Chapter 167

• Richie stood in the cold, sterile hallway of the hospital, his hands trembling as he held Leah’s belongings in a small, unassuming plastic bag. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, his heart aching everything that had happened.
• He couldn’t believe how quickly his world had fallen apart. Just days ago, Leah was smiling, and now… now he was standing here, lost in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.
• He pulled out the small stack of documents from her bag, his curiosity getting the better of him. He wasn't sure what the result of the medical documents might be. Maybe it was something routine, he thought, something insignificant. But as he opened the folder, his breath caught in his throat.