Fred is looking at the dead body of Lucas with their only barrier being a sheet. He guesses that Ashly is trying to make him feel guilty about Lucas's death. Their promise was that she couldn't hurt them, but this is different.
What is he experiencing now? His heart is raising, is this the pain she wants him to feel? Did she think this is a loophole as she herself isn't directly causing him this issue. If so then how smart is this girl, what is she planning for the future? Maybe he messed up as she had definitely thought of this, but when was there enough time to think of this plan?
Fred then turns to Ashly who is looking at him as if nothing had happened. She doesn't seem to have a thought in her mind, but when she noticed him looking, she gives him a warm smile.
"I can understand how hard it is to see your dead son, but you have to confront it. Confront that reality is hard even for myself to see his dead body. I want Lucas to at least meet his father as I hope that it brings him peace in the end." Ashly says as she looks at Lucas's body, she isn't feeling well.
"I'll be here for you when you cry, and I'll comfort you." Ashly then looks at the doctor. "I was very close to him when we were young, but when I heard of his passing. I've come to accept his death, but I just want closure and to see him for the last time." Ashly says.
The doctor then smiles. "I'm glad that you accept his death, and that you're kind enough to help out this poor saddened father. Just say the words, and I'll leave you alone. I hope that you two leave feeling better." The doctor says.
"Yeah I'm fine." Fred says as the doctor then removes the sheet revealing Lucas dead body. He looks so peaceful and Ashly couldn't help, but thinks he finally saw him again one more time even if he is dead.
Fred looks at Lucas's body, and he begins to take shallow and quick breaths. His own eyes are starting to irritate. "I'll like to be left with my niece alone as I let out my emotions here." Fred says as he is feeling much worse now.
The doctor nods and be begins to walk away. "When you two are done just come through this door like I did." The doctor says as he closes the door behind him. Fred can't help, but stare at Lucas's body.
The way Lucas looks scares Fred, he hasn't felt this way in a long time. He hadn't noticed for many years, but his two sons look pretty similar to each other as he can imagine Luke here.
"So when you saw Luke did you plan this as they both looked similar? How far are you willing to go to get revenge?" Fred asks as he turns to Ashly.
"Even if I did do it, what will you do about?" Ashly says in a harsh tone, but she is tearing up again. Her tears are falling down her cheek in silence, but she looks at Fred and takes a deep breath.
"Now that you saw his dead body, do you still feel no remorse as I feel sorry for him. I should of been a better friend to Lucas, but I wasn't. I don't deserve happiness, but I can at least make things right for Lucas." Ashly says as she looks at Lucas's body.
Fred is scared of Ashly as she isn't normal. "Seeing him now makes me feel sad, very bad but sad as well. I just can't look at him anymore, my heart feels heavy, and it's going to break soon." Fred says as he stares at Ashly with anxiety.
Ashly wipes off her tears. "I'm not a person of righteousness or anything near that word. All I want is revenge for Lucas, the anger and pain he felt all of it. Every trouble he had because he wanted to see you two when he was rejected. All his troubles, and it's only fair that one of you two bare that pain." Ashly says with anger.
Fred then turns back to Lucas's body, and he begins to tear up. Why is this happening now? After many years Lucas returned to them, is this some form of curse? Is this his persecution from the world as if it's telling him that he can't run away anymore?
Fred kneels down. "I'm sorry for saying all of that, I'm stupid, and I shouldn't have been his father." Ashly watches him, cry but she still isn't satisfied at all. It doesn't matter what she feels as it's about Lucas, and him getting her justice.
"I shouldn't have left you behind, and that I was just in a tough situation." Fred said. "Please forgive me as I never hated you, I did really love you before my financial crisis." Fred is inches from Lucas body as if he is speaking to Lucas.
"If you loved him then you would of brought him with you two. Even if you didn't you should still feel sorry for abandoning him you bastard." Ashly says as she approaches Fred.
"If you loved him even if you got used to it, you should of felt sorry when I talked to him earlier." Ashly says as she keeps her hands to herself, she wants to strangle him. "You didn't do the latter as you never loved him, I want you to realize that you never cared for him in the first place."
"Is this what you want me to do? To realize I didn't care for him?" Fred then stands up, and looks away from the body. "I get it, I'm a terrible person, but I have a new son to raise."
"I want to leave already as I want to forget-No! I'll remember this day forever if you want me to." Ashly then smiles. "Is there anything I can do to leave this place now". Fred is crying.
"There is one thing I want from you, but you have to calm down first. This won't involve your family in any way from now on. All I want is to have Lucas's body be brought somewhere as I have the money for it. I just need the permission of a parent for this so this is your only option for you to leave now." Ashly says as she looks away from Lucas and Fred.
"Yeah sure whatever you say." Fred says and Ashly smiles. "Now we would never see each other again." Ashly looks back at Lucas as she will bring him to somewhere he would be happy to be in.
