"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.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Henry grabbed her wrist, his face clouded over. "Who said you could walk out that door? You found me here-are you stalking me now?"

His sharp tone drained the color from Lydia's face. She scrambled to explain before he took things the wrong way again.

"I'm not stalking you," she gestured anxiously. "I came here for the science competition."

She held up the small robot in her hands. "See? This is my entry."

Henry shot a dismissive glance at it and sneered, "This old junk pile?"

Without warning, he swatted it to the ground.

The robot slammed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

"No!"

Lydia dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the broken parts.

But Henry yanked her back up, his expression growing darker, irritated. "You really think I'm that gullible? You better start talking-what are you pulling here?"

The sting of his words hit hard.

He doesn't believe her... at all.

Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip, glanced at him through the blur, then wrenched herself free.

"Henry, I hate you!"

With her busted robot in her arms, she turned and ran.

Henry's face darkened.

She's really getting bolder by the day.

...

Lydia ran and ran, only stopping when her legs gave out. She collapsed by the roadside, clutching the broken robot, tears streaming down.

This competition... she'd waited years for this. Three whole years.

Now it was gone. All of it-gone.

The harder she tried not to cry, the more her tears fell. She thought Henry would at least... understand her, even if he didn't support her.

But his reaction just now felt like he crushed her trust along with the robot.

"Miss Abbott?"

A gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Lydia looked up through blurry eyes and saw Michael standing right in front of her.

"So it really is you," he smiled.

For a second, he thought he'd gotten it wrong. But the way she looked eating candy that last time-it stuck with him. So he took the chance to ask. And yeah, it was her.

Seeing her like this, so upset, tugged at something in him. He walked closer.

"You okay?" he asked. "Need help with anything?"

The doctor...

Lydia felt a little let down. For a moment there, she thought maybe Henry had followed her.

What a joke.

Especially since she thought she'd just seen Clara nearby.

If Clara's around, there's no way Henry would spare a second thought for someone like her.

Michael's voice at least warmed her heart a little. She lifted her hands and gestured.

"My robot broke," she signed. "I can't compete anymore."She hadn't expected him to understand her at all. But to her surprise, after watching her hand signs, Michael paused briefly, then pointed at the broken robot in his arms and asked, "You mean this one?"

Lydia was stunned for a second. He could read sign language?

She nodded instinctively and replied,

-Yes, that's the one.

Michael gave a small smile. "Mind if I take a look?"

-Sure.

Sniffling, Lydia passed him the damaged robot, her eyes still red.

He turned it over in his hands, examining it for a moment before suddenly grinning. "Hang on a second."

Before she could respond, he walked off into a nearby mall with the robot.

By the time Lydia realized and chased after him, he had already disappeared inside.

She froze, feeling a wave of disappointment crash over her.

Seriously?

Not only was her carefully-built robot trashed, making it impossible to compete-now someone had straight-up taken off with it?

The more she thought, the worse she felt. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Just then, Michael reappeared.

Lydia stared at him, wide-eyed.

Seeing her still crying, Michael chuckled softly. "Okay, okay, no more tears. Your robot's fine-look, I fixed it."

-Huh?

Lydia took the robot from him, still in disbelief. It was actually repaired.

-How did you do that?!

The joy in her eyes was obvious, followed quickly by guilt.

So... he had just gone to fix it for her. And she'd thought the worst of him.

Michael said, "It wasn't really broken, just missing a part. I found someone inside who had the piece and helped put it in place. That's all."

Looking over it carefully, Lydia saw he was right, and quickly thanked him with a bright smile.

-Dr. Shaw, thank you so, so much!

He waved it off with a grin. "No need to thank me. Honestly, you could've figured it out yourself. You were just too stressed to notice."

-Still, I really appreciate it.

Michael just shook his head, amused. "Well, now that it's fixed, you can make it to the competition. Go on, don't be late."

Startled, Lydia checked the time.

-Alright. Dr. Shaw, I'm heading out. I owe you a meal for this!

She was about to leave when Michael gently caught her wrist.

Confused, Lydia turned back. He smiled and said, "If you just run over now, the competition's probably over. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Lydia hesitated, bit her lip, then gave a small nod.

...

At the competition venue, things were already wrapping up.

The judges had made their final decisions, and someone came over to report to Charles and Henry.

Charles let out a quiet sigh, "I really thought we'd find some promising talent this time... but no. There's still a long way to go."

Henry didn't react much-his tone was calm. "Well, if that's the case, go ahead and make the announcement."

The person nodded and walked off.

On stage, the host got the cue, looked down at the audience and said, "And now, the winner of this year's competition is-"

Before he could finish, a sudden commotion came from the entrance.