"Theodore."

Isabella's eyes were watery, like she'd burst into tears any second.

Theodore didn't spare a glance at Victoria on the hospital bed, striding straight to Isabella.

"What's going on? You didn't even put shoes on."

"I had a nightmare. Woke up and you weren't there... I got scared."

"I'll take you back to your room."

Theodore draped his jacket over her shoulders and bent down, ready to pick her up.

But Isabella clearly wasn't ready to leave-her gaze locked firmly on Victoria, full of suspicion.

What, showing up in the same hospital room? Was she trying to get Theodore back?

Whatever her plan was, Isabella wasn't about to let it work.

She spotted the man from earlier and decided to confront directly.

"This gentleman looks familiar. Are you Victoria's friend?"

Henry, who had just been observing, was now directly called out. He gave Victoria a brief glance but said nothing.

He could tell Isabella had her own agenda.

So staying silent felt like the smarter move.

The air turned stiff. The atmosphere tense and awkward.

Theodore shifted slightly, his eyes catching the two figures behind him. His chest tightened.

Without another word, he scooped Isabella into his arms and carried her back to the room.

He tucked the blanket around her gently, about to stand up, when Isabella grabbed his hand.

"Theodore, I don't think Victoria looked too well just now... Is she okay?"

That question irritated him. The last thing he wanted was to think about what he saw earlier.

Victoria? Worried about her?

She was probably having the time of her life in someone else's arms.

He reached up, switched the overhead light to the bedside lamp.

"Focus on yourself first. Don't worry about things that don't matter. The important thing is getting you better."

Isabella's expression dropped again. "But Theodore, I can't help worrying..."

She hadn't felt at ease ever since learning the truth.

She was scared. Scared that she'd lose before she even had a chance to fight.

And with Victoria in the same hospital... it just felt like trouble waiting to happen.

Theodore gently patted her head. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I just didn't expect... you'd be the only one left beside me now."

Isabella leaned into him, her cheek on his chest, silently mapping out her next move.

The next day, Victoria was ready to be discharged.

She knew if she stayed even a little longer, Henry would keep visiting with some excuse or another.

But he wasn't Elijah. Their bond wasn't like that. She didn't feel comfortable troubling him further.

"Weren't we clear on being friends? Now even a friend offering you a ride home gets rejected?"

Hard to push someone away with a smile like his.

Seeing that faint grin, Victoria gave up on turning him down again.

"Then thanks. Sorry to trouble you."

Two days wasn't long. But not exactly short either.

She still didn't know much about Henry, but from the way he spoke, she could tell-he wasn't just some nobody.

The sun was warm and gentle as they stepped outside.

Victoria tilted her face up, closing her eyes against the light.

For a second, she looked completely out of it.

At the same moment, Theodore and Isabella exited the hospital.Isabella was worried something might go wrong again, so she used the excuse of her "awkward identity" to have Theodore help with her discharge paperwork.

But what were the odds? Just as they stepped outside, they spotted two painfully familiar figures.

By the car, Henry had his hand up to shield Victoria's forehead. "Watch your head."

To anyone else, the scene looked like a super lovey-dovey couple moment.

Theodore suddenly stopped. His whole vibe turned ice-cold, and that wave of heaviness he couldn't quite explain crashed down on him again.

He took a step forward, but before he could go any farther, Isabella winced, clutching her chest with a tight-lipped expression.

He glanced sideways. "What's wrong?"

"Probably because I ate too fast this morning... I feel kind of short of breath."

She was about to ask him to take her back to the hospital when he calmly removed her hand from his arm.

"Just rest here for a bit."

Then he walked straight toward the nearby car.

"Theo-"

Isabella's voice came out soft and unsure, her raised hand slowly falling back down.

Why?

Why was Theodore still prioritizing Victoria like she didn't even exist?

Theodore's eyes darkened. Just as Henry reached to shut the car door, he stuck out an arm to stop him.

"What are you doing here?"

Victoria blinked, caught off guard, and before anyone could react, he yanked her out of the car.

He didn't hold back at all-his grip was rough, and she stumbled, nearly falling over.

"Theodore, what the hell are you doing?"

She was already feeling weak after all that time in the hospital, and now he was dragging her around like this? It was exhausting.

He didn't say a word, just clutched her wrist tighter.

"What do you think? If I hadn't shown up, were you planning to go home with him?"

His gaze was locked on her, like he was trying to see right through her.