"I need you to do some paper work while I pay for all the expenses. That's all I want from you, and before you get suspicious I don't have anything else that could hurt you. It's not enough to be consider a payback, but it's the least I could of done." Ashly says as she lifts Fred up to his feet.
"We won't see each other after this is done, and you won't suffer anymore except for the guilt that you would have for weeks, but I would like it to be month as it's more appropriate." Ashly says.
"Alright I'll do it, and I won't speak with my wife or son about this." Fred said and Ashly nods agreeing. "We should leave now as I don't want to spend more time here specially with you."
Ashly looks ahead. "I'm glad Lucas would at least he happy where his body is going to be buried. When you're ready you can step outside as I'll be waiting for you." Ashly then leaves the room waiting for him to follow her.
Ashly doesn't know if he is going to leave or wait, but at least he did cry which she is glad. And after a while Fred steps outside and he then looks at Ashly, but he continues to walk forwards. Ashly smiles and she follows behind him, and they both step outside but he doesn't want to look at Ashly.
"You should take care of your family." Ashly says but Fred ignores her, and Ashly watches as Fred walks away to his family. Ashly can see how Jane looked worried, and when she looked at Ashly, Ashly turns around and leaves.
Ashly needs to leave now, and meet up with him again. She returns to where she first was staying at for a day or two. Ashly enters the place, and she begins to pack up her things, she looks at the amount of money she had left. It's significantly lesser than before so she might have a few months or less now for an easy life.
If she was smart she could stretch the money for a much wider time period. Ashly stretches and leaves closing the door behind her, she pays for her stay, and walks to the entrance of the district. She can see Edwin. "I'll get you outside in a minute without problem."
After after a bit of hassling Ashly is finally brought outside, and she is on Lucas's horse. Ashly begins to ride away. "I'll make some things clear for those two." Ashly says as she holds onto the horse.
"I'll take care of you as you're Lucas's property, and he would of loved to see me care for you." Ashly says, and she looks back and then forwards. "I won't live inside a district or anywhere nice for quite some time."
"I don't deserve one, and instead I'll live outside for a bit." Ashly says as she still remembers how she lived outside for a while. She will live outside for a while until her head is all cleared up.
——-
After a few weeks Ashly made it to Iriage, and she enters the place easily. Well she did have help which cost her a lot if she wants to return, but she won't. This will be the last time she would ever step inside this district, she will do her business and then leave.
Ashly walks to a specific place, and she knocks ont he front door. In the letters of Lucas, they had an adress on it which he would show her every time he finished. She then hears the door open, and she assumes they are the people who raised Lucas before he left.
"Who are you miss?" The foster mother asked, and Ashly then hands her the frame of Lucas when he was a kid.
"I cut off the unnecessary parts of the photo, and I only left Lucas with it. It's hard for me to say this, but Lucas died and I assume that you suspencted it as he didn't send you letters for a while." Ashly says as she looks away feeling bad for her.
The foster mother looks at Ashly, and she takes the photo looking worried. "I've always knew if he left he would one day die, but not this soon. Lucas was a good kid, and he couldn't survive outside. We had arguments, but I loved him." She said.
Ashly is a bit taken a back with how the foster mother doesn't look sad. "I can tell by your expression, and I understand why you're feeling that way." She says, and then she began to tear up. "I won't feel the same way anymore, and my husband would cry if he heard the news."
"It's alright as unlike some people who I meet, you're acting like a parent, and I'm glad that you are." Ashly says as she smiles. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect Lucas as in the end he protected me. If only I was stronger he wouldn't have died, if only."
The Forster mom puts her hand on Ashly's shoulder. "At first I was scared for him, and I almost cursed at him for leaving us. As time passed on, and with how many letters we received I learned. Lucas had his own life, and I'm not mad when you first made him cry when he was leaving all those months ago." She says.
"I'm sorry for that, and I made sure to pay a lot of money to have his body be brought here. This might not forgive everything I have done, but I feel awful and I want to at lest know Lucas has a send off. Soon enough he will arrive, and you two can bury him wherever you think is best for him." Ashly says.
"Thank you." The Forster mother says as she closes the door, and Ashly waits for a moment. After a bit she can hear two people crying together, and Ashly then decides to leave. Ashly walks pass a few people, and she then sits down on a bench. She decided that she will sleep outside.
Ashly sits there, and she wouldn't sleep inside a building until Lucas is buried. Ashly then takes a guess as to where he would be buried, she is wearing Lucas's coat which is warm. She was thinking of returning it, but Lucas gave it to her to stay warm in the cold.
Ashly then hugs herself. "I don't want to know, and maybe I should just turn myself in." Ashly did everything to finish Lucas's part, and now she has no excuse. She thinks about it for a while. If she turns herself in she would face the consequences of her actions, but if she doesn't. Ashly could try to change, but would it be right for her to do that?
She would be escaping all of her consequences that she started, and that's to easy for her to let off. Would she really want that after Lucas's death? Ashly then sighs, and looks ahead. She is a selfish person who never deserved a second chance.