A fit of coughing echoed from the doorway.

Jordy, whom Daniela had called a dying father, braced himself on the frame and dragged his feet forward, determined not to collapse.

"Are you Nadine?" His voice wavered, but his eyes shone with a fragile hope as he looked her way.

A strange warmth welled up in Nadine's chest, leaving her shaken in a way she could not quite explain.

Did all those stories about family bonds ring true after all?

"I am," she replied, her voice steady.

Jordy's composure shattered at her answer, and tears rolled freely down his cheeks. "You've come home. That's all I ever hoped for. Just having you here is enough for me."

In the middle of this, Stacey quietly emerged from the chaos, holding an old wooden box in her arms. "Naddie, come see... everything in here is for you."

When Nadine peered inside, she found a treasure trove of keepsakes—a faded pink dress fit for a little princess, sweaters that had been lovingly hand-knit, and a handful of hair clips still wrapped and untouched by time.

Jacob, his voice soft and eyes rimmed with red, stood by her side and explained, "Nadine, we saved these gifts for every birthday you missed after you were gone. Mom and Dad, and all of us, kept them for you every year. At last, we can finally give them to you ourselves."

Her hand trembled as she reached for the princess dress, brushing the rough fabric with her fingertips.

The texture brought a sting of emotion so deep she almost forgot to breathe.

All this time, she had not been forgotten. They had always been waiting for her to come home.

"Nadine... Nadine, my little girl." Jordy's hand clamped over his chest as a violent cough overtook him, and blood spilled past his lips, darkening the floor.

Even with pain twisting his features, a gentle smile tugged at his mouth. "You came back to me, Nadine. That's all I needed. I can go in peace now."

"Dad!" Jacob lunged forward, catching Jordy just as he faltered, panic rushing into his voice. "Don't give up! Stay with us, Dad! I'm calling for help! Brad and Kaden aren't even home yet. We need you here!"

Moving on instinct, Nadine bent down and brushed her fingertips across the crimson on the ground.

She lifted her hand, bringing it close for a quick sniff.

Decadesleep Toxin. Only a handful of people in the world would recognize it—she did. Lethal, patient, impossible to cure once it took hold. Jordy had reached the very end.

Someone had waited years for this. Who hated the Clark family so deeply?

Now wasn't the time to search for answers. Nadine's eyes hardened with determination.

She gently eased Jordy onto his back and, without hesitation, produced a scalpel from a hidden pocket at her waist.

Jacob, frantic, tried to intervene. "Nadine! Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?"

She shook her head. "If you want him to live, trust me. I'm not letting him die here."

There was no way she would lose the family she had just gotten back.

Nadine dropped to one knee and sliced Jordy's shirt open in a single, practiced motion.

Her scalpel danced with precision, never straying near anything vital, parting flesh and muscle to reveal the heart that was struggling to go on.

With swift, practiced hands, she pressed the scalpel's tip to a series of precise points around Jordy's heart.

Thick, inky blood welled up and spilled out in slow streams.

Each drop that left his body seemed to make his breathing just a bit calmer, the strain in his chest slowly fading.

Wiping her blade clean, Nadine lifted Jordy into her arms and carried him straight to the neatest bedroom she could find.

She moved so quickly, the entire rescue lasted less than sixty seconds.

For a moment, Jacob stood frozen, mouth open, unable to process what he had just seen.

Could this really be happening? Had Nadine just pulled their father back from the edge of death?

Specialists from across Sheftol had all said there was no hope. Yet, here was Nadine, missing for two decades, saving their father's life as if it was nothing more than a routine procedure.

How was this even possible?

"How did you... Nadine, you... you're unbelievable," Jacob stammered, his voice shaky with awe.

As soon as Jordy was tucked in and stable, Nadine turned, exhaustion written all over her face. "Jacob, I need a place to lie down. I'm worn out."

Jacob snapped out of his daze. "Of course! Right away!" He led her down the hall and opened the door to a bright, well-kept room. "This has always been your room, Nadine. We've made sure to keep it clean every single day. You rest now. I need to call Brad and Kaden. They're going to be thrilled to hear this!"

Stacey lingered in the doorway, eyes brimming with emotion. Nadine smiled and motioned for her. "Mom, come over. Let's share the bed."

...

Meanwhile, in a shadowy corner of an exclusive club in Sheftol, Rhys Bailey sat quietly, a cold, distant look in his eyes.

A woman dressed to turn heads strolled over, her voice laced with bravado. "Mr. Bailey, you look a little lost on your own. Want some company and a drink?"

Rhys shot her a glare. "Go bother someone else."

His friend, Nicholas Howard, let out a low chuckle from across the table. "Rhys, you really ought to learn a thing or two about charm. Are you really that devoted to your mystery fiancee, Nadine Clark? You have not even met her, man."

