"Cough... cough..."

At first, Lydia tried to sit up, pushing herself with shaking arms. But the fever weighed her down like lead, and her limbs refused to obey. After a few seconds of struggling, she sank back into the pillow, her chest rising and falling with shallow, exhausted breaths.

Henry stood over her, his face pale with fury, fists clenched at his sides like he was barely holding himself together.

Martha burst into the room, eyes widening at the sight.

"Sir?! What are you doing? She's burning up-she needs a doctor!"

That seemed to snap him out of whatever storm had clouded his mind.

He didn't say anything. His jaw twitched. His eyes dropped to Lydia's flushed, tear-streaked face. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking-inside and out.

For a split second, something flickered in his expression. But it was gone just as fast.

He turned away sharply, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

Damn it. She actually wanted to die? She really believed she could just disappear-like that would fix anything? As if dying would somehow set her free?

No. Not a chance.

He turned back, his voice low and cutting.

"This is your warning. You want to die? Not unless I say so. As long as you're breathing, you stay right here and pay for what your family did."

His voice was like ice, every word sharp enough to scar.

Lydia didn't respond. She just lay there, staring up at him with red-rimmed eyes, blinking slowly.

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

Martha moved quickly to the bed, checking Lydia's condition. "I'll go get the doctor," she whispered, and hurried out.

Lydia stayed still, her eyes unfocused. The ceiling above her blurred, but his voice echoed in her head, over and over.

"You want to die? Not unless I say so."

She let out a bitter laugh, barely audible.

His cruelty always found new ways to hurt her.

Ten years. Would it ever end?

She didn't know.

...

Out in the corridor, Henry stood with both fists clenched, forehead pressed against the cold wall.

He couldn't shake that final look in her eyes-like she'd given up, but also found a twisted kind of peace.

That look lit a fuse in him-rage mixed with something way more terrifying-panic.

Damn it. Couldn't she just behave for once? Always had to push his buttons, again and again.

Frustrated, he clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall, trying to let out all that bottled-up rage inside.

The next morning, Lydia was discharged from the hospital.

Martha finally breathed a sigh of relief and told her to stay put and pack her things while she went to handle the discharge papers.

At the same time, out front of the hospital-

Clara stepped out of the car and quickly opened the back door to help her father out.

Once Charles Spencer stood firmly on his feet, he turned to his daughter with a warm smile and gently tapped her hand.

"Clara, you just got back to the country and probably have plenty on your own plate. No need to stick to me like glue," he said kindly.

"How is that the same?" Clara pouted and grinned, "You're my dad. If you have a hospital check-up, I'd be a terrible daughter if I didn't come with you. Nothing's more important than your health."

Charles chuckled at her words, his face lighting up.

"Oh, you and that sweet mouth-like it's dipped in honey!"

"Alright, alright, let's get inside, Dad," Clara said as she linked arms with him. "UV's strong today, not great for your skin."

So the two of them chatted and laughed as they walked inside.

Just as they stepped in, Clara's phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and said quickly, "Dad, you go on up-I just need to take this call. I'll catch up."

Charles waved it off. "Alright, go ahead."

After Clara left, he made his way upstairs like he'd done it a hundred times before and saw the doctor.

When he came out and noticed Clara still hadn't returned, he figured he'd go grab his medicine first.

Just as he turned a corner, someone in a rush rammed into him.

The medicine flew out of his hand and scattered on the floor, though he managed to catch himself against the wall.

The person didn't even stop or say sorry-just disappeared in an instant.

"People these days..." Charles muttered, shaking his head.

He bent over, ready to pick up his medicine, when a petite figure stepped in front of him, scooped up the package, and handed it to him.

He blinked in surprise, instinctively taking it from her without thinking.

When he looked up, he saw a young woman with a soft, beautiful face-her eyes curved when she smiled, just like little crescent moons.

Something tugged at his heart. She felt oddly familiar.

"Thank you, young lady," he said with a kind smile.

"No problem, sir," Lydia responded with a soft chuckle, giving a small wave.

Right then, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen, and her expression shifted subtly.

Without a word, she bit her lip and picked up the call.

