To My First Love, With Regret - 35

Ethan, whose body was broken from being forced to confess, went from door to door, knocking on the offices of lawyers, without even being able to lie down once.

—I’m sorry, but you should try another place.

—Please, at least hear the story before you decide.

—We have too many cases and cannot take on any more.

Slam.

But no one wanted to defend the grandfather. Ethan sensed it wasn’t about money. It was because they were afraid of Duke Kentrell.

So, he traveled to the next town, but he was turned away at the door there, too. It had to be accepted as impossible to find a lawyer within the Kentrell region. In the end, he returned home empty-handed with no progress.

Becky and Tom were devastated by the news that he hadn’t been able to find a lawyer. Becky’s swollen eyes, which had brightened with hope when Ethan returned, became empty again.

—Then, I…

That child was thinking of taking an extreme action again. Ethan cut her off mid-sentence.

—Don’t worry. There is someone who can save the Captain.

—They all refused, didn’t they? The Duke won’t leave things alone, so who would save Grandpa now?

There was one person whom even this tyrant of Cliffhaven could not disregard.

—My father.

Becky didn’t object. On the contrary, her face brightened.

It must have been the same for Becky, who secretly regretted the mother’s death because they couldn’t afford treatment. Even when his mother’s life was in danger, Ethan had thought of the father he had abandoned, just as he was doing now. Although, in the end, he had decided not to go against his own conviction to protect his conscience over her life.

His failure to contact his father afterward wasn’t just due to feelings like pride, resentment, or conscience.

‘Then why did Mother have to die so meaninglessly?’

He was afraid that the moment he re-established their connection, he would be tormented for the rest of his life by a regret he couldn’t undo.

But wasn’t he regretting things already? If his grandfather went to prison like this, it would just be one more thing to regret.

He was tired of the foolish life of quietly enduring and regretting. Fortunately, this time the decision rested with Ethan, not himself.

—Ah, I should have asked Father for help from the start…

Hope was palpable in Becky as she stood up with regret.

—Father’s phone number or address should be in Grandpa’s office.

—Let’s look for it together.

The three of them opened the door to leave for the lighthouse just as a police car stopped in front of the house. Ethan asked the officer, who stepped out of the driver’s seat and approached immediately, in a sharp tone.

—What is it this time?

He was certain they had come to harass them—to rummage through the house again to find evidence or to fire rude questions at them while conducting an investigation.

But the officer did not act with the high-handed arrogance of the “pigs” in the interrogation room. He respectfully removed his cap, placed it against his chest, and spoke with a solemn face.

—Mr. Jeremiah Robinson hanged himself in the detention center.

—…What?

—And? Grandpa is okay, right? Please!

The officer couldn’t meet the eyes of Becky, who was clinging to him and weeping, and dropped his gaze.

—May the deceased rest in peace.

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Every time the coffin was lowered into the earthen pit, his heart fell with a thud into the abyss. When the coffin reached the bottom of the grave, Ethan, whose voice was cracked from keeping silent all along, delivered his final farewell.

—Goodbye… Captain.

When the farewell, which contained more silence than words, was over, he scattered a handful of earth onto the coffin. He pressed his lips together tightly again, narrowly holding back his tears. He didn’t want to cause his grandfather worry even on his way out.

Next, it was Becky’s turn to say goodbye. Tom helped Becky, who had just been discharged from the hospital after fainting immediately upon hearing the news of the death, and guided her to the front of the grave.

—H-huhu….

Instead of a farewell, Becky’s tears flowed onto her grandfather’s coffin along with the earth.

Following her, the mourners threw soil and roses, but the line quickly broke. If he hadn’t been framed for murder, the trail of mourners would have stretched outside the cemetery. He was a person who deserved to depart, receiving the love and farewells of many.

Even the few remaining guests left when the dreary gray sky began to weep along with them. Tom opened the umbrella he had brought and held it over Becky. He offered one to Ethan too, but he shook his head.

Ethan welcomed the rain. He could cry as much as he wanted, and his grandfather wouldn’t know.

I’m sorry. My grandfather shouldn’t have had to go like this, so meaningless and lonely.

—Where would a lighthouse keeper go? My dream is to draw my last breath here, watching the sea.