Just the sound of her name made Rhys tense, irritation flashing across his face. "That engagement ends tomorrow. I am done."

Nicholas arched a brow, his grin playful. "Calling it quits, huh? You think your old man is just going to smile and let you walk away?"

"I'll choose my own path when it comes to marriage," said Rhys, his voice cold as he slouched back on the sofa. His hand drifted to the scar over his chest, lost in memory.

Three years earlier, everything had gone wrong at the Urygan border. Trapped by enemies, left bleeding from gunshot wounds, he was certain he would not see another sunrise.

Through a haze of pain, he remembered a woman's steady hands, a scalpel flashing in the dim light, saving him from death.

He fought to focus, catching only a glimpse of her face before darkness took him.

When he woke, she was gone as if she had never existed at all.

Since then, Rhys had unleashed every resource the Baileys possessed, searching every corner of Urygan. The woman who saved his life and captured his heart remained a mystery.

Whatever agreement his family made with the Clark family, he knew what he wanted.

Only the woman who pulled him back from death could ever truly be his.

Sunlight spilled across the sheets. Even before Nadine peeled her eyes open, a strange tension prickled her skin—she sensed two other presences in the room.

Her hand hovered near the hidden blade tucked in her sleeve, muscles taut and ready for anything.

When she opened her eyes, nothing seemed threatening.

Stacey and Jacob stood nearby, their faces filled with tenderness and quiet heartbreak, watching her as if afraid she might disappear.

Stacey's lips trembled, and her eyes shimmered with fresh tears. "Naddie, thank goodness you're still with us."

Standing beside her, Jacob, tall and usually confident, twisted his hands in a rare show of nerves. "You went through so much yesterday, Nadine. If you need more rest, we'll be right here."

Frustration tugged at his features. He could not forgive himself for being powerless the day before.

He had been forced to stand by while his adopted sister stripped the house of anything valuable and watched his father break down, coughing up blood.

Nadine had stepped in and held the family together. Without her, they would have been lost.

To him, Nadine was nothing short of extraordinary.

She pushed herself up, glancing around the neat but faded room, her gaze catching on a childhood portrait she could not even remember posing for.

She had to get to the bottom of everything that happened. There was too much at stake.

Why did things unravel so quickly after she disappeared?

Who had been working in the shadows against them?

She gathered herself and spoke, her voice raspy from sleep. "Don't worry about me. Can you tell me... where is Dad now?"

Speaking the word out loud felt strange, as though it belonged to someone else.

Jacob's entire face brightened. Hearing Nadine ask about their father was like a promise—she was finally letting them in.

He believed, in that moment, she was here to stay.

"Dad's doing a lot better. He woke up this morning and managed some porridge, then drifted back to sleep. I haven't seen him this peaceful in ages."

He could not hide the admiration in his voice. Nadine had worked a miracle.

"Okay." Nadine nodded, though inside her thoughts tumbled over themselves. The Decadesleep Toxin remained a ticking clock inside Jordy. Her intervention yesterday had only bought them time, not a cure.

She knew there was not much time left unless she found a way to cleanse the poison.

Jacob broke into her reverie with a hopeful grin. "You must be starving, Nadine. Mom's made breakfast for you. Let's go down and eat together."

She offered a faint smile and climbed out of bed.

At the table, Jacob hovered close, always reaching to pour her tea or pass her food, determined not to let her feel the slightest discomfort.

Stacey never stopped watching, her gaze soft and unwavering, as if afraid Nadine might disappear again.

After a long stretch of silence, Jacob finally gathered his courage. "Nadine, the Baileys have called for a meeting today about the marriage agreement." His voice faltered with embarrassment, dropping even lower. "We still haven't heard from Brad, and as for Kaden..."

A troubled look passed over him, but he squared his shoulders. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, I won't let you be pushed into anything you don't want."

Nadine placed her spoon aside and dabbed her lips with a napkin, her calm composure returning.

To her, the whole marriage arrangement was nothing more than a minor irritation.

"Send me the location, Jacob," she said quietly.

Jacob stared at her, surprised. "Nadine, are you saying..."

She gave a small, decisive nod. "I'm ending the engagement today."

It was clear to Nadine that if the Baileys genuinely cared about this alliance, the Clark family would never have been left to fall apart.

Besides, whispers around town claimed that Rhys Bailey—the notorious heir from a family with a reputation steeped in shadows—was already in love with another woman.

This was the perfect opportunity. The Clark family's troubles gave her all the justification she needed to walk away from this arrangement.

...

At the Stardust Cafe, Rhys sat near the window, a storm brewing just beneath his calm expression.

His eyes flicked to his watch.

Three minutes had passed since their scheduled meeting time.

He felt only impatience for a fiancee he had never met and wanted this pointless contract dissolved as quickly as possible. He was just about to rise and leave when the chair across from him slid out, and a poised woman sat down. "Mr. Bailey?"

