Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1682

Elliot nodded. “It was smooth. But the antidote is going to take a while to develop. Great-Grandma asked me to tell you that she’ll contact you as soon as she has any news.”

Tarquin wasn’t surprised. This was an eighth-generation bioweapon, with each version more potent than the last. Not long ago, a virus somewhere between the fourth and fifth generation had given the entire medical organization a massive headache. It was easy to imagine the destructive power of an eighth-generation virus. The more lethal it was, the harder it was to crack. An antidote wouldn't be ready anytime soon.

“About your mentor, Bernard…”

At the mention of Bernard, Elliot’s eyes welled up again. “Bernard was poisoned!”

“Back in the day, after Bernard defeated the top fighters from seven different countries, those cowards got scared. They kidnapped Grandpa Walter and his mother to threaten Bernard.”

“They gave him two choices: die, or throw the match.”

“Bernard believed that throwing a match would be a disgrace to his country, no different from treason. So he chose to die.”

“They injected him with poison, but Great-Grandma saved him.”

“She’s been helping him suppress the poison’s effects all these years. But as he got older, his immune system weakened, and even she couldn't do anything more…”

Tears streamed down Elliot’s face as he spoke. “Dad, Bernard died with regrets!”

“He spent all these years searching for the people who murdered his master and his master’s wife, but he never found them. He died without getting his revenge…”

Tarquin’s heart shattered. His Elliot was only five years old. He was just a child. No matter how mature and composed he acted, he was still just a child.

With his own eyes red, Tarquin pulled Elliot into his arms, his voice thick with emotion. “You don’t have to be strong in front of me, Elliot. If you need to cry, just cry. Dad will always be your rock. When you’re tired, you can rest here. As long as I’m here, the sky will never fall. You can rest easy.”

Elliot felt a fresh wave of grief and sorrow. “Dad…”

“I’m here,” Tarquin responded softly.

Elliot cried in his father’s arms for a long time before his sobs slowly subsided. He wiped his tears, his eyes still red, and looked at Tarquin. “Don’t worry about me, Dad. You need to go comfort Evan. He was the closest to Bernard. This has hit him the hardest.”