Victoria pulled her arm back from Theodore's grasp, snapping out of her daze.

"Thanks," she murmured, her voice low, eyes dropping to conceal the storm swirling inside.

With everything in chaos, she had no choice but to head home.

Theodore got in the car too. Before Victoria could say a word, he calmly stated, "I'll take you."

That was a first. He was always buried in work, and not once had he offered to drive her anywhere. Victoria turned to look at his profile, dazed for a moment.

Rain still poured outside. The pounding against the car windows was nonstop, and a chilly draft crept in through a crack, making Victoria shiver.

Moments later, she saw Theodore reach out, turning up the heater.

Her gaze flickered. Was he... actually worried about her?

But the thought was gone as soon as it came.

She couldn't forget how recently he'd been at the hospital, holding Isabella gently, comforting her, saying the divorce had gone through and promising to make things right.

Victoria's lips curled into a bitter smile as she turned to stare out the window.

Everything outside was a blur behind the sheets of rain-directionless, just like her-without a home to return to.

The car came to a stop in front of the Ellis family house.

As soon as she got out, Theodore's phone rang.

On the other end, Isabella's voice was feeble, barely hanging on. It sounded like she'd fall apart any second.

"You suddenly have a fever?" Theodore asked.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, face pale as paper from the chill. "Maybe I caught a cold... I'm not sure. Don't worry about me. Go take care of Victoria."

Then, deliberately, she knocked over a glass on the table, letting it crash to the floor. She screamed into the phone.

"Ahh!"

"Isabella?" Theodore frowned sharply, but the call had already ended.

His lips pressed into a tight line. Without another thought, he rushed back toward the car.

As if just remembering something, he paused and looked back at Victoria, his expression unreadable. "Something came up. I gotta go."

Victoria gave a small nod and stepped back.

She didn't respond-because deep down, she knew the truth.

To Theodore, it was only ever Isabella who truly mattered.

She turned and walked into the villa. Behind her, the sound of the engine roared to life and faded into the distance, taking her heart down with it.

His eyes caught the lone figure in the rearview mirror-umbrella in hand, unmoving. A storm of conflicted thoughts swirled behind his still expression, but he remained frozen, as if torn between staying and leaving.

He had waited.

Waited for Victoria to stop him. To say something.

But she didn't. Not a word. She wanted him gone-was that it?

Inside the house, it was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Victoria let her eyes skim the living room, then froze at the faint noise upstairs. She inhaled deeply and slowly climbed the steps.

At the master bedroom door-slightly ajar-a hoarse female voice came through.

"You brought her into our home, and look what happened! We never should've adopted her. She murdered my daughter-Gina was just a kid! Call the cops! She has to pay. I won't stop until there's justice. She doesn't deserve to walk free!"

Hannah's cries turned to rage, her voice rising with every word. The hatred was so raw you could feel it.

She had once loved Victoria like her own daughter. Never would she have imagined things would come to this.

And William just stood there with a face full of sorrow, his hand gently rubbing Hannah's back.

He let out a long breath, voice heavy with disappointment and pain.

"How... how could Victoria turn out like this?"

Victoria's knees almost gave out as she leaned weakly against the railing, all the color drained from her face.

Even her dad believed it now?

What really crushed her wasn't the made-up accusation-it was the heartbreak of watching the people she once called family refuse to believe her at all.

How was she supposed to stay strong with that?

That's when William stepped outside. The second he saw her, he froze with surprise.

"You... what are you doing here?"

This had been her home, too.

But now, coming back here felt like trespassing.

Victoria opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Inside, Hannah spotted her and stumbled out of the house, charging straight at her.

"You murderer! I'm going to kill you!"

Her hair was a mess, eyes wild with rage and heavy with tears that hadn't dried. She looked terrifying.

Victoria was caught off guard and instinctively backed up several steps-almost falling down the stairs.

The look in Hannah's bloodshot eyes was like poison.

"Dad, Mom... you really don't believe me?"

It felt like someone stabbed Victoria in the chest-deep and merciless.

William held Hannah back, shooting Victoria a complicated look.

"Just go... don't come back."

That said everything.

They didn't believe her.

To them, she was already a killer.

In that moment, the wall she'd painstakingly built around herself came crashing down.

"You were the one who took me in, who said I was family. You know who I am! And now you won't even give me the chance to defend myself?"

She'd been carrying so much these past few days, the pressure in her chest was suffocating, like something heavy and wet clogging her lungs.

"Victoria, I..."

William's face twisted with guilt. He'd always treated her like his own.

But with everything that had happened, with what looked like solid evidence, how could he ignore his real daughter's death just for her sake?

His thoughts were a mess of conflict, and before anyone could react, Hannah broke free from his arms and ran barefoot up the stairs toward the rooftop.

"Hannah!"

Both of them took off after her.

As they reached the rooftop, Victoria saw Hannah already climbing over the protective railing. Her dress flapped wildly in the wind, and she swayed dangerously with every gust, like death could whisk her away at any second.

They were on the fourth floor-if she jumped, there'd be no coming back.

"Mom!"

"Hannah!"

Their voices trembled with fear, but neither dared rush forward in case it spooked her more.

Rain soaked them to the bones. The wind bit through their wet