Ethan's eyes stayed fixed on the three women as if the rest of the room no longer existed.
"Alright, everybody out. Go do whatever you were doing. Victor, we still haven't finished our dungeon run, and people are waiting on us."
Markham immediately caught on to the atmosphere. Without wasting another second, he grabbed Victor and the others and started herding everyone back inside. The rest exchanged knowing looks and followed along with poorly hidden smiles, not a single one of them foolish enough to stay behind.
A moment later, only Ethan and the three women remained.
"I'm back."
He said it again, quieter this time. That was all it took.
The tears they had been holding back finally spilled over. Silent trembling turned into muffled sobs, and Ethan stepped forward without hesitation, pulling all three of them into his arms.
"I'm sorry. I made you worry."
