"No! That''s not it!"


    Panic-stricken, Harvey grabbed her frail shoulders. "Ellie, I love you! It''s precisely because I love you so deeply... that I can''t bear to touch you! Nobody understands better than I do what you''ve been through to get here! So, I won''t force you into anything sexual. My reasons for marrying you... they''re more about wanting to protect you!"


    Ellie was taken aback, her gaze piercing into him as if she was seeing this man for the first time. She knew that if Harvey hadn''t pleaded with Avery to take her as his wife, she might have ended up in an unmarked grave somewhere long ago. There was gratitude, indeed. But that bit of gratitude couldn''t wash away the years of his unforgivable sins. Nor could it bring back Tom, a vibrant and kind soul, who bled out in front of her.


    "Sinceing to Helgen, I''ve been feeling uneasy, not a single night has passed where I''ve slept soundly." Ellie gently rested her head on Harvey''s shoulder. "Stay with me tonight... would you?"


    ...


    In the dimness of the night, they shared a bed but remained untouched, like two devout believers. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from a night spent in endless turmoil, but Harvey fell into a deep sleep the moment his head touched the pillow. Ellie suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze dark and unlit, fixated on the man before her. Holding her breath, trembling, she slowly unbuttoned Harvey''s shirt. Clutching the cross tightly, firmly in her palm, her eyes red as if bleeding.


    *


    Helgen, as its name suggested, was lush with forests, the canopyyered like a sea of clouds. A picturesque beauty, characteristic of a tropical monsoon climate. If it hadn''t been for the brutal storms and the vilest aspects of humanity he''d witnessed here, beneath this natural fa?ade and thew of the jungle, he might have considered it home. Living a simple life, relying on each other, maintaining a modest business.


    Today, the sky was a relentless drizzle. Avery walked alone to the Rose Sanatorium to visit his mother, umbre in hand. In Helgen, his investments were widespread, any venture he financed bore the name "Rose." A smallfort, a token of remembrance for a love far away.


    "How are you feeling today, Mom?"


    Mrs. Chambers sat under the eaves, lost in the rain. Avery sat beside her, gently holding his mother''s frail hand. It was devoid of flesh, devoid of life. Mrs. Chambers gaped, oblivious to his words.


    "Mom, it''s Ave, do you recognize me?" Avery patiently reminded her of his identity. "Ave!"


    There were moments in the day when Mrs. Chambers seemed almost lucid, yet her consciousness was muddled. "Ave, where''s Evadne? Why hasn''t she visited us in so long? Don''t you two fight! You''re not one for friends, but Evadne is such a good girl, cherish her. You''re the boy, be amodating, pamper her... You two need tost."


    "Mom, Evadne won''t just be my friend soon." Avery adjusted the nket over her. Mrs. Chambers panicked, "What happened?!"


    "She''s going to be your daughter-inw." Avery''s eyes sparkled with faux happiness, so genuine it almost fooled himself, "She agreed to marry me."


    "Really?! Evadne''s really going to be my daughter-inw?!" Tears of joy welled in Mrs. Chambers''s eyes. "That''s wonderful... just wonderful! I have a pair of jade bracelets in my box, your father gave them to me on our wedding day. I''ve never worn them. Go give them to Evadne. Look at me, a future mother-inw with nothing decent to offer, how embarrassing. Ave, make sure you prepare a generous dowry, don''t let Evadne feel slighted."


    "Let''s wait for Evadne toe, and you can give them to her yourself." Avery choked up, a deep resolve in his dark eyes, “Soon, I''ll bring her to see you."


    ...


    After lunch with his mother, as if the gloomy clouds understood Avery''s mood, the sky cleared. Mrs. Chambers slept in her room as Avery stepped out onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette, holding it between his slender, pale fingers. He didn''t smoke, just silently watched the cigarette burn down like incense. Then, he dialed a number.


    After a moment, the call connected, a clear, maic voice on the other end: "Who''s this?"


    "Talking to you feels strange, Elvis." Avery stood against the wind,zily squinting his eyes.


    The line went silent, as if time and space had frozen.


    "Not going to talk?"


    Avery chuckled softly, "You fell for a woman I crafted and trained. I brought you two together; shouldn''t you be thanking me? But falling for a woman who looks almost identical to your sister... should I call you despicable, or should I say you''ve lost all sense of decency?"