Victoria frowned, immediately realizing he'd gotten the wrong idea-but explaining wouldn't help.

She tried pulling away, but his grip didn't budge. Henry got out of the car too, eyes sharp. "Let her go."

"This is between me and my wife. Not your business."

Theodore turned his head slightly, voice low but forceful.

The words made Henry freeze for a second. He looked at Victoria, totally confused. Wife?

But nothing about how they acted screamed "married couple."

Isabella had heard it too as she walked over, and it hit her like a brick to the chest.

She bit down on her lip hard, but her expression shifted quickly, switching to soft and understanding.

"Theo, it's cold and Victoria's not fully recovered. Let's just take this home, okay?"

Theodore clearly agreed. The driver had already pulled up, and he pushed Victoria toward the car.

"I'll have my assistant pick you up later, Isabella."

With that, he told the driver to leave, not even looking back. The gloom in his eyes didn't escape Isabella-she could tell he was seriously upset.

But even so, he still chose Victoria over her.

She just stood there, watching that black car disappear from sight, and couldn't stop the bitterness from eating at her.

They were divorced. Why couldn't Victoria just back off already?

Her smile turned thin and cold, but then she realized Henry was still nearby.

She didn't care about him-but Henry suddenly stepped in front of her.

"So... what exactly is going on between those two?" said Henry.

Noticing the sudden gleam in his eyes, a fresh idea instantly popped into Isabella's mind.

Isabella smiled lightly. "What about you? Do you like Victoria?"

She said it so bluntly that it actually caught Henry off guard.

Seeing the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, Isabella still looked confident. "They're not together anymore, but there are probably still some loose ends. If you can, keep her company. She could really use the support right now."

With that, she got into her assistant's car and left.

Henry stood there, lost in thought.

Victoria and Theodore had split. But then... who exactly was Elijah?

At the villa.

The moment the car stopped, Victoria hopped out without hesitation.

Yeah, they were still under the same roof, but that didn't mean she had to talk to Theodore.

"So now that you've got a stand-in for Elijah, you won't even bother speaking to me?"

Theodore slammed the car door and stared at her back, his eyes dark.

That thought stirred up an odd frustration in his chest.

Victoria paused but didn't turn around. "Think what you want."

In a way, she didn't really want to trouble Henry with anything. Theodore barging in and dragging her away actually saved her some hassle.

But to Theodore, her indifference felt like a slap in the face-a silent protest.

He yanked off his tie in irritation and followed her into the villa.

Victoria was exhausted. The moment she made it upstairs, she flopped onto the bed, ready to crash.

But halfway through dozing off, her phone started ringing.

It was the head of her department.

"Victoria, you've been absent for days. Everything okay?"

She sat up, rubbing her temples. Her voice still had that groggy edge from sleep.

"All good. Sorry, Mr. Marson. I haven't been able to make it in lately."

Victoria rarely talked about her home life at work. She usually kept to herself, which made people think she was stuck-up. But she didn't really care as long as her work was fine.

Mr. Marson had always looked out for her. He'd been the one to give her a shot early in her career, so this unexpected call probably wasn't just a check-in.

Sure enough, he quickly got to the point.

There was a task, and he wanted her to handle it.

She changed clothes and went downstairs-only to see Theodore already in the living room.

He was turned away from the stairs, talking on the phone by the window.

Victoria stopped for a moment, just watching him. For a second, he looked like that teenager who used to win basketball games by sheer will.

How did they even end up here?

Theodore must've felt her gaze, because he glanced back slightly.

"I'll see you later then," he said, ending the call.

Only one person he spoke to in that tone-Isabella.

That name snapped Victoria out of it. She took a deep breath and started down the steps. Just as she was about to leave, his voice came from behind.

"Where're you going?"

"I think, given how things are with us now, we don't really need to check in on each other's plans anymore, do we?"

Theodore frowned slightly, like he wanted to say more, but she was already out the door without looking back.

He tightened his grip on the phone and stared at her retreating figure, deep in thought.

At the morgue.

Victoria got out of the car and walked in, spotting Mr. Marson at the office entrance talking to someone.

"Victoria, come meet someone," he said.The man turned his head at the sound, and as soon as she got a good look at his face, a flicker of surprise crossed Victoria's eyes.

Henry Carter?

She honestly thought they'd never cross paths again after that encounter at the hospital.

