Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1598

Elliot lost control and burst into tears. "Great-grandpa… Great-grandpa…" The man with the scarred face dropped to his knees by the bed with a thud. "Brother—" Quincy and Walter’s lips trembled, tears streaming down their faces as a sharp pain shot through their hearts. "…" The heavens seemed to know, as if on cue. Even for this time of year, the rain lashed against the windows in blinding sheets. Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared, the wind shrieked through the trees like a chorus of lost souls. It was as if the world itself was mourning Bernard's passing… Evan stood rigidly by the bed, his eyes wide, staring at Bernard. He wasn't crying or making a sound. His body was stiff. His mind went numb, a high-pitched static drowning out every thought until there was nothing but a hollow, aching void. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant, invisible hand, and he couldn't breathe. The only thing he could feel was pain. Pain radiated from his heart, instantly spreading to every corner of his body… It hurt. It hurt so much. It was an unbearable, suffocating pain that wiped his mind clean, making him forget who he was, where he was, and what had just happened. Not until a clap of thunder cracked right outside the window… *BOOM—* Evan finally snapped back to reality. He heard his uncle and brother crying, saw his great-grandmother, Quincy, and Walter shedding silent tears. And he saw Bernard's closed eyes and the complete stillness of his chest… He remembered. Bernard was dead. His Bernard was dead. The person he loved most was gone. The person who doted on him the most was gone. He didn't have Bernard anymore… He was gone, gone, he didn't have Bernard anymore… No one would ever toss him high in the air again. He would never hear Bernard call him 'Evan' again… Bernard would never smile at him again, never teach him martial arts, never talk him into stealing his great-grandmother's bedsheets to go play ghosts in the woods… His Bernard was gone forever. Evan's eyes widened, his breathing becoming rapid and ragged. His whole body trembled. "AHHH—!" As if possessed, he screamed, spun around, and ran out of the room, straight into the torrential rain. "Evan!" Elliot was terrified and immediately chased after him, but he only caught a glimpse of Evan's back. Just like when Bernard was alive, he leaped from the porch beam to a large tree, then from that tree to another behind the cabin. His small figure quickly vanished into the dense forest… But this time, Bernard wasn't with him. He was alone, small, and pitiful… Elliot wiped away his tears and, without a second thought, plunged into the rain. He was worried about Evan; he had to find his brother! The old matriarch quickly grabbed him. "It's dangerous in the mountains during a thunderstorm. Your skills aren't good enough. you can't risk it." "Evan is skilled, and he's been out in the rain with Bernard many times. He knows this forest well. He'll be okay, don't worry about him." "He's in too much pain. Just let him be alone for a while. Let him get it all out." "…" Deep in the forest, Evan was drenched, running wildly, screaming, "Ah, ah, AHHH—!" He was in so much pain. Truly, so much pain. In all his remembered life, he had never felt a pain like this. He never imagined a person's heart could ache this much. The animals in the forest were startled, scattering in all directions. Birds flew from the trees in a panic, flapping desperately through the rain. Evan was like a madman, crashing through the forest in the downpour. He deliberately fell from trees, intentionally tripped, purposefully plunged into mud pits, and put himself in dangerous situations…