An hourter, after finishing his checks and calibrations, Leonard fueled up the helicopter.


    He turned to Ste and said, "It''s ready." With that, he boarded the aircraft first.


    Ste followed him onto the helicopter. She was about to take a seat in the back when Leonard stopped her.


    "Sit up front."


    Since she was about to leave, it didn''t make much difference to Ste whether she sat in the front or the back. She took the co-pilot''s seat and fastened her seatbelt.


    Leonard pointed to the helicopter''s instrument panel, briefly teaching Ste how to identify the gauges. He then exined how to start the aircraft.


    He didn''t seem to be trying to dy things, and about ten minutester, he started the engine.


    He said to Ste, "You can''t learn to fly a helicopter overnight, but it doesn''t hurt to have some basic knowledge. If you ever find yourself in an emergency, you might at least have a fighting chance."


    Ste was silent.


    *He* was her emergency.


    But Leonard was right; if she had known how to fly a helicopter, she might have risked a desperate escape back then.


    Leonard said, "I''m not much of a teacher. Once you''re out of here, if you''re


    interested, you can find a professional instructor to learn from."


    Joshua had once told him it''s better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish.


    But he just wasn''t cut out to be a teacher.


    He was a viin himself—what good could he possibly teach?


    All he could do was give her what he thought was best.


    The helicopter was soon airborne, flying over the ind.


    Sitting in the aircraft and looking out at the boundless ocean, Ste finally felt a glimmer of appreciation for the scenery.


    The sun was perfect today, its light making the azure sea glitter, clear and pristine.


    Ste''s heart felt as calm and open as the ocean itself.


    Leonard''s voice sounded from beside her.


    "I''ve found a brilliant


    doctor who


    might be able to treat your hand. I''ve


    y sent your medica


    reports to


    him. He''s done a preliminary


    assessment and says there''s a fifty percent chance of sess. Um


    nning to go meet him in person to confirm his capabilities."


    Ever since falling for Ste, Leonard had spent his free time studying pathology, focusing mostly on the nerves in the hand. He was a fast learner and without the intense workload he used to have, he had plenty of time.


    By now, he was practically half a doctor.


    Hearing this, Ste''s face showed no joy at the possibility of her hand being healed. She turned to Leonard.


    "Leonard, there''s no need. Even if my hand recovers, I..."


    Leonard cut her off coolly. "I know. You won''t forgive me. I''m not doing this for your forgiveness. I just think it''s a terrible waste for your hand to be ruined like this."


    Ste said, "Many people have been ruined by your hands. I''m not the only one to be pitied."


    Leonard replied, "You''re right. But the heart always ys favorites when ites to the person you love. If one day I end up a prisoner, I


    Cove anyints,


    Survival


    of the fittest-that''s thew live by."


    As an illegitimate child, Leonard had never received any benefits from the Lerman


    family. Instead, he was constantly shamed, cruelly bullied, and suppressed.


    He couldn''t choose his birth, and for a time, he considered himself an innocent victim.


    But heter realized that the birth he couldn''t choose was his original sin. No, to be more precise, weakness was his original sin.