Rhys' gaze lifted with a frown. But in the next instant, shock rooted him to the spot.

That face—he could never forget it. It haunted his dreams and filled the empty sketches scattered across his desk.

Years ago, bleeding out in an abandoned warehouse on the Urygan border, it was her face he saw just before the world went black. She had been the one who brought him back from the brink.

Nadine, on the other hand, misread the tension in his eyes, thinking it was simply annoyance over the engagement. That was exactly how she wanted it.

She slid a small box across the table, her gaze unwavering. "I'm Nadine Clark. Let's not waste time. The engagement is over. You won't have to worry about it anymore. Everything the Bailey family sent to my family is right here. I'm giving it all back."

Rhys felt his entire world tilt. For three relentless years, he had hunted for the woman who saved his life.

He had thrown all of the Baileys' influence behind the search, overturned every stone in Urygan, and always came up empty.

And now, the woman he had been looking for sat right across from him—Nadine Clark. His fiancee.

Rhys' voice caught as he forced out the words. "You really don't remember me?"

Nadine watched him with a hint of irritation.

From what she'd heard, he had a reputation for being a player.

She wondered if the talk about his STDs was true as well.

Pulling her chair back a little, Nadine offered a cool, mocking smile. "No, I have no idea who you are. If that's all, Mr. Bailey, we're done here. The engagement is finished. Goodbye."

She pushed back from the table and turned to go.

Rhys shot up, arm outstretched to block her way. "Who said I agreed to end the engagement?"

Nadine gave a sharp, humorless laugh. "What's wrong, Mr. Bailey? You're not on board with this?"

Everything she had heard about Rhys seemed true. He could be drawn to any woman, and his attitude made her skin crawl.

"If this engagement mattered so much to you, where were you when my family was falling apart? If you have an issue, I'll go straight to your father and have the whole thing scrapped."

Rhys knew words would not help him now.

If he had realized the woman he owed his life to was actually the youngest Clark daughter, he never would have let the family struggle on their own.

He understood how empty those words would sound to Nadine, so he watched her go, powerless to stop her.

But as far as he was concerned, the engagement was far from over. Not now, not ever.

Pulling out his phone, Rhys barked into the receiver. "Get me a list of every enemy the Clark family have. I want every single one of them ruined. Make sure no one can sleep easy until I say so."

He hung up and immediately sent out another order. "Prepare a formal gift. I'll visit the Clark family myself to apologize."

Back at the Clark house, Nadine stepped inside and glanced at her phone when it chimed.

A message from Rhys appeared. "Whatever trouble your family has, I'll handle it."

Nadine barely reacted, having heard empty promises like that countless times in Urygan.

Nadine tapped out a reply, saying, "Save your concern."

Without another thought, she blocked his number and tucked her phone away.

The only person Nadine could rely on in this world was herself.

...

In a grand sitting room at the Lewis family villa, Daniela buried her face in Lisette Lewis's shoulder, sobs shaking her body. "Mrs. Lewis, please help me! I did everything you and Mr. Lewis wanted. I tried to gather whatever scraps the Clarks had left, but now Nadine's come home and thrown me out! She called me a leech and even kicked me!"

Painting herself as the wronged little sister, Daniela leaned into her role as the victim, hoping to win sympathy and a new place in the Lewis family. In truth, she had done everything in her power to ruin the Clark family for the Lewises' gain, and now, desperate, she clung to the hope of rising higher under their roof.

Blaine Lewis sat at the head of the table, his eyes cold as steel. "Did you do as I instructed, Daniela? Was Jordy poisoned every day?"

Daniela nodded, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

Blaine's voice thundered through the room. "Then how do you explain this? Word is, someone kept him alive!"

Decadesleep Toxin was not something a man survived. Blaine had spent a small fortune to bring the deadly poison from overseas. Daniela had dosed Jordy for more than a decade—he was supposed to be at death's door by now.

Instead, Jordy had managed to eat breakfast this morning.

Suspicion sharpened Blaine's gaze as he fixed it on Daniela. "Be honest. Did Nadine save him?"

Daniela bristled, her envy showing through. "That's impossible! Nadine grew up in poverty. She doesn't know a thing about medicine. Just wait—Jordy's not going to last!"

Blaine tapped his fingers against the tabletop, deep in thought.

He had ruined Kaden, the Clark family's second son, and picked the family clean over the years. Victory was within reach until Nadine's return disrupted everything.

She was an unknown threat. He needed to see her with his own eyes.

Blaine looked up, a sly smile creeping across his face. "Dry your tears, Daniela. We're throwing a business banquet tomorrow. You'll bring an invitation to the Clark family. Tell them it's a party to welcome Nadine back and celebrate their reunion."

He had to find out for himself who Nadine truly was and what kind of person she turned out to be.