Henry clearly didn't expect to see her here either. His gaze shifted between her and Mr. Marson, visibly taken aback.

"You said the person who could help me with this... is Victoria?"

"You two already know each other?" Mr. Marson looked just as surprised. That actually made things much easier-he'd been a little worried their personalities might clash since both of them tended to be reserved.

"We met before, and Mr. Carter helped me out. Didn't expect to run into him again," Victoria replied calmly, skipping any mention of the hospital. Henry quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Looks like fate keeps throwing us together," Henry said, chuckling.

Mr. Marson led them into the office, cutting straight to the chase.

"I normally wouldn't trouble Victoria with this, but this one's complicated. I'm asking for a personal favor."

Victoria gave a small nod, her face composed. "Just say it."

As long as it was his request, she'd do her best to help regardless.

"Here's the thing-I need you to restore a body. But because of who it is, it has to stay completely confidential. It's best if you don't involve anyone else while you're working."

Victoria immediately nodded.

That kind of discretion wasn't anything new to her.

In their line of work, keeping things private was part of the job. Families rarely wanted any details about the deceased to leak out. And professionally, they were trained to keep things separate-what happened in the lab stayed in the lab.

Yet Henry still looked like something was bothering him.

"Because of the person involved, this might bring you trouble later. That's the part I've been worried about."

Victoria's expression didn't change. "I'll be careful."

Still, Henry looked hesitant, like he wanted to say more. But Victoria didn't push.

Since they were done discussing the job, she figured she'd head out.

Back at the lab, Chloe Rogers dashed over as soon as she walked in.

"Finally! You're here, Victoria. Mr. Marson's been asking about you all morning."

"I know."

Mr. Marson typically wouldn't reach out unless it was something serious. And from what she could see, his relationship with Henry was clearly more than just acquaintance-level.

After a few quick words with Chloe, Victoria grabbed her things to go home.

She had just stepped outside when she spotted Henry by his car, head down, scrolling on his phone. Noticing her, he looked up and started walking over.

"Got time for dinner? I'd like to go over some things from earlier with you, just the two of us."

Victoria's eyes lingered on his face-it reminded her so much of Elijah's. She hesitated for a beat, then nodded.

Henry took her to a trendy fusion restaurant.

The place was cozy, with a faint scent in the air and soft piano music playing in the background. It felt surprisingly calming.

"You still look a bit pale. You probably shouldn't have been discharged so soon," he said.

"I'm fine now. But thanks," she replied while sipping her tea.

Henry gave a relaxed smile. "We're friends, you don't need to be so formal."

Victoria didn't say anything right away. That word-"friends"-left her slightly unsure how to respond.

Just then, a server came in with their food.

From the half-open door, Victoria heard a voice outside. A voice she recognized.

"Theo, you really didn't have to go out of your way just to have dinner with me."

Isabella clung to Theodore's arm, eyes scanning the room like radar, clearly looking for someone-Victoria.

Ever since that incident at the hospital, she'd had someone tail Victoria. Just before arriving, her informant tipped her off-Victoria was having a private meeting with Henry.

So naturally, she found an excuse to drag Theodore here. She wanted him to see it with his own eyes, so he could finally let go of whatever lingering feelings he still had.

"Victoria?"

Spotting the two sitting together, Isabella's lips curved almost imperceptibly before she turned back to Theo.

"If I knew Victoria was here, we could've just joined them straight away."

Theodore's eyes flicked from Victoria to Henry, brow tightening a little. So she'd rushed out earlier just to meet him?

No wonder she kept saying they shouldn't meddle in each other's personal lives.

Theodore stepped into the private room, shooting a glance at the few freshly served dishes.

"Since it's such a coincidence, how about we sit together?"

"I'm afraid that's not ideal. Victoria and I still have some personal things to discuss."

Before Victoria could open her mouth, Henry was already standing, voice polite, face calm but clearly keeping a distance.

Theodore's eyes shifted to him, and for a moment their gazes locked-a spark of tension quietly crackling between them.

"What kind of private talks? Something that can't see the light of day?"

A perfectly normal line, but coming out of Theodore's mouth, it sounded anything but.

Victoria frowned slightly and looked straight at him.

"Just work stuff. No need to ruin your good mood with Miss Waters."

Everyone here knew what she did for a living. But Theodore? He obviously didn't buy it. He didn't believe they met alone just to talk shop.

