Just then, Alyssa suddenly cried out from the passenger seat. "Oh no! Isaiah, what should I do? I forgot to close my window!

"The little plant you gave me is still on the windowsill, and with such heavy rain, I'll be heartbroken if it gets ruined. That's the little plant you potted for me on my birthday.

"It's the only thing that gives me hope when my depression kicks in. I treasure it more than my own life!"

Through the rearview mirror, Solana noticed Alyssa's gaze directed right at her. She suddenly realized that Alyssa was doing this intentionally.

"I'll turn around and send you home right now!" Isaiah agreed without hesitation.

"Yes! Isaiah, you're the best!" Alyssa beamed, her face lit up with the happiness that she didn't even try to hide.

Then, she looked hesitantly toward the back seat. She said uncertainly, "Isaiah, this means Sol will have to make an extra trip with us. Won't that delay her doctor's appointment?"

The car suddenly screeched to a stop on the roadside. Isaiah pointed at Solana coldly, saying, "Get out and go to the hospital yourself. There's an umbrella in the trunk."

Solana was taken aback for a moment. Nonetheless, she quickly recovered and responded, "Okay," and quietly opened the car door.

"But Isaiah, this new dress I'm wearing today was also a birthday gift from you. What if it gets soaked?" Alyssa asked this just as Solana was getting out of the car.

"We need to use the umbrella, so we can't give it to you." Isaiah didn't give her a chance to get the umbrella and drove off immediately.

The pool of water on the ground splashed as the car sped away. Solana stepped back to avoid it, only to look up and meet Alyssa's smug little face through the car window.

She sighed helplessly and quickly took shelter under the awning of a nearby shop. It was raining cats and dogs to the point that she was already soaked through just from getting out of the car.

Solana shivered from the cold. As the recent abortion had weakened her body significantly, she crouched down powerlessly and hugged herself.

Usually, it was easy to catch a ride around here. However, the sudden downpour had turned the smooth roads into traffic jams, causing the available cabs in the area to dwindle. She glanced at someone nearby who had been fumbling with the rideshare app for a while to no avail.

That was when she realized that getting a cab home wasn't a feasible option. So, she forced herself to stand up despite the cold and walked in the rain. However, she hadn't gone far when sharp pain and waves of cold hit her lower abdomen.

She hadn't eaten anything all day. Moreover, she hadn't had any time to rest after the abortion procedure that morning. Unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed in the heavy rain, her vision going black.

When Solana opened her eyes again, she saw white walls and Isaiah's grim, cold face. She was startled and quickly jumped out of bed, only to notice the IV needle still in the back of her hand.

Solana worriedly touched her lower abdomen, worried that her abortion had been discovered.

"Who told you to get out of bed? Lie back down! You're 18 years old, yet you still can't take care of yourself? Did you know your blood sugar levels dropped again?"

The second she heard the words "blood sugar," her expression softened with relief. Under Isaiah's firm gaze, she obediently lay back down. It was only then that she looked around and realized that this wasn't a hospital, but Alyssa's home.

"Isaiah, didn't you drop Ms. Hill off? Why—"

Isaiah cut her off, clearly irritated. "Why did I come back for you and bring you here, too? Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused? Grandpa went off on me like mad!"

It finally hit Solana that she had accidentally triggered her emergency protocol when she collapsed. Her emergency contact was Cedric, who had suggested that she make it him. The reasoning he gave was that everyone else in the family was busy, but he would always be free to answer Solana's calls.

She never expected this call to go through. The call connected, but Solana didn't respond. So, Cedric immediately called Isaiah, furious to learn he had abandoned her halfway.

Isaiah had hung up and turned the car around right away. He didn't even listen to a word Alyssa had said because his mind was entirely on Solana. She couldn't get hurt. If anything happened, Cedric would kill him.

Soon, he found Solana collapsed not far from where he'd dropped her off. He knew about her chronic hyperglycemia and was about to take her to the hospital.

