“W-where’s Ernest?” Linda asked her caregiver tearfully.
“Mr. Flynn stepped out to make a call, Miss Harris,” the caregiver replied.
“You’re lying to me…”
“No, I’m not—”
Just then, Ernest pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The caregiver’s face lit up with relief. “See? Mr. Flynn is back!”
“Ernest!” Linda cried out, eyes brimming with tears as she reached for him. “You’re here? I thought you left me.”
“No.” Ernest crossed the room in a few strides and took her hand. “I just stepped out to make a call.”
“Oh… okay… My legs hurt so much!” Linda looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. “Ernest… tell me the truth. Am I dying? Is there no cure?”
Ernest was caught off guard. He didn’t answer right away. Even in her confused state, she could still sense it—the pain, the fear. She knew something was wrong.
After a moment, he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple rising and falling. He shook his head and assured her, “No. You’ll get better. It can be treated. But you have to listen to the doctors.”
“I understand. I’ll be good,” Linda whispered, sniffling. “Will you stay with me?”
Ernest hesitated. In his mind, Elissa’s face flickered into view. Still, he nodded. “Mm.”
Just before the clock struck five, Sebastian arrived to whisk Elissa away. As she settled into the plush comfort of the car, she turned to him with a warm smile. “Sebastian, let’s swing by and pick up Locke first, shall we?”
“Of course,” Sebastian replied with a nod, easing the car into motion.
As they glided down the road, Elissa dabbed her forehead with a tissue, chasing away the sweat brought on by the day’s sweltering heat.
ε ￠t?€я? ?η ?a?и?νê.
Sebastian let out a soft chuckle, his tone light as air. “This heatwave’s been relentless, hasn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” Elissa agreed, her smile mirroring his. “A few minutes outdoors and you’re drenched from head to toe.”
“Indeed.” A quiet laugh escaped Sebastian’s lips.
Out of the blue, Elissa tilted her head and asked, “Sebastian, are you fetching Ernest later as well?”
“Indeed, I am.”
“That must be quite the marathon, chauffeuring us all around. With his packed schedule, are you stuck working late too?”
“It’s no hassle at all—just doing my job,” Sebastian said with a grin, though his eyes flicked to Elissa in the rearview mirror, catching hers for a fleeting moment.
Was she fishing for something? He couldn’t quite tell.
Elissa returned a gentle smile but let the conversation drift into silence. She had only meant to make small talk, yet she sensed a hint of unease in Sebastian’s demeanor.
Was her imagination playing tricks on her? Or was Ernest really hiding something from her?
Later that evening, after collecting Locke and returning to the Flynn Mansion, Elissa sat with him as he tackled his homework. After taking his bath, his eyelids grew heavy, and he soon drifted off to sleep.
.
.
.