The other blond stared at Ryley with eyes devoid of their former vitality, drowning in a sea of anguish.
In a voice tainted with the deepest sorrow, Vernon accused, "You took them from me... you stole my man... and killed my precious son... You took them away from me..."
Vernon's accusation hung heavy in the air, an indictment that pierced the other blond's heart.
The room instantly brimmed with a poignant tension, emotions too intense to be contained.
Ryley's trembling form found its strength as he surged to his feet, his terror-stricken countenance now twisted with a mixture of fear and anger.
His eyes, once wide with horror, now blazed with intensity as he desperately tried to defend himself, his words tumbling out in a stammering cascade, "I… I never meant it that way—"