The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 359: [ Volume 1] Chaper 359- Unclear..

Chapter 359: [ Volume 1] Chaper 359- Unclear..

It was the same—it was the same. How could he not know? How could he not recognize the depth of the connection that had been right in front of him?

Kay’s knees buckled, and he sank to the floor, his face buried in his hands as the tears fell, unstoppable. The bed beneath him, the once-pristine white sheets, now stained with his grief. He couldn’t control it. The weight of it all—Esme’s loss, the impossibility of what they were witnessing—crushed him.

Ray, who had been silent throughout, seated motionless, his gaze still fixed on the child. His body shook as though caught in an invisible storm. She was his child, there was no mistaking it.

Yet, the ring, the symbol of the divine beast, told a story none of them were ready to hear. The beast’s ring could only pass to another upon the death of its true owner, and it would always take the shape that fit its new bearer.

The realization hit Ray like a wave crashing against a jagged cliff. His blood turned cold as he looked at the child—his child—and the ring that spoke of Esme’s death. And then, with a tremor in his voice, tears began to fall from his eyes, the emotion of it all breaking through his stoic facade. He had tried so hard to deny it, to not believe it, but now, it was undeniable.

Ryan, ever calm but quick to act, moved with swift precision. He walked up to Ray, gently taking the children from his arms and placing them on a nearby soft swinging bed. He looked down at the child, his face full of determination, but there was a flicker of sorrow behind his eyes.

As he tugged at the ring, testing its hold, he knew it wouldn’t come off. He had expected this, but the fact didn’t make it any easier. The ring was meant to stay on the one it chose.

Ryan leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the child’s forehead, his heart heavy. He pulled the soft blanket over her, trying to comfort her in the only way he could. Then, he turned quickly, urgency driving his every movement. He glanced at Jay, who was still standing at Ray’s side, his expression unreadable. Jay’s hand was on Ray’s arm, but Ray stood frozen, unwilling or unable to move.

Ryan didn’t wait. He made his way to the bedside where the medicine lay, swiftly selecting the correct syringe. His fingers were steady as he loaded it with the required dosage, swinging the needle into place with practiced ease.

Then, he turned and administered the injection with swift precision. Ray’s body stiffened, but then he collapsed onto the bed, the drug beginning to take effect. He felt his body relax, the warmth of it spreading through his veins, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he allowed himself to breathe.

Helga, still holding the phone to her ear, couldn’t stop her own tears. The phone call never went through, but she was no longer sure what she was waiting for. Her heart, like everyone else’s, had already been shattered by the truth that stood before them.

---

The scene was nothing short of a nightmare. For hours, they had searched for any sign of Esme, trying desperately to make sense of her disappearance. Then, two hours later, a call came in—a breakthrough, or so they thought. They found her car. But it was nothing like what they expected.

The car wasn’t on the main road leading to the hospital, but rather, it was found on a narrow backroad that led to a slight hill. The hill itself wasn’t particularly dangerous; the road had been cleared and was well-maintained, so there was no logical reason for the car to have veered off course. Yet, there it was, overturned and crushed at the bottom of the hill, destroyed beyond recognition. The fire that followed the crash had ravaged everything—melted the metal, reduced the interior to ashes.

The authorities were quick to label it as an accident. They claimed Esme must have taken a shortcut and lost control, her car tumbling off the road due to excessive speed or maybe a rock that caused the car to veer off course. Yet the explanations felt hollow. For someone like Esme, who had always been meticulous, cautious, and attentive to detail, it made no sense. Why would she take such a dangerous shortcut when she could have easily stayed on the main road? Why, knowing she had people waiting for her, would she risk her safety like that?

Helga, Aaron, and the rest couldn’t wrap their heads around it. The way the car had been dented—nothing about it screamed "accident." It was clear that something had hit the car with force. The police speculated that maybe it was a rock or debris, but the explanation didn’t fit. Esme had been a beast owner—someone who had been trained to react swiftly in difficult situations. If there was danger, she would have been able to avoid it. She wasn’t the type to drive recklessly.

The fire that consumed the car was another mystery. The police had suggested the car might have been in poor condition, that the explosion had come from an oil leak or some other malfunction. But that didn’t explain why the fire had been so intense, burning everything to the point where not even a trace of Esme’s body remained. Not a single bone, not a scrap of clothing. How could something burn so completely, so thoroughly? It was as if whatever had caused the fire had done so with a precise and terrible force.

Aaron, Helga, and the others couldn’t accept it. The police kept telling them it was an unfortunate accident, but none of them could buy it. Kay, frustrated and desperate for answers, went to the police station repeatedly, demanding answers, his voice a mixture of anger and disbelief.

How could they simply accept the narrative that a car had exploded so violently that it left nothing behind? There had to be something more—something they were missing.