"You've got ten minutes. Meet me outside the hospital."

The second the call connected, Henry's voice came through, cold and emotionless.

Lydia's face paled. She stared at the screen that showed the call had been cut off, then looked up at Charles. She typed on her phone and showed it to him.

-Are you heading downstairs?

Charles was a bit surprised, then seemed to get the idea-such a sweet girl, and yet...

He couldn't help but feel a little regret deep down.

Keeping a warm smile on his face, he said, "You've got something to do, don't you? It's okay-go ahead. Don't worry about me. I'm just waiting for my daughter."

-Alright then, I'll get going. Take care. It's not always safe to be alone.

She tapped the new sentence and showed it to him again.

That warmed Charles's heart even more. He chuckled and nodded, saying, "Got it, sweetie. I'll be careful. You better hurry too, don't keep your family waiting."

-Goodbye.

The mention of "family" yanked Lydia's thoughts back to Henry, probably still waiting for her outside.

He only gave her ten minutes. She didn't dare waste another second. Turning abruptly, she rushed toward the elevator.

'Ding-'

Just as she got there, the doors opened.

But the moment she looked up, she froze.

Clara?

They locked eyes, both clearly caught off guard.

Lydia quickly pulled herself together, bit her lip, and stepped into the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Clara couldn't stop herself, her tone sharp. "You stalking me or what?"

Seriously, how could it be this much of a coincidence to run into Lydia here of all places? So annoying.

-I'm here because I'm not feeling well. You've got it wrong.

Lydia frowned as she signed.

But Clara looked even more irritated. "Stop waving your hands around in front of me, it's really annoying, you know that?"

Lydia's fingers hesitated mid-air. She reached for her phone again.

"Oh, forget it! Who's got the time to wait for you to finish typing? Listen, stay out of my way. I don't want to see you again."

She turned to leave just as-

'Ding.'

The elevator doors snapped shut.

Clara blinked, raised her hand to hit the button, but then a loud, urgent alarm went off.

The elevator had stopped.

"Aah!!"

Both of them were caught off guard by the sudden halt.

Clara reacted even more strongly-she almost lost her balance. She reached for the handrail and backed away in a panic.

Right then, there was a crisp "ding"-something hit the ground.

Lydia glanced down and spotted a necklace lying on the floor.

She bent over to pick it up, frowning slightly-it looked... weirdly familiar.

The pendant was shaped like an eye.

Wait a second... wasn't this the same as the one she had a decade ago?

Clara was just starting to catch her breath, hand still on her chest, and when she turned around, she immediately saw Lydia carefully turning the necklace over in her hands.

Clara froze for a beat, then her face changed completely. Without thinking, she reached out and snatched the necklace back. "What are you staring at? Never seen a necklace before?!"

-No, Miss Spencer, you got it wrong. That necklace... it looks like mine. Can I-

"This is my necklace! What's it got to do with you?!"

Clara cut her off before she could finish. Her heart skipped a beat.

So that's it.

No wonder the moment she saw this mute girl, something just felt off.

Both mute. She recognized the necklace. They even looked kinda alike...

No doubt now.

This mute girl-she's the one from back then!

Damn it!

After all these years, why is she still clinging on like a ghost?

Anger and frustration roared in Clara's chest. She shoved the necklace right in Lydia's face and snapped, "Take a good look! My name's on it. It's mine! Lydia, I'm warning you-don't touch my stuff again. Whether it's a necklace or a man, if you've touched it, it's filthy. Because you are."

Lydia just stood there, stunned. She had no idea what Clara was going off about.

Like... what even triggered all this?

Just then, there was another ding-the elevator doors slid open.

The two of them turned to look. Several rescue workers stood outside the elevator.

Seeing both of them safe, they all breathed a sigh of relief and helped them out.

"Clara! Are you alright?" Charles had rushed over not far away, anxious and out of breath as soon as he spotted his daughter.

Clara, still shaken by what just happened, forced herself to calm down and quickly went up to him. "Dad! Don't worry, I'm okay. Just got a little scared. We weren't stuck long. Let's go."

Lydia stepped out of the elevator too and walked a few steps behind-only to realize Clara was already gone.

