Chaos sprawled before her—blood splattered, items overturned. Her chest tightened, and her heart lurched violently at the sight.

“Hadley!” Ernest’s hands moved quickly to cover her eyes.

“I told you not to look!”

Hadley fell quiet, a shiver running through her.

Fear had gripped her, yet she didn’t regret seeing it.

That fleeting glimpse had made everything painfully real.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Ernest guided her forward, glancing toward Ellis.

“Chief Gomez, we’ll leave this in your hands.”

Ellis nodded slowly.

“Of course.”

Concern shadowed his face as he watched Hadley being supported by Ernest.

He had been negligent—a sharp pang of guilt hit him as he realized he should have blocked the door sooner so Hadley wouldn’t have seen.

“Ernest.” Inside the car, Hadley’s fists clenched tightly, her body trembling slightly.

It wasn’t just the scene that scared her…

It was what it hinted at.

She drew a shaky breath, trying to organize her thoughts.

“Ellis said only Eric and… those two… were there, right?”

“Yes.” Ernest gave a firm nod, confirming it was true.

Hadley shut her eyes, the darkness of her thoughts closing in.

If that was the case, wasn’t Eric in serious trouble?

“Try not to overthink this.” Ernest placed a steadying hand on hers.

“Cristian will meet us at the police station soon, and we’ll hear everything from him.”

“Alright.” Hadley gave a small, absent nod, still lost in thought.

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By the time they reached the police station, Cristian had already arrived, responding immediately after the call and getting there five minutes ahead of them.

Inside, he was deep in discussion with the officers when the duo entered.

Cristian spotted them and moved forward.

“Mr. Flynn,” he greeted. His eyes then met Hadley’s.

“Miss Pearson.”

Ernest gave a brief nod, his tone clipped.

“You know what’s going on, right?”

“Mostly.” Cristian met his gaze and nodded.

He already had a rough understanding of the situation. With Ellis still overseeing the crime scene, details were frustratingly limited.

The identities of the two victims remained unknown, leaving too many questions unanswered.

Cristian spoke up, his tone serious.

“This is going to take all night. I’ll stay here to monitor everything.”

“Thanks. We’d like to see Eric,” Ernest said, glancing at Hadley before replying.

Cristian checked his watch, frowning.

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