At a family gathering elders accuse Clara of trying to drown Tessa and demand retribution. Elias, who arrived in time to save Tessa, is pressured to punish Clara with “twenty strokes” as relatives grab Randy’s cane and invoke the ancestors. Someone pleads with Mr. Quinn, shouting “she’s my fiancée” and offers to speak, but the elders press Elias, reminding him Tessa lies in ICU. Clara repeatedly refuses to apologize—“I didn’t do it. I won’t say sorry!”—and Elias hesitates as the cane is raised, leaving punishment and Tessa’s fate unresolved.