“I understand completely,” he conceded softly. Get full chapters from find?novel.net

Ernest abandoned all pretense, fully acknowledging her desire to banish him from her sight and her life.

“But what of Locke? Surely you haven’t extinguished all desire to see him?” he challenged gently.

Elissa’s entire body stiffened, her spine snapping to rigid attention at the mention of that precious name.

“Elissa.” Ernest’s voice dropped to a tender murmur. “Locke pines for you daily. He constantly inquires about you. You cannot deny your affection for him, can you?”

Her mouth opened slightly, but the cutting response she sought evaporated on her tongue.

Ernest seized her momentary vulnerability. “Direct your anger solely at me. I alone deserve your contempt. Locke bears no responsibility for any of this.” He pressed forward, voice raw with emotion. “I only woke up from a coma a year ago. When I finally tracked him down, he was languishing in an orphanage. According to the director, two separate families adopted him and then sent him back. Locke is just four years old now. For his first three years, he was passed between strangers like an unwanted parcel, deprived of genuine love…”

Wordlessly, Elissa clamped her eyelids closed as tears gathered and spilled, transforming her lashes into glistening feathers.

Maintaining his gentle grip on her wrist, Ernest guided her toward his waiting vehicle. “Please come with me. Locke anxiously awaits your arrival.”

For once, Elissa’s body followed without protest or struggle.

Locke represented the most vulnerable chamber of her heart—one gentle pull at those delicate strings, and her carefully constructed walls collapsed into dust.

Without a word, she slid into the passenger seat beside Ernest, the journey to Flynn Mansion passing in weighted silence.

The moment they stepped inside, Locke’s high-pitched, childish voice echoed through the foyer.

“Is Miss Holland here?” The hopeful question floated down the hallway.

“Indeed, young master. She has arrived,” confirmed a household staff member. “Miss Holland!”

The exclamation burst forth with unbridled excitement. Little feet pounded across wooden floors as Locke darted toward her, launching himself into the air the instant he spotted Elissa’s familiar figure.

“Careful!” she gasped instinctively.

Elissa’s pulse faltered as she lunged forward, arms outstretched to intercept his flying form.

His small body collided with her chest with unexpected momentum, nearly toppling her backward.

Ernest’s hands materialized at her waist just in time, providing the anchor she needed to maintain her footing.

Elissa gazed down at the precious bundle in her embrace. Locke’s eyes transformed into joyful crescents as his face split into a radiant smile. “You finally came back, Miss Holland!”

Everything had shifted irrevocably now.

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