Chapter 28
Reina raised her hands and walked toward Hugo resolutely. “Let Xavier go.”
“Dream on!” Hugo raised the syringe and aimed to stab it into Xavier’s neck, but he was swiftly kicked aside by one of Reina’s bodyguards.
Hugo was quickly subdued and pressed to the ground. Reina stood over him and said coldly, “You scumbag, how dare you hurt Xavier? You can expect to spend the rest of your life in prison!”
The police arrived shortly afterward and arrested Hugo.
As he was being taken away, he laughed maniacally. “I lost, but didn’t you, Reina? The man you love turned into your stepfather and can never touch you again. Isn’t it just tragic?”
“Shut up!” Reina shouted angrily.
She turned and gently helped Xavier. Nervously, she asked, “Are you okay?”
Xavier managed to stand and offered a weak but grateful smile. “I’m fine. Thank you for risking your life to save me today.”
“If you want to thank me, then go to bed early tonight and stop overworking yourself. Your dark circles are so bad.”
Reina’s expression was filled with sorrow as she sent him off to the car. “Take care,” she said, her voice somber.
“You too.” Xavier waved as he said goodbye.
For the next few days, he didn’t see Reina.
However, each time he went to teach his classes, he would catch a glimpse of a slender figure quietly trailing behind him. Every time he turned around, the figure would vanish.
He had grown used to her silently following him, and the two maintained their distance without any confrontation.
When Sarah was nine months pregnant, there was trouble at Yarrow Group’s branch office in Krulburgh. Sarah rushed there to handle the situation, but due to a local conflict, she lost contact with Xavier.
Worried, Xavier was unable to sleep through the night and called his friends for help.
Reina hurried back home, her face tense and frowning in displeasure. “Why didn’t you call me when something so serious happened to Sarah? Tell me the details. I’ll take people to find her!”
Xavier explained the situation and warned her, “The area is war–torn and dangerous. Please be careful. Come back safe!”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine,” Reina said, gazing at him with deep affection and determination. “I will bring her back even if it costs me my life!”
As she reached the door, she turned back. “Xavier, can you promise me one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Sing
me a lullaby to help me sleep,” Reina said cautiously. “It’s just a small request. Please agree.”
“We’ll talk about this when you come back,” Xavier replied vaguely.
Reina left, and there was no word from her after that. Even after the New Year passed, she and Sarah hadn’t returned. Xavier became frantic and sought information about their whereabouts.
One day, the maid rushed into his room and said urgently, “Mr. Caldwell, Mrs. Caldwell is back!”
Ecstatic, Xavier rushed downstairs. He saw Sarah standing in the living room with a baby in her arms. There was no one behind her.
His heart sank as he asked, “Where’s Reina?”
Sarah turned to look at the black coffin being carried into the room. Her expression was heavy with sorrow. “Reina was shot by a stray bullet while protecting me and the baby, Before she died, she kept calling your name. She said she had one last wish and asked that you fulfill it.”
Tears welled up in Xavier’s eyes as he sank to his knees in front of the coffin.
Inside, Reina was lying motionless with her eyes wide open.
As he looked into her eyes, he felt as though he could see the pale–faced young woman huddled in a corner. Her voice was filled with sorrow as she said, Xavier, I can’t sleep.”
Do you want me to sing for you, Reina? I wrote this fullaby myself. It works wonders for putting dogs to sleep.”
“Xavier, do you have a death wish? How dare you compare ine to a dog?”
“Don’t be mad. It’s really good.” Xavier softly hummed, and gradually, the young woman’s furrowed brow relaxed
Her voice sounded groggy as she asked, “Xavier, you’ll never leave me, will you?”
“Never.”
Reina had brought color to his dull, lonely years, but she had also brought him to the depths of despair,
She had been so forceful in claiming all his love, yet so fragile. In the end, she had been sealed in this small coffin.
Xavier placed his hand over her eyes and softly began to sing. His voice choked with emotion. “Reina, I’ve fulfilled your wish. Sleep peacefully now. Goodbye.”
Perhaps in the next life, when they crossed paths again, she would still be the cheerful woman, smiling at Xavier and saying, “It’s been a long time, Xavier.”
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