"Ernest!

" When I called his name, I reached out and grabbed his arm., He looked at me, and I looked back at him, my eyes trembling, my lips quivering..., Though I hadn't said a word, he understood me. When my throat felt like it was on fire from the pain, he spoke up in a raspy voice,

"We need an answer.

", With that, he pulled away from my grasp, took the envelope, and opened it., His movements were swift, almost as if he feared any delay might give me a chance to stop him., The paper inside had aged to a yellow hue, but I didn't look at it., Ernest, however, read each line carefully, then turned his gaze to Officer Sampson, as if seeking confirmation on something.,

"I knew what this assessment would imply. That's why, back then, I had three different auto repair shops evaluate it. Their findings are all in this envelope,

" Officer Sampson's words prompted Ernest to open the envelope again., Each document had also yellowed with time, but all were signed and stamped., So, the assessment was based on solid ground., Ernest's hands dropped to his sides, and after a moment, he turned to me, handing me the several sheets of paper., I didn't need to look; I already knew the answer., My hand shook slightly as I held the papers. Officer Sampson spoke to me,

"Felicia, take a look. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

", I looked at Officer Sampson, who nodded encouragingly. With his support, I began to read the assessment-, The traffic accident on June 10th,, 2013, on Oceanview Road, was determined to be caused by a brake system failure after a technical evaluation. The brake system had been tampered with. , After retrieving the vehicle's route prior to the accident, it was found that the driver, Carl Collins, was the sole operator of the vehicle and had not lent it to anyone. Thus, significant suspicion falls on the driver, Carl Collins. Since Cart Collins himself perished in the accident, the intention behind the brake system's tampering cannot be fully, determined without his testimony. , The words

"cannot be fully determined

" seemed almost ironic., །,

"This conclusion was so laughable that it was never filed. But since you, as the children of those involved, wanted to know, I've provided it.

" Officer Sampson paused before continuing. en swnovels.net,

"You're both adults. You'll have your views on this assessment. But I'll say it again, we need to look forward,

" Officer Sampson finished, glancing towards my parents' gravestones.

"They would want you to not live in the past.

", With those words, Officer Sampson left, leaving Ernest and me alone by the graves., Neither of us spoke. Once the closest of lovers, we had become strangers, and now, this verdict made us enemies., It was indeed adding insult to injury.,

"If there's anything you want to say, or any requests you have, feel free to speak,

" Ernest finally broke the silence in a low voice., What was there to say? What could I possibly request?, My parents had been gone for ten years; anything I said or did now was futile., Before knowing this verdict, I had been afraid, resistant. But now, facing the reality of it, I found myself devoid of any significant emotion. It was Ernest's words that pained me.

"What do you expect me to say? What do you want me to request?

" I murmured softly., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.