Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1183

Reggie pointed at Kearney, his voice tinged with disbelief, "Phenix, take a good look. Do you see who this is?"

Phenix turned towards Kearney, a puzzled expression mirrored on his face as he glanced back at the others in the room. "That's Sean, godfather. What's gotten into you? How do you not recognize Sean?"

Reggie's tone grew stern, "Look closely. That's Kearney, not Sean. Sean's gone, taken from us by this monster. Step aside, Phenix. I need to end him, to avenge Sean."

Phenix seemed completely lost.

He looked from Kearney to the others, confusion written all over his face. "Sean's gone? But Sean's standing right here. Why are you saying he's not? Who's Kearney, godfather? What are you talking about?"

Agnes was flabbergasted.

Had Phenix really forgotten Kearney?

Naylor stepped forward, concern etching his features. "Phenix, what's gotten into you? How could you forget Kearney? Brother, what did you do to Phenix?"

Phenix, looking equally bewildered, turned to Naylor. "Naylor, what's going on? I don't understand what you're talking about."

It was as if Kearney had been erased from Phenix's memory, and in his place, he saw only Sean. His mind had somehow overlapped the two, making one vanish entirely.

Naylor was almost ready to grab Kearney by his collar.

Kearney, for his part, seemed utterly defeated, sitting there as if he were boneless, as if the drama unfolding around him was of no consequence.

But Phenix was alert, fiercely protecting Kearney from anyone who dared approach. If Reggie had fired a shot then, he might have defended Kearney with his life.

Jared worked in silence, his mood unreadable.

After he patched her up, Agnes could sense Jared's mood. "Jared, have I worried you these past few days?"

Jared was visibly upset but after a moment, he opened up. "You promised you'd stay out of the drug case, but you went behind my back. If you had to investigate, why not tell me? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Finding out that Kearney might be behind it all, that you were trapped on this island by a ruthless killer, I was losing my mind."

Regret washed over Agnes.

"I'm sorry, Jared. It was wrong of me not to tell you, but things happened so fast. Everything's okay now, isn't it?"

Jared let out a deep sigh, suddenly pulling Agnes into a tight embrace. "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to blame you. I know you too well; you'd never back down from seeking the truth. But I failed you. I promised to keep you safe, and yet I couldn't."