LOGINScarlett nodded firmly. “I will.”---Sarah noticed Zachary sitting quietly in the next room. She walked over and took a seat beside him.“Did something happen?” she asked softly.He shook his head. “My grandfather received the final injections. If he doesn’t wake up within forty-eight hours… he may never wake up.”Sarah glanced at him, a little surprised.His tone wasn’t panicked.If anything, it was calm. Almost too calm.“How much time is left?” she asked.Zachary checked his watch. “Thirty hours.”Her eyes flickered.That meant eighteen hours ago, when his grandfather was given the injection…He had still been out handling everything with her.“I believe he’ll wake up,” she said quietly.Zachary turned to look at her.For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.It had been a long time since he had seen her like this.Steady. Encouraging.He missed it more than he expected.---Thirty hours.Not long.But not short either.Zachary stayed by the bedside the en
Two hours by car still left them with a wide search radius.Just as the room fell into silence, Scarlett suddenly froze—then her eyes lit up.“There was water,” she said urgently. “When I was locked in that room, I could hear it all the time. Day and night.”Both Sarah and Zachary looked up at once.“What kind of sound?” Sarah asked quickly. “Was it constant?”Scarlett thought for a moment, then nodded with certainty.“It sounded strong… like rushing water falling from above. It never stopped.”She paused, then added, “Like a waterfall.”As if to reinforce her memory, she continued, “And the room was very damp.”That detail changed everything.It sharply narrowed down the possible locations.“I’ve got it,” Zachary said, already moving. “I’ll have people search based on those conditions.”He stepped out, leaving the two of them alone.---Scarlett watched him go, then turned to Sarah, her voice soft but pleading.“Sarah… can you take me to see Steven?”“When I was locked
Scarlett only realized she had been saved a moment later.Tears slipped down her face without warning as she leaned weakly against Sarah, crying silently.Zachary glanced around before speaking in a low voice, “Let’s go inside first. We can talk later. She’s still very weak.”That snapped Sarah out of it.She quickly wiped her tears and nodded. “Right. We need to get you inside.”With a guard helping on the other side, Sarah carefully supported Scarlett toward the house. Her leg was clearly injured, and every step looked painful.Once inside, they settled her into a guest room on the first floor.Only when Scarlett sat down did Sarah realize just how bad it was.Bruises and cuts covered her body. Her leg was the worst, and her arms were marked with countless smaller wounds. None of them had been properly treated, and some hadn’t even begun to heal.The doctor Zachary had arranged arrived shortly after.He examined her and began treating the injuries.Fortunately, while there
“Even if you ask her… then what?” Melvin frowned.Mrs. Sanders froze.Right… then what?“I… I just want to prove this has nothing to do with me,” she said after a long pause, forcing out an answer.Melvin's voice was calm, but sharp. “Dad already suspects you. Even if you go, he’ll just think you forced Fiona to say that.”A shadow passed through his eyes.He had never imagined that one day, his parents’ roles would completely reverse like this.To him, his mother had always been someone blinded by his father—but that didn’t erase what she had done in the past.Mrs. Sanders hadn’t thought that far ahead.What surprised her more was that these words were coming from her son.He cared.That realization, combined with how Shawn had treated her that day, made her chest tighten with emotion. For the first time, she let her vulnerability show in front of Melvin.“Then what am I supposed to do?” she asked, her voice trembling as tears slipped out. “Your father is convinced I’m inv
“Enough!” Mr. Garnett snapped, his face darkening.At that moment, a housekeeper hurried in.“Miss, there’s a Mr. Paterson here to see you.”Mr. Paterson?Mr. Garnett frowned slightly and glanced at Charlotte. There was a well-known Nick Paterson on the East Coast now. Could it really be him?Charlotte wiped away her tears. She didn’t want to stay here another second.Since Nick was here, she grabbed her coat and headed downstairs.“Is it Nick Paterson outside?” Mr. Garnett asked.She knew exactly what he was thinking. Her voice turned cold. “Don’t get any ideas. There’s nothing between us.”“Whether there is or not isn’t up to you,” he said flatly. “In business, profit comes first. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment again.”Charlotte had no patience left for this.She walked out without another word.Nick’s car was parked by the curb. She got in without hesitation.“What happened?” she asked.He glanced at her, eyes narrowing slightly. “You’ve been crying.”A f
“But how does he look exactly like Dr. Xavier?” Sarah couldn’t help asking.Zachary met her gaze and explained patiently, “I anticipated someone might target Dr. Xavier, so I had people prepare a facial replica using the latest molding technology. That way, we can use him to trade for Scarlett.”Not long after noon today, he had already arranged for the disguised “Dr. Xavier” to be brought into the villa.It was a near-perfect solution.But Sarah still felt uneasy.What if something went wrong?“If they figure out the person we hand over isn’t the real Dr. Xavier…” Her voice tightened. “Then Scarlett will be in real danger.”Before she could finish, Zachary cut in, his eyes steady and firm.“They won’t find out.”“Scarlett will be safe.”“This technology has been in development for a long time. As long as no one touches his face, it won’t be easily exposed.”He understood her fear and did everything he could to reassure her.His certainty finally eased some of the tension i
Mia looked at her freshly painted pink nails. A tiny bunny sticker sat on her ring finger. She gave a faint smile. “They’re pretty.”After what had happened last time, she had improved a little. At least now she could manage simple conversations with Lucas.As he carefully brushed on another coat
Charlotte laughed through her tears and, furious, swept her coffee cup off the table. It hit the floor with a loud crash and shattered, which finally made the man at the door stop.James turned, his face colder than before.Only when she made him angry did she get a moment of his attention.Charl
Nick frowned and reached a hand toward Lucy. “Grab my hand.”Lucy looked at him in pure terror. Her hand trembled as she stretched it out. “Nick!”Her soft, pale fingers landed in his palm.In the next second, Nick yanked her toward him and pulled her onto his horse in one clean motion. The saddl
The psychiatric hospital was even more heavily secured than the cemetery.Beyond the iron gate stood a towering metal fence, thick and reinforced, its top lined with sharp spikes. It even appeared to be electrified.Sarah stepped inside.Doctors and nurses moved briskly through the corridors, bus