"Work? Mr. Carter's in the same field too? Wow, what a small world. You two must have endless things to talk about," Isabella chimed in with a sweet smile.

But Victoria saw right through her. That smile was sugar-coated poison.

From the hospital incident on, Isabella had been picking fights left and right-Victoria had noticed.

"Looks like Miss Waters is feeling much better?"

Isabella's smile froze. Cancer-that word stabbed at her pride like a thorn.

No matter how light-hearted she tried to appear in front of Theo, crying alone in bed had become her nightly routine.

Why her? Why not that damn Victoria?

Lowering her gaze, she put on a faintly melancholic look.

The four of them just stood there in awkward silence. Even the server who came in with dishes looked a bit unsure what to do.

Then, a couple of fans walking by recognized Isabella.

"I'm such a big fan! Can I grab a photo with you?"

Two girls stared up at her with sparkling eyes, sneaking peeks at the others in the room while they spoke.

Isabella kept her perfect public image on point and didn't turn them down.

Snap done, she gently reminded her fans not to post anything about what they'd just seen.

She didn't care if rumors spread about her and Theodore. But if people dug too deep into the past between Theodore and Victoria? That would be a mess.

After the fans left, she shut the door behind them.

Theodore had already taken his seat, eyes fixed directly on Henry across the table.

Two men locked in unspoken rivalry, making the whole room feel like it dropped a few degrees.

This wasn't a friendly dinner anymore. Not even close.In the end, Victoria barely touched her food before putting down her fork.

This kind of messed-up dinner vibe? Forget talking business-just saying a word felt awkward.

She got up and headed to the restroom.

Isabella followed her and stopped her by the sink.

"Freshly divorced and already got yourself a new man? That was fast."

Victoria paused mid-step, looked at Isabella with a blank expression. She really didn't owe her any explanation, but her words slipped out anyway. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Victoria, if I'm not mistaken, you've lost everything-your family doesn't even want you anymore. What's the point of you still hanging around?"

Isabella couldn't change Theodore's mind, but pushing Victoria out of the picture? That she could try.

As long as Victoria vanished from Theodore's life completely, time would eventually erase everything.

The mention of the Ellis family made something flicker cold and sharp in Victoria's eyes.

That's exactly why she had to stay.

She had to find out the truth about Gina's death and clear her own name.

"You're in no place to tell me what to do."

Victoria stood straight in front of her. Even though she wore flats and Isabella had on heels, the difference in height didn't dim her presence.

Isabella opened her mouth to throw another jab-but suddenly doubled over, a grimace twisting her face, hand clutching the sink as a wave of pain hit her stomach.

Victoria's gut reaction? She thought Isabella was faking it.

But her expression didn't seem fake at all. Just as Victoria was about to ask, Isabella collapsed right to the floor.

"Isabella!"

The restroom was empty, which wasn't surprising-considering Isabella's status, no one wanted to risk fan chaos.

Victoria had no choice but to call Theodore.

Soon after, two figures rushed in. Theodore walked past without a word, scooped Isabella up, a deep frown etched on his face.

"What happened?"

Victoria didn't know how to answer.

There were no cameras in the women's restroom, no other witnesses. Even if she tried to explain, it would sound like an excuse.

Instead, Henry moved by her side first.

"You okay?" he asked, voice low.

Theodore paused briefly, looked like he wanted to say something but swallowed it. Then, without another glance, he carried Isabella out in a hurry.

In the hospital hallway, the three stood in silence.

Victoria walked over to Henry and spoke quietly. "Sorry. I wanted to talk more about that thing tonight, but clearly now's not the time. Maybe we can reschedule?"

He didn't owe Isabella or Theodore anything. He didn't need to stay.

Henry's eyes lifted past her, landing on Theodore who stood not far behind.

There was still concern in his gaze. "Sure you don't need me to stick around?"

He might not know the full story between her and those two, but anyone could see it was tense.

And after that scene Isabella pulled... who even knew if it was legit?

Victoria shook her head. "I'm fine. Go on."

Right then his phone buzzed. Someone was calling. He glanced at it, then gave her a final look before turning to leave-reluctantly, taking a few steps then looking back.

Victoria watched his figure disappear down the corridor, something thoughtful in her expression.

She still had no clue what kind of danger Henry had meant.

She turned-and nearly jumped out of her skin.

Theodore was already behind her, standing way closer than she expected.

She almost bumped into his chest.

"You-"

She lost her footing and staggered backward.