“Still waiting here?”

He went on briskly, “It’s very late now. For the next few days, visits won’t be permitted. You should head home and get some rest.”

“Chief Gomez.” Hadley rushed forward, her tone urgent.

“I need to tell you something! When the elevator dropped, I saw Eric thrown out and hit his head. He was really unconscious at that moment!”

“Miss Pearson.” Ellis’ brows knit as he shook his head.

“What you witnessed was him being thrown clear. As for the fainting—that’s only your assumption. There’s no confirmation of that.”

Hadley froze, struck silent.

“Listen.” Ellis gentled his voice, unwilling to see her so distraught.

“Even if he truly lost consciousness at that moment, you have no way of knowing what happened afterward, do you?”

Hadley pressed her lips tightly, unable to argue back.

“Mr. Flynn.” Ellis shifted his attention to Ernest.

“It’s already late. Waiting here won’t change anything. Go home for now. If there’s progress, we’ll reach out immediately.”

“Hadley.” Ernest’s voice dropped as he looked at her with quiet patience.

“It’s late. Let’s head home.”

After a brief silence, he continued, “Staying here doesn’t help. It might even get in the way of the police’s work.”

Hadley’s body stilled.

Those words cut through her resistance.

“We’ll see Eric again the moment visits are allowed,” Ernest assured her.

With a steady hand, he rested his palm on her shoulder and gently steered her toward the door.

“In the morning, you’ll need to be with Grandma and Joy. You really should get some sleep… and…” He slowed down, stressing the next point.

Feel inspired by g?lnσν?s?

By now, simply offering Hadley comfort would not have been enough.

Ernest chose a straightforward tone.

“You heard Cristian earlier. Eric’s situation won’t be fixed in a single night. If we want to help him, we all have to stay strong.”

Hadley kept quiet, taking in every word.

Her eyes brimmed red, but she gave a slow, steady nod.

“I understand. I know what I need to do.”

“Then let’s head home.”

“Alright.”

When they returned to Flynn Mansion, Hadley’s head throbbed so badly that sleep was impossible.

Yet Ernest’s reminder lingered—she couldn’t allow herself to collapse. She needed to endure.

She rose from bed, dug through the drawer for the pill bottle, shook out one tablet, and swallowed it without water. She told herself she needed sleep. Rest was the only way forward.

Only by doing so could she gather the strength to face what awaited her.

Before dawn broke the next morning, Cristian appeared at Flynn Mansion—this time bringing Ferris along.

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