However, Alyssa said the hospital was still some distance away, and the roads were jammed. Hence, it would be better to take her back to Alyssa's home first and call the family doctor.

That was how Solana ended up lying in the guest room at Alyssa's house. She hadn't expected this to happen and said, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I feel much better now, so I won't disturb you and Ms. Hill."

She sincerely apologized and wanted to give them space. In her past life, she'd always been jealous of Alyssa. They fought so many times because of it, and he always called her immature.

Yet, now that she was being mature, he seemed even angrier. "You're still thinking about other people at a time like this?"

Solana wanted nothing more than to leave, but she didn't want to argue with him. So, she quietly followed his order and lay back down. She quietly thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Isaiah."

Isaiah's cold gaze fell on her face, feeling like she was somehow different from before. In the past, she loved clinging to him most, chattering nonstop whenever she saw him. If something like this had happened, she would have already been crying and complaining to him.

Moreover, she hadn't called him "Uncle Isaiah" in a long time. At some point, she had started calling him by his name.

Thunder rumbled outside as the heavy rain continued falling. She obediently finished the IV drip under Isaiah's supervision.

"Solana—"

Isaiah was about to ask what was wrong with her lately and why she had become so well-behaved when a scream came from the next room. His expression grew serious, and he instinctively rushed out.

"Ally must have been startled awake by the thunder, and her depression is acting up again. I have to go comfort her."

Solana nodded silently, tears streaming down her cheeks. Although she knew he didn't have feelings for her, she couldn't help feeling heartbroken when he abandoned her.

Suddenly, a large hand landed on top of her head. "Be good. I'll be right back. Sleep for now, and I'll take you home later."

Isaiah didn't know why he returned after just stepping out of the bedroom. He felt uneasy, as if Solana might disappear at any moment. He rushed to the adjacent room again, picked up the screaming and frantic Alyssa, and took her to the safe room in the basement.

In her past life, Alyssa's episodes would strike suddenly, and Isaiah would shut himself in the so-called safe room with her. He would ignore the world for days until she calmed down.

Solana remembered one night when Harper was just six months old. Her temperature spiked, and she started convulsing from a seizure.

Solana was so scared she called Isaiah in tears, begging him to take Harper to the hospital. However, he scolded her for being inconsiderate, saying Alyssa couldn't be left alone during her episodes and told her to figure it out herself.

At that time, Solana had just given birth a while ago. What could she possibly do? So, she braved the freezing snow with Harper in her arms.

She didn't even have time to change; she just went out in her pajamas and slippers to flag down a ride. She didn't know how many times she knelt in the snow before a car finally took them to the hospital.

At the hospital, Harper was administered emergency care. Solana was only 19 at the time, and she had never experienced such an emergency. She was shaking so severely that she could barely sign the forms.

She knelt outside the ICU and called Isaiah countless times, but he never answered once. Afterward, he even blamed her, telling her not to disturb them with such trivial matters when Alyssa was having depression episodes.

A knock at the door brought Solana back from her thoughts. "Ally wants seafood bisque from The Palate. I'm going out to buy it for her. Can you watch her for a bit?"

She was stunned. Although she had initially planned to text Isaiah and leave, given the current situation, she had to agree.

Just minutes after he left, Alyssa emerged from the safe room. She looked at Solana with disdain, her lips curling in mockery. She looked nothing like a depressed patient who needed constant companionship.

Solana could immediately tell that Alyssa was faking it. After all, she had suffered from severe depression in her past life, and she knew what real depression patients were like.

Alyssa said, "You think using the baby to force him into marrying you makes you special? He loves me. He will always love me. You'll never compare to that."

Seeing that she hadn't provoked Solana's anger like usual, Alyssa felt the frustration building. Then, she suddenly smiled and added, "Solana, however much he used to love you, that's how much he'll hate you now!"

