, Ranon checked his laptop, sitting Ashlyn on his lap as he perused the email that his man sent to him.

The date indicated that River was still using the phone number around a month prior to the discovery of her dead body.