?Chapter 405:


    First, there was a photo of another woman. Now, this.


    “Ernest!”


    Linda’s voice cracked as she held up the incriminating hairpins, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.


    “Whose are these?”


    Ernest’s gaze flickered downward, averting her question.


    Although he couldn’t formplete sentences, his silence spoke volumes—a refusal, a quiet defiance.


    “Ha… haha.”


    Linda let out a sharp, bitterugh, the sound hollow in the stillness.


    “Oh, right. I almost forgot—you still can’t talk, can you?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, her emotions teetering on the edge.


    “Fine. Let’s make this easy. Just nod or shake your head. Can you do that?”


    She inhaled sharply, and then pressed on, her voice lower but no less cutting.


    “Tell me, Ernest… is there someone else? Huh? Is that what this is?”


    Still, he said nothing. His head remained bowed, his gaze avoiding hers, his silence a shield he refused to lower.


    Rage red in Linda’s chest, burning away thest remnants of her restraint.


    She reached out abruptly, her fingers gripping his face, forcing him to meet her eyes.


    “Look at me!” she demanded, her voice trembling with emotion.


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    “Answer me, damn it! Nod or shake your head! Is it really that hard?”


    Ernest’s thick brows knit together, his lips pressed into a firm line. His eyes held something—an emotion she couldn’t decipher, something locked away beneathyers of unreadable restraint.


    And yet, in that unbearable silence, she knew. It was true.


    But when? How?


    He had been in aa for years—it couldn’t have been then. So… it had to be before he went into aa?


    The realization struck like a bolt of lightning. Linda froze, her entire body going rigid as a chilling thought crept into her mind.


    “Ernest!” Linda’s voice trembled with fury, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.


    “Is this what I deserve?” she choked out, her voice raw with emotion. “Did you ever even think about me when you were with her?”


    Ernest sat motionless, his gaze locked on the floor, silent as ever, but his breathing faltered.


    “Who is she? Who IS she, Ernest?” Linda demanded, her voice rising like a whip crack.


    “Answer me! Stop pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about!” Her voice broke with desperation. “You sent Quentin to track her down, but you can’t even say her name?”


    “Oh no…” N rushed in, eyes wide with rm. She reached for Linda, prying her away from Ernest with firm but gentle hands.


    “Linda, stop! He’s still recovering!”


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