Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

"No." James took a deep breath, thinking she wasn't thinking straight. "Don't worry about it too much. Just eat something. I can get you something else if you don't like this," he offered, getting up to leave and buy more food.

Esther buried her head under the covers, sounding sad. "I can't do this. I can't be with you, James. You understand, right? Let's break up."

She didn't understand why she always felt guilty around James.

Mobius died because of her, and here she was in a relationship with another man like nothing had happened. It didn't seem fair to Mobius. She wasn't a saint, nor was she foolish. Yet, she couldn't come to terms with it. This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

James turned to look at her, his voice trembling."Are you sure?"

Esther remained silent for a few minutes. Just when James thought she might reconsider, she replied, "I want to break up with you."

James froze, trying to keep his composure. "Okay," he said quietly, then left without looking back.

Pearl was aware that Esther wasn't in the best mental state, and she knew she couldn't change her mind, so she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Pearl…" Esther collapsed into her arms, sobbing. "I'm so sad. What do I do? When I think about Mobius, all I can see is him covered in blood."

"I know you're hurting, but James didn't do anything wrong, did he?"

Esther didn't respond.

"James came all the way from Enswood to see you. Do you think he's just playing around?"

"I know, I—" Esther began.

"I understand you're upset about Mobius's death, but you shouldn't act impulsively and push away someone who loves you," Pearl said gently but firmly.

Esther seemed to feel guilty about it, so she glanced at Pearl briefly before looking down again. "Okay, I'll think about it."

Pearl knew this wasn't something she could rush, so she didn't push her and just sighed.

Richard finished the paperwork soon after. He didn't send Mobius's ashes back home after the cremation, as he knew Dustan and Susan would be devastated. It was something he couldn't bear to witness; he would tell them when he returned.

Walking into the room, Richard saw Esther lying on the bed, looking defeated. Pearl was there beside her, but James was nowhere to be found.