Bad Romance(Book 6)

Chapter 5-Rescue Me

"Rescue me from the demons in my mind..."

***
Anka Alexandra Leto: Press statement. 24 th of February 2021

It is my sad duty and regret to announce the general public, our friends and Echelon family that yesterday, the 23rd of February, my husband, has passed away. What has happened is a tragedy that has affected our family deeply and in these troubled times we ask for your sympathy and discretion.

Jared was a man loved by so many, fans, friends and family all around the world and he will be deeply missed. He was the rock and the heart of our family and an unstoppable force. Now he is looking over us from a better place, a place we will be reunited at some point.

Details regarding Jared's death and the memorial service will be given to the general public as soon as we receive the results of his autopsy. The Leto family want to thank you for the kind thoughts that have been sent to us by each and every single one of you. Again, I ask that you respect the family in these troubled times. Thank you.

Anka-Alexandra Leto

***

When Anka got the call back from the Los Angeles Morgue the realization hit her even harder in the back of her head. To her it felt a cruel joke. Her hands were shaking in Shannon's hands as they were both driven to the morgue to get the results of the autopsy.

Herds of photographers were on their trail, monitoring their every move since the press got the confirmation that Jared has passed away. Everyone else forgot about their grief and their pain and started preparing for the funeral that was going to take place in a couple of days.

Shannon gripped even tighter on Anka's hand as they stepped out of the car. The cold Los Angeles air  hit them both as they walked into the Los Angeles Morgue.

Anka wrapped her shawl tighter around her body as Shannon kept the photographers at arm's length. The doctor at the morgue called Anka the second he got the results of the autopsy. From what Anka understood, the doctor had more gloomy news.

"Mrs. Leto, Mr. Leto, I'm deeply sorry for your loss.", he said as he walked them to his office.

Anka nodded and stepped inside the small, white room that smelled strongly of disinfectant and chlorine.

"So, you said, you...had some news regarding my husband's autopsy? Please, don't prolong the agony any longer. I just want to take my husband home...", she said slowly, pressing on every word.

Anka knew she sounded harsh, but she couldn't properly speak calmly without bursting into tears. She didn't even know the doctor's name. And she wasn't interested in finding it out. The doctor nodded and opened a file.

"Mrs. Leto, before proceeding to identifying the body, there are some things that came up during the autopsy of your husband...upon testing, we discovered that your husband suffered from a rare form of bone marrow cancer. Fortunately, or, unfortunately it wasn't the cancer that killed him. Your husband's heart just stopped. He went into cardiac arrest and he died quickly. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It never gets easy...", said the doctor softly.

"You are saying that my husband suffered from cancer? I didn't know that...how? Shannon did you know that?", asked Anka, turning to face Shannon.

"I had no idea. So you're saying that the cancer didn't kill him. That he died in a stupid way?", asked Shannon.