“Ernest.” Eric handed the phone back, careful not to linger on the screen. “Here, your phone.”

“Mm.” Ernest reached for it, his eyes briefly scanning the photo. Then, almost absentmindedly, he brushed his palm across the screen, as if it were something precious that might gather dust. He treated it with the reverence one might reserve for a sacred relic.

Eric noticed. He noticed everything.

Phillips had once told him—Ernest had loved this woman deeply. But she had “disappeared.” To be more exact, she was presumed dead. Yet Ernest never believed it. He was still searching.

Out of nowhere, a quiet ache settled over Eric—a strange mix of envy, sorrow, and guilt. He realized he didn’t, and couldn’t, feel that way about Megan, his supposed girlfriend.

Since the accident, everyone around him had insisted that he and Megan were soulmates—childhood companions, together for more than a decade. But his mind was blank. He didn’t remember any of it. Not the memories, and not the love.

Still, he kept this secret to himself.

After all, for Megan—who had stayed by his side for so many years—to discover that he felt this way would shatter her. He couldn’t bear to be the one to break her heart.

He thought, maybe—just maybe—given time, he would learn to love her again. As he had before.

The two men got into the car together.

Eric’s phone vibrated, a message lighting up the screen. Ernest silently watched as Eric unlocked his phone, read the message, and typed out a reply.

“It’s Megan,” Eric said, noticing the glance. “She just texted.”

Ernest gave a nod. “Are things going well between you two?”

“Yeah.” Eric smiled faintly. “We’re doing fine.”

L?tt chαpt?rs ιn glnov?l.m

Ernest fell silent. His eyes lingered on Eric before he said, almost reluctantly, “She isn’t the right one.”

Eric was taken aback. “What?”

“She’s not the right one for you.” Ernest’s chest felt tight as he spoke, as though pressing through a weight. “You two don’t look like a couple.”

“Huh?” Eric was momentarily at a loss.

Ernest hesitated, visibly frustrated, the words tangled behind his teeth. “You need to truly love someone to be with them. Do you understand?”

He felt sorry—for both Eric and Hadley. And now, in Eric’s current state, who knew if those lost memories would ever return?

Besides, it had been Hadley who ended things. She had walked away from Eric. She hadn’t even come to see him when he was on the brink of death. After he came to, she had returned to town but soon left again. And only now did Ernest realize—it had been a long, long time since he’d last seen her.

Beside him, Eric was visibly rattled, Ernest’s cryptic words still echoing in his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder… had Ernest somehow sensed the truth? That his feelings for Megan were no longer what they once were?

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Message from Noa: Happy lovely Friday, dear people. God loves you, and Noa wishes you all the best. (?O?=)? ?

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