Chapter 8: I regret this day!
645 Words
The steam from Leah’s coffee curled into the quiet afternoon air, the only sound in the room being the soft turn of a page. For a brief moment, the weight of the past felt light. Alex was in London, the house was peaceful, and the ghosts were at bay.
Then, the doorbell rang.
Leah frowned. Alex wasn't due back for five days. She set her book aside, a small knot of unease tightening in her chest. When she opened the door, the sunlight hit the face of a man she hadn't seen in years, yet saw every time she closed her eyes.
“Missed me?”
The color drained from Leah’s face. The hallway seemed to tilt. ”Br…. Bri.. Brian?”
“So your memory is fresh! I chose to take that as a compliment,” he said, his voice carrying that same familiar, cocky undertone from their school days. He looked older, sharper, but the eyes were unmistakable.
“How… how did you find me?”
“Leah, we used to build forts in the woods behind our houses,” Brian said, stepping forward without being invited. “I’ve always known how to find you. Now, be a lamb and let me in. It’s starting to cloud over, and we both know how much you hate the rain.”
The reference to the rain—and the accident it caused—compelled her to step back. Brian entered, the click of the door closing behind him sounding like a gavel.
As they stood in the living room, Leah instinctively moved behind the armchair, creating a barrier between them. Brian didn't seem to notice; he was busy scanning the room, his eyes lingering on a framed photo of Leah and Alex.
“You surely have developed some steel nerves,” Brian smirked, his gaze returning to her. “To be living like this... in a house this nice... might I say... guilt-free?”
“I am never guilt-free, Brian,” Leah whispered, her voice trembling. “Not for a single second.”
Brian’s expression softened for a fleeting moment, a shadow of the boy who used to play tag with her and her brother, Dan. They had been inseparable—Leah, Dan, Brian, and his little sister, Merina. They were supposed to grow up together, not fall apart in a wreckage of glass and metal.
“We were neighbors, Leah,” Brian said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. “Our families had dinner every Sunday. My sister looked up to you. And then you took the wheel. You took Dan, you took Merina... you took everyone.”
“It was an accident,” she choked out.
“An accident is a spilled glass of water,” Brian snapped, his composure cracking. “What you did was negligence. And while you were out here building this perfect life with Alex, I was the one who had to identify the bodies. I was the one who found the dashcam footage the police missed.”
He walked toward her, stopping just inches from the armchair. He didn't reach for her; he didn't have to. The secret was a stronger grip than any hand.
“I didn't come here for an apology, Leah. It’s too late for that. I came because Alex is a rising star in the corporate world, isn’t he? Very concerned with ‘ethics’ and ‘transparency.’” Brian leaned in, his eyes cold. “I wonder what he’d think if he knew his so called "Girlfriend" was a fugitive from her own conscience. Or that he’s technically an accomplice for providing the money you used to ‘settle’ things quietly back then.”
Leah felt a wave of nausea. “He doesn’t know anything about the footage. Leave him out of this.”
- Writer