Solana looked at her in confusion, not understanding. However, Alyssa only laughed louder and returned to the safe room. Moments later, terrible screams could be heard from inside.

Solana's heart clenched. Without thinking, she sprinted toward the basement.

Solana silently prayed that nothing would happen. After all, she had just promised Isaiah she would help watch Alyssa. Moreover, she was leaving soon and didn't want to create any unnecessary conflicts.

If something happened to Alyssa, Isaiah would punish her again by locking her in the dark room at the mountain villa.

Just thinking about that dark room made her whole body tremble. The day her parents died in the accident, she stayed home alone for one night before Isaiah came to get her the next day. No one ever knew how she managed to get through that night.

She had hidden inside a pitch-black closet, too scared to fall asleep. From then on, she developed severe claustrophobia.

Isaiah knew about it. That was why he'd always made sure not to leave her home alone. However, in her past life, Alyssa frequently provoked her after their engagement, and he locked her up several times to vent his anger on Alyssa's behalf.

Even though Alyssa was always the one who started the trouble, Isaiah only believed what Alyssa told him.

Moreover, Solana still had many things to do before going abroad for her studies. So, the last thing she wanted was to be locked up.

As soon as Solana rushed to the basement door, her heart went cold. Alyssa was facing away from her, and there was a large pool of blood on the floor.

"Alyssa! Don't do anything stupid!" Solana shouted as she sprinted toward her in panic. However, she froze the moment she saw what Alyssa was holding.

Alyssa was cradling a bloody, limp bundle in her arms. Then, she turned to look at Solana with a sinister smile.

Suddenly, she shoved the bloody bundle into Solana's hands and screamed, "Solana, why did you kill Poppy? That was my therapy dog that kept me company for seven years.

"How could you be so cruel? Aren't you afraid your baby will pay the price for what you've done?"

It was only then that Solana realized she was holding Alyssa's therapy dog, Poppy. So, the cries she'd heard earlier had been Poppy's.

Alyssa had just brutally killed it herself.

She instantly understood what was happening, but it was too late. Before she could throw away the dead dog, both her hands were held tightly by Alyssa. "Give me back my Poppy! Give me back!"

Alyssa's grip was frighteningly firm, and Solana couldn't break free. Just then, Isaiah appeared behind her.

"Solana Summers, what are you doing?" He was furious, grinding his teeth as he roared word by word.

Isaiah felt his blood had run cold. The seafood bisque slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor, splattering everywhere. He had only been gone for such a short time, and this had happened.

Alyssa was now crying herself hoarse, collapsing into Isaiah's arms. "Isaiah, Poppy was with me for seven whole years. Every night, it slept beside me. Without Poppy, how can I go on living? I might as well die!"

He immediately held her tightly. "Ally, don't talk nonsense. Seeing you like this breaks my heart! You still have me. From now on, I'll sleep with you every night, okay?"

After saying this, he immediately turned to meet Solana's gaze. Before she could explain, he scolded, "Solana, I asked you to help watch Ally, but you killed her therapy dog?

"Wasn't she traumatized enough already? Are you trying to drive her to suicide before you're satisfied?"

He growled, "You're young, but you're so evil. I must've spoiled you rotten! Apologize to Ally right now, and keep apologizing until she forgives you!"

Solana was on the verge of tears. Then, she caught Alyssa smiling smugly at her, silently mouthing the words, "I won."

However, Solana didn't care about that. All she wanted now was to calm Isaiah down. She tried to explain, "Isaiah, it wasn't me. She—"

Before she could finish, she received a hard slap across the face. Her ears rang instantly, her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.

"You're still lying? What? Are you trying to say Alyssa killed her therapy dog and pinned it on you? You've lied about her so many times before.

"I thought you'd changed after you got pregnant, but I was wrong. You're still the same—rotten to the core. Go back to the Jeffries residence and lock yourself in the room! You're grounded!"

Solana's blood ran cold. He was really sending her back to that dark room she feared most.