“How can I leave her?!” His voice scraped his throat like sandpaper. “Elissa… she’s…”

A frozen ache gripped his heart, while his throat burned with a searing anguish he could neither swallow nor soothe.

“She’s still here—in this frozen hell. And she’s… she’s carrying our baby.”

Every word struck like a dagger, twisting deeper into Ernest’s chest.

Suddenly, he lunged forward, seizing Eric by the collar, his eyes blazing with unhinged desperation. “It’s you! It’s you again, isn’t it?!”

What exactly was Ernest going on about?

Eric froze, utterly blindsided.

“Yes! It must be you!”

Ernest’s mouth curled into a bitter, trembling smile. “You and Hadley—you’ve been plotting with Elissa all along, haven’t you? You’ve helped her disappear before, and now you’re doing it again! She’s hiding somewhere, isn’t she?!”

“Ernest…” Eric staggered back, stunned.

Was this because of that time he had once helped Elissa? Was that what this was about?

He furrowed his brows and shook his head firmly. “I didn’t—”

“Stop lying!” Ernest barked. He didn’t believe a word of it. His throat bobbed hard as he swallowed, and his bloodshot eyes flared with feverish intensity. His chest heaved as if the weight of his heart would crush him. “Please, Eric! Just tell me the truth! Elissa’s alive, isn’t she? You’ve hidden her somewhere—safe, right? Please… say it!”

“Ernest…” Eric’s voice cracked. God, how he wished that were true. But he could only shake his head once more. “I didn’t. This time… it wasn’t me.”

Ernest stared, frozen in place—expression blank, lips parted. “No… that’s not… it’s not possible…”

But the numbness didn’t last. In the next breath, rage and grief surged through him like wildfire.

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“You’re lying!” he shouted, unraveling. “If you didn’t hide her, then where is she?! Huh?! She couldn’t have just… She couldn’t have…”

“Ernest!” Eric moved forward, alarmed. He couldn’t let him spiral any further. He turned to Quentin sharply. “What are you waiting for? Get your men—let’s take him back to shore!”

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Ernest roared.

At that moment, he was both ferocious and fragile—a raging lion trapped inside a heart made of glass. His fury and grief erupted in full force.

“Mr. Flynn—please forgive me!” Quentin signaled to the guards.

Before Ernest could react, they moved in.

“Ugh!” A muffled cry escaped Ernest before he was knocked unconscious and carried away.

Back on land, Hadley saw them approaching. She jumped out of the car and ran toward them.

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