At Asher's house, the atmosphere was heavy. Bryan arrived and greeted his friend.
"Hey man."
"Hey," Asher replied, exhausted.
"How is it?"
"I asked one of my contacts on the Council to inform the elders. Miria… since you all left, she's locked herself in her room."
Marlie lowered her head sadly.
"Oh…"
"I wanted to go in and be with her," Asher continued, "but I think she needs some space to let out her grief."
Kira asked softly:
"Any news on Klaus?"
Ray sighed.
"It's bad… Really bad."
Asher nodded with empathy.
"Honestly, I can understand how he feels… I had to live through the loss of my first love. It wasn't easy."
Isabella murmured:
"Surely…"
Eiden frowned.
"And right now, what is he doing?"
Diana answered in a low voice:
"He's drowning himself in alcohol…"
Alix shook her head.
"It's even worse than I thought…"
In a discreet bar in another town, Klaus was finishing drink after drink, constantly ordering more. Gale tried to stop him.
"Klaus, you've had too much. You should stop here."
Klaus gave a bitter smile, his eyes red.
"You know… I don't know what I did wrong… I redeemed myself for what I did to Isabella, didn't I? Couldn't life have given me a second chance? Didn't I deserve it?"
Gale placed a hand on his shoulder, searching for words.
At that moment, an elegant woman approached. Light brown hair perfectly styled in soft curls, green eyes enhanced by subtle makeup, a form-fitting dress that accentuated her figure: Léana had carefully dolled herself up.
"Gale… how are you?" she asked in a gentle voice.
Gale struggled to hide his anger, but he held it in.
"Still sad…"
He turned to Klaus.
"Come on bro, we need to go home."
Klaus categorically refused. Gale insisted, but in vain. Léana then intervened:
"Gale, it's useless… He refuses. Leave him. I'll take him home."
Gale hesitated, ready to refuse, but Klaus squeezed his arm with meaningful pressure.
"Don't worry… let her do it."
Gale eventually gave in, reluctantly.
"Fine… But take very good care of him."
Léana smiled, falsely benevolent.
"I promise."
As soon as Gale left, Léana approached Klaus with a sad and compassionate expression.
"Klaus… you should go home. This isn't good for you. Katrina would never have wanted to see you like this."
Klaus looked up at her with a broken gaze.
"Katrina… She was everything to me. Despite our age difference, despite everything… she made me mature. She accepted me as I was, with my mistakes, my wounds. She never judged me. She was just… there. For me."
Léana felt a growing discomfort, but she continued listening.
Klaus went on, his voice slurred:
"You know why I chose this bar specifically? It's where I met her. I was sitting exactly where you are. Back when everything had gone wrong with Isabella… when I accidentally stabbed Gale. I came here to drown my guilt in alcohol. Katrina was there with her friends. She thought I was Gale at first. She came over, worried, to ask why I had brushed off her friend so harshly. I never really answered her… but she was understanding. She listened to me. Without judgment."
Léana felt more and more uneasy. To change the subject, she stood up.
"You know what? It would be better to go home."
She helped him up and took him back to his place, a forced smile on her lips.