The Captain’s end that Ethan had imagined was also that honorable.

But he had to take his own life in a gray-walled prison, where the sea he had loved his entire life was invisible, framed for a crime he didn’t commit. {He did this} to stop the investigation that was strangling his grandson and to put an end to the harassment from the Kentrell ducal family.

You’re the criminal! You’re just paying for your own sins!

He ground his teeth, looking up at Kentrell Castle, where Harry must be buried. The graves of the humble were buried in the shadow of the castle. Even in death, his grandfather was under Kentrell’s heel. Resentment boiled up within him.

He cursed both the dead dictator and the one still alive. He wanted to bring the Duke to his knees and restore his grandfather’s honor. But revenge was a luxury for him right now.

Ethan offered his final salute to the Captain in the pouring rain.

—I swear, Captain. I will definitely protect Becky.

To do that, they had to get away from this perilous cliff. The three of them had planned to leave Cliffhaven on the last train today.

He had let go of the dream with Eve. However, foolishly, he still couldn’t let go of his love.

Going back to reclaim his love was an act of suicide—one that would harm not only himself but also Becky. Ethan had already lost too much.

I must give up now. Now. Yes, just now.

—Let’s go.

As soon as they left the cemetery, leaving his grandfather in the cold earth, police officers blocked Ethan’s way.

—What is your business this time?

The officers avoided his gaze with embarrassment, then reluctantly took out handcuffs.

—Ha. You’re going to arrest me again? The murder investigation should be closed. What is the charge?

The officer with the higher rank cleared his throat and recited the charge, also sounding apologetic.

—Mr. Ethan Fairchild, you are being arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and unlawful confinement of Lady Evelyn Sherwood.

—Haha.

Ethan burst out laughing even though it was not the time.

They really filed a complaint for that?

Once the official investigation started, the case would be in the newspapers. It was no different from the Duke of Kentrell stepping forward and publicly advertising across the country that the Kentrell family’s daughter had been kidnapped and molested by a gang leader’s son.

Does he feel satisfied only by ruining me by selling out his daughter’s honor? Clearly, all the Sherwoods are mad.

Ethan had reached resignation, but Becky hadn’t. Staggering, she wedged herself between her brother and the officers.

—Is the Duke only going to stop when we’re all dead? You are the ones who committed the crimes!

Becky erupted in fury. Ethan worried she might collapse again.

—Becky, it’s okay. I have evidence that this isn’t true, so I’ll be released soon.

He knew that against the Duke, no truth could defeat a lie. Ethan lied to soothe his sister, then entrusted her to Tom.

—Go home. If I take a long time, leave first.

Behind Ethan, who docilely followed the officers, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the curtain of rain.

—All Sherwoods deserve to die!

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The sun had been up for a long time, but Eve did not get out of bed in the attic. She didn’t have the energy. Ever since she heard the news that Mr. Robinson had hanged himself, she hadn’t been able to swallow anything.

He had definitely taken the blame instead of Ethan. Once the investigation officially began, it would have been revealed that he was not the real culprit, so he took his own life as the accused to end the investigation.

The fact that Mr. Robinson possessed the murder weapon had only contributed to Eve’s certainty that Ethan was the true culprit.

Ethan saved his own life at the cost of Mr. Robinson’s life. Even he wouldn’t have wished for this.

Is that man suffering from guilt and self-loathing like me right now?

Mr. Robinson died because Ethan killed Harry. Ethan killed Harry because Harry wouldn’t stop tormenting him. Harry was able to torment Ethan because Eve hadn’t strangled that demon to death with the umbilical cord while he was still in her womb.

—I’m sorry….

Eve looked at the ring she hadn’t been stripped of yet and apologized to the man who had given her this engagement ring, wishing for his grandson’s happy future.

She no longer dared to wear this ring. Eve was the blood relative of the one who drove him to his death. This ring was no longer a simple token of love or a talisman of happiness to her. It was the Stigma of Original Sin. The weight of the sin, not the love, was heavy.

She hid the engagement ring away again. The only thing left on her hand was a gold band. She thought of the man who bought this as well.

—Ethan….

She felt like she was going crazy from wanting to see him. She didn’t know what words to start with or what emotions they would pour out to each other when they met, but she simply had to meet him.