With a bouquet of lilies clutched tightly in his hand, he approached, his heart heavy with grief and determination.
In the suffocating stillness that surrounded them, the haunting echo of the recording pierced through like a jagged shard of glass, shattering the fragile calm.
"No! D-don't come here—cough! Run! Nathan….!"
The agonizing cries, the frantic pleas, clawed at Yves' shattered spirit, reopening wounds from that fateful night.
Yves dared to lift his gaze only when Ryder's voice, heavy with despair, resonated through the frigid air that gripped them in its icy embrace.
"So you are the only witness left," Ryder intoned, his words laden with accusation. "You saw them. You were there when they kidnapped Rosie and killed him."
"I'm sorry—" Yves began, his voice thick with remorse, tears threatening to spill once more from the corners of his eyes.