She felt oddly disappointed. She'd hoped to take another look at that necklace...

"Lydia!"

Suddenly, a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked hard.

She heard a low, biting voice next to her ear.

Lydia stumbled a bit, almost losing her balance.

When she turned around and saw who it was, her face changed.

"Henry? What are you doing here?"

Henry's expression darkened as he stared at the direction she'd just looked, where Clara stood, and asked coldly, "What were you looking at?"

"I was just..." Lydia started, about to mention Clara, but the second the thought of their connection crossed her mind, her chest tightened painfully.

Instinctively, she didn't want him to know Clara was there, so she quickly changed tack.

"I wasn't looking at anything."

Henry's expression stiffened. His voice dropped lower, like ice spreading under her skin.

"Lydia. Do you think I'm blind?"

She blinked. "What's that supposed to mean...?"

He took a step closer, his eyes sharp, searching hers.

"You think I didn't see it? You standing there like you were waiting for someone-then suddenly pretending nothing happened?"

Lydia's breath caught in her throat.

Henry's voice dipped lower, more dangerous now. "You've been acting strange for days. And now you're sneaking around, meeting people behind my back?"

"I wasn't sneaking-"

"You're lying again."

He said nothing for a moment, just looked at her with that unreadable expression that always made her chest tighten.

Then his voice came, calm and final. "Get in the car."

She hesitated.

"Now."

Lydia followed, heart pounding.

The drive back to the estate was silent. When they arrived, Henry stepped out of the car and walked ahead without a glance. At the door, he stopped just long enough to speak.

"You're not leaving this house," he said. "Not unless I say so."

Then he left her standing there, frozen.

Bitterness pooled in her chest. He never trusted her-only his own version of the story.

She'd been so scared in that elevator. But all he saw was something to accuse.

Upstairs, she closed the door to her room with a soft click. Then she crossed to the shelf and opened a cardboard box.

Inside were rows of oddly shaped little robots -all handmade by her over the years as she taught herself how to build them. They were the only things that still brought her a little peace.

If Henry wouldn't let her out, then fine-she wouldn't go.

Honestly, Lydia didn't feel like dealing with people anyway. Compared to making small talk, she'd rather hole up and tinker with her little robot buddies.

Right now, she was working on a chubby little bot-that was the one she'd be using to compete in a couple of days.

Just thinking about the weekend's robotics competition made the corners of her mouth lift slightly.

Martha had already helped her sign up on the sly. And luckily, Henry was supposed to be out that day-perfect chance for her to sneak out with the bot and join the competition without getting caught.

The weekend came.

Lydia got up early, made sure the coast was clear, then tiptoed out with her robot in tow.

Outside the competition venue-

Clara spotted Henry stepping out of the car and quickly rushed over, trying to latch onto his arm with a bright smile.

But Henry gave her a cold glance, making her freeze mid-action. Awkwardly, she forced a laugh.

"You're here, Henry!"

"Yeah." Henry's tone was as flat as ever. His eyes shifted to Charles walking up behind. "Professor Spencer."

Charles gave him a nod and smiled, "Let's head in. This year's competition's drawing quite the crowd, thanks to your backing, Mr. Lawson."

Henry replied coolly, "Quality matters more than numbers."

"Exactly!" Charles nodded thoughtfully. "Our country started late in R&D; we've lost so much talent over the years. Only recently have things started picking up. Hopefully we'll see some real promise this time."

After exchanging a few words, they began making their way inside-just as a taxi pulled up at the front entrance.

Out stepped a figure.

Henry caught her in his peripheral vision, and his face darkened on the spot.

Lydia?

He didn't even think-just strode toward her with long steps.

Clara also noticed Lydia, her expression changing instantly.

Why is she here?!

Panic kicked in as her eyes darted to Charles.

And sure enough, Charles was staring at Lydia, a thoughtful look settling on his face.

He was just trying to place where he'd seen her before, but in Clara's eyes, that gaze meant something else entirely.

Her heart started pounding.

In the meantime, Henry had already reached Lydia.

And the second Lydia saw him, all the color drained from her face.