Laurel P.O.V.
The hospital corridor was unusually quiet.
Racheal was finally asleep.
Marco refused to leave her bedside, his entire attention fixed on his wife and their newborn child.
For the first time all day,there was nothing left for me to do.
I let out a tired sigh and wandered toward the reception area, intending to sit down for a few minutes before heading home.
My entire body ached.
My feet hurt.
My head was pounding.
Today had felt like an entire lifetime squeezed into a single afternoon.
I lowered myself toward one of the chairs.
Then, "...Breaking News"
The television mounted high on the reception wall interrupted every conversation in the room.
Almost everyone looked up.
I looked too.
And the moment his face appeared on the screen,my heart stopped.
I shot to my feet.
"...Richardo..."
The newscaster spoke with a serious expression.
> "Authorities have announced a major breakthrough in the investigation involving alleged crime boss Richardo Alterdo"
The television switched to footage of detectives walking into a courthouse carrying stacks of files.
> "Officials confirmed that every major piece of evidence previously used to prosecute Richardo was fabricated"
Another clip appeared.
Boxes of documents.
Photographs.
Computer hard drives.
Corrupt officers being escorted away in handcuffs.
> "Investigators discovered an organized conspiracy involving falsified witness statements, manipulated surveillance footage, and forged forensic reports"
I couldn't breathe.
The reporter continued.
> "The investigation has now identified Alpha as the individual responsible for orchestrating the crimes while deliberately framing Richardo."
People throughout the reception gasped.
A woman beside me covered her mouth.
The television continued.
> "Following today's ruling, the court has declared Richardo Alterdo legally innocent of the charges brought against him"
My vision blurred.
The next sentence echoed through my entire body.
> "Richardo Alterdo is expected to be released from prison today"
Today???
Today...
He was coming home.
A smile spread across my face before I even realized I was smiling.
He was alive.
He was free.
He wasn't held as a murderer anymore.
He was coming back.
Without another thought, I spun around.
"I'm leaving!"
Marco looked up from Racheal's room.
"Laurel?"
"I'll explain later!"
I was already running.
The driver looked startled when I practically threw open the car door.
"Miss Laurel?"
"Prison"
He blinked. "...Excuse me?"
"The prison"
"Right now?"
"Drive!"
He had never accelerated so quickly in his life.
One hour.
Sixty minutes.
Three thousand six hundred seconds.
It felt like forever.
Every red traffic light became my enemy.
Every slow driver became a criminal.
Every minute stretched endlessly.
I kept checking the time again and again and again.
The driver glanced at me through the mirror.
"We'll be there soon"
"Soon isn't soon enough"
"We're trying, Miss"
I pressed my forehead against the window.
Richardo,please don't leave before I get there.
Finally,the prison gates appeared.
My heartbeat became deafening.
The driver had barely stopped before I threw the door open.
"Miss..."
I was already running.
The massive steel gates slowly creaked open,several reporters stood nearby,security officers moved aside.
Then i saw Richardo.
He walked through the gates wearing simple dark clothes instead of a prison uniform.
The bruises on his face had begun to heal,his posture remained straight,his expression calm.Even after everything,he still carried himself like the man the world feared.For a second,the entire world disappeared.
No reporters.
No guards.
No cameras.
Only him.
He lifted his eyes.
Our gazes met.
Surprise flashed across his face.
"Laurel...?"
I didn't think.
I ran faster than I ever had.
Before he could say another word,i threw my arms around him,holding him so tightly I was afraid he'd disappear if I let go.
He froze completely. "Laurel..."
I buried my face against his chest. "I missed you..."
The words escaped before I could stop them. "I missed you so much..."
For several seconds,he simply stood there,then his arms wrapped around me gently and protective.
"I came back" His voice was quiet. "I told you I would"
I closed my eyes.For the first time in days,i finally felt like I could breathe again.
"Laurel?" The familiar voice made me stiffen,i slowly turned around,standing a few feet away.
Wearing plain prison clothes beneath an oversized jacket was Sally.For a heartbeat,i couldn't believe my own eyes.
"...Sally?"
Tears instantly filled hers.
"Laurel..."
I ran again.
This time toward my best friend.
The moment we reached each other,we collapsed into a crushing embrace,she sobbed into my shoulder.
I sobbed into hers.
Neither of us cared who was watching.
"I thought I'd lost you" I cried.
"I thought I'd never see you again"
"So did I..."
Sally whispered through tears. "I kept thinking..."
"...that nobody was coming"
I held her tighter. "I'm here"
"We're finally out..."
"I know"
"I'm really here..."
"I know..."
We stayed like that for what felt like forever.
Two broken girls trying to convince themselves that this reunion was real.
Eventually,i noticed something.
I pulled away slightly. "...Wait"
I looked around. "Where's Scarlett?"
Sally's smile disappeared.
The color drained from her face.
Silence swallowed the moment.
"...Sally?"
Her lips trembled. "Laurel..."
No.
No.
No.
"Where's Scarlett?"
Sally lowered her eyes.
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
"She..." Her voice broke.
"...She didn't make it"
My heart stopped.
"...What?"
"There was violence inside the prison..."
She struggled to continue.
"Scarlett was attacked by other inmates"
She couldn't finish.
I understood enough.
The world tilted beneath my feet.
"No..."
My knees weakened.
"No..."
Sally cried harder.
"I tried to help her..."
"I couldn't..."
"There were too many..."
I covered my mouth.
The tears came without warning.
Scarlett, the girl who laughed too loudly.
The girl who always found hope.
The girl who believed we'd all leave together.
She never did.
I looked toward the sky, but the tears refused to stop.
The reunion I had dreamed about would never be complete,because one embrace,one laugh,one precious life had been stolen forever.