“Ernest!”

“Mr. Flynn!”

Eric and Quentin hurried to his side, each of them grabbing an arm to steady him. Ernest stayed there on his knees, head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground. His whole body seemed to buckle under the crushing weight of his grief.

“Ernest?” Eric reached out and pressed a hand to his forehead. The heat that met his palm made his stomach drop. Even Ernest’s breath came in ragged bursts.

“He’s burning up! Help me get him up. Call the doctor and get him back right now!”

“Yes!”

Worn out in every way, with no rest through the night and chilled to the bone by the seawater, Ernest’s fever refused to break.

The doctor examined him thoroughly. Though Ernest drifted back to consciousness, his temperature remained dangerously high.

Ernest was a man who kept to himself, but now he seemed to retreat even deeper into his own shell.

Eric stood at his bedside, weighing every word before he spoke. “Ernest, the person behind this… has confessed.”

At that, Ernest’s dull eyes stirred, just barely. Ever since the accident, he had been entirely consumed by the search for Elissa. He hadn’t spared a moment to think about what, or who, had started it all.

Ernest turned to Eric. His hands clenched into fists, and his jaw set hard. “Who is it?”

“It’s…” Eric met Ernest’s hollow eyes and paused, then spoke in a low voice. “It’s Ayla.”

With that, he went on to explain everything in detail.

When Eric finished, Ernest said nothing. He simply stared at him, his face devoid of any emotion. A long silence stretched between them before Ernest finally let out a harsh laugh. His breathing was heavy and ragged from the fever, giving his voice a raw edge.

The once handsome face, always so polished and composed, was now twisted by a merciless fury. “You’re telling me… Elissa’s life was taken by someone out of their mind?”

Frst ppared n gν

Eric grimly nodded. “Yes, but—”

“You!” Ernest shot up from the bed and seized Eric by the collar. “You could’ve done something! But you couldn’t even keep a lunatic in line? Is that it?”

“Ernest… you listen to me. This isn’t as simple as you think. On the surface, it looks like—Argh!”

Eric tried to reason with him, but Ernest wouldn’t hear it. Before he could finish, Ernest’s fist slammed into him.

“Elissa is gone! What good are your explanations?” Another punch landed. Then another.

“It was all because of you! And a deranged woman! Now tell me, Eric, how are you going to fix this? It’s all useless!” Ernest’s voice cracked under the weight of his grief, and his heart splintered beyond repair. “You can’t fix it! You can’t bring her back! Argh!”

.

.

.