Chapter 175 Gray Hair

Frank's sobs shattered the afternoon silence like a window breaking, releasing the hidden cries from behind the display case.

In an instant, the sound echoed around, and everyone heard it clearly.

A few months ago, when I went to the hospital to see Tammy, I saw Frank there. 

He looked deathly weak, slumped in a wheelchair on the hospital's glass corridor balcony, neither too close nor too far from the sunlight.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind: If this cunning, extremely dangerous man, who turned love and sin into hatred, ever faced failure and decided to end his life, how would he choose to do it?

This was a man who would never bow his head in defeat, nor beg for mercy. He lived on sheer willpower, which carried him through endless dark nights and the brink of pain, forging every fragile part of him into armor, making him invincible.

There was only one possibility: he would choose to end his own life.

Now, my previous thoughts were completely overturned. The armor was as hard as iron, and no one could harm Frank, but the breath that sustained him had leaked out halfway, unable to bear the weight of the armor, causing him to collapse.

Frank covered his face and cried, while Laura lay on his lap, gently comforting him.

When he looked up again, his face was ashen, not the sickly pale of illness, but lifeless, like a corpse. 

What shocked me even more was that in just a few minutes, half of his hair had turned gray!

"Frank."

Alan and I called out in unison.

At this moment, he truly looked like an old man on the brink of death, infinitely desolate, like a leaf that should have been buried in the winter soil. 

Winter's dead leaves don't represent resilience; they are rebels under the rule of time and fate, surviving summer only to be executed in autumn.

Winter's dead leaves are frozen corpses, a parade of time and fate's dominion announced to the gods.

"Frank, why put yourself through this?"

Alan called out, choking up.

In moments of great sorrow and pain, the body can react unexpectedly. After learning the truth about his and Laura's relationship, Frank's hair turned white in just a few minutes. His eyes also failed him due to his extreme weakness.

He stroked Laura's beautiful hair, lowered his head slightly to sniff the familiar scent, then looked up, squinting as if trying to see something.

"Ronald, come closer. I can't see you now."

Frank said, his voice no longer erratic and extreme, but very calm, like greeting a neighbor during an afternoon walk, as the sunset fades and night slowly falls. You meet your neighbor while jogging and exchange a soft greeting.

"Come closer, I can't see you."

Frank repeated, shaking his head. "Are you afraid of me? Using psychological tactics to make me spit blood, hoping I'd die quickly. Why are you hesitating now? Where's your confidence, your ambition, your arrogance and control?"

"In the end, you'll turn to dust, Ronald. You will fail."

"We keep fighting, thinking we understand and control everything, that we have all the answers. But that's wrong."

"Alan said there'd be payback, and I believe him. Laura's got her own reckoning to face. But what about ours?"

Frank touched Laura's face, feeling the slickness of her blood seeping through his pants.

"Living feels like a betrayal. I'm about to settle my debts, Ronald. What about you?"

Ronald looked at the descending night, as if he were merging with it. After a long pause, he said, "Die with me. There will be an end."

"An end, die with you?"

Frank closed his eyes and smiled. "Do you really think the three of us came here to die? You're waiting, and so am I."

"Who doesn't know how to stall for time? You stall, I stall. Let's see who outlasts whom."

Ronald's face changed, glancing around with flickering eyes. He turned to us. "Waiting for reinforcements? It's too late."

I glanced at Alan. Who were our reinforcements?

Looking back at the police officers below, they were still motionless. Leonard and Benjamin saw me look back and quickly waved, asking how things were going.

I heard a rush of footsteps, not just one person.

Several of us looked toward the door to the rooftop. Ronald's eyes showed panic, and I clearly heard Alan let out a long sigh of relief.

"Reinforcements? Previously arranged?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, part of the plan. The process was too complicated to explain earlier, but it seems everything is going smoothly now. I'll explain later."

Alan responded.

"Okay." I trusted him completely.

The rooftop door opened, and shadows poured out.

Leading the group were Tom, Howard, and Erica, followed by some weary-looking people in police uniforms, likely the missing Silverlight City police officers and detectives.

Tom was the first to see us, pausing when he saw Laura on Frank's lap but said nothing.

Erica saw the scene, called out to Laura, and when there was no response, she ran over.

"Laura, Laura?"

Erica knelt down, carefully calling out. 

When there was no response, she recoiled as if stung by a scorpion, then hugged Laura, sobbing softly and repeatedly saying she was sorry.

"All women of misfortune, there's no need for apologies."

Frank sighed deeply. "She's just like you, even identical, both foolish women. Men always think women are betraying them, not realizing their own mistakes. Fate cycles, my retribution isn't over yet. Laura, I owe you too much."

Alan looked at the grieving Erica, shook his head, and said softly, "You've done so much for him, yet he remains stubborn, causing so much harm and disaster. Have you ever thought that these mistakes are partly your responsibility too?"

"Over the years, I've tried to persuade him many times. Today, you came here, so I think you've made your choice."

Erica didn't speak for a long time. She stood up, looked at Frank and Alan with a face full of sorrow. "You're right."

Then she turned to me, her eyes softening, a small smile forming at the corners of her mouth. 

"Nancy, Zoey often talks about you. We've spoken on the phone. I'm sorry I broke my promise."