The cup exploded against the wall behind him, sending porcelain fragments scattering across the hardwood floor.

Thunderclouds gathered on Ernest’s face, his eyebrows knitting together in a severe line that transformed his entire countenance.

Had his reflexes been even a fraction slower, that cup would have connected with devastating force.

Recognition dawned on Linda’s face, followed immediately by the realization that Ernest’s expression had turned dangerously dark.

She bit her lower lip, struggling to contain the storm of emotions raging within her. “I had no idea it was you coming through that door. I never intended to hurt you!”

Ernest’s displeasure remained unchanged. He believed that no one, regardless of their station, deserved to become a target for someone else’s emotional outbursts.

Linda’s pattern had become painfully predictable: whenever distress overwhelmed her, everyone within reach became collateral damage to her emotional explosions.

While her current illness might explain some of her behavior, Ernest remembered all too well that she had exhibited these same destructive tendencies even during her healthiest periods.

This volatility was simply woven into the fabric of who she was.

The contrast with Elissa couldn’t have been more stark—Elissa would never resort to such behavior.

When pain overwhelmed Elissa, she turned that anguish inward, never allowing it to spill onto innocent bystanders.

Faced with such fundamentally different approaches to handling pain, Ernest found himself instinctively gravitating toward Elissa’s self-contained strength.

“Kira informed me that you’ve refused all meals today,” Ernest said, his sigh carrying the weight of exhaustion as he cut directly to practical matters. “Will you join me downstairs for dinner, or would you prefer I have something brought to your room?”

The question left Linda momentarily speechless before bitter laughter bubbled up from her chest.

€$? ?н€?$ 1? glov?l.?m

“Do you honestly believe I have any appetite given our current circumstances, Ernest?”

Her fingers clamped around Ernest’s forearm with desperate intensity. “I’ve been waiting for your return because we need to have a real conversation, not engage in these meaningless domestic routines! Tell me exactly when you intend to end things with Elissa.”

Ernest’s silence stretched uncomfortably as his eyebrows remained furrowed in troubled thought.

“Our wedding is approaching rapidly!” Linda’s words tumbled out in a rush when he failed to respond. “You must resolve this situation before we exchange vows, do you understand? Since she’s been part of your life for some time, we’ll handle her departure graciously. A generous financial settlement, perhaps a property of her own…”

“Linda.” Ernest’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper, each word emerging with deliberate care. “I cannot bring myself to abandon her.”

“What?” The foundation of Linda’s world seemed to crack beneath her feet, her eyes losing focus as an arctic chill settled into her bones. “What did you just say?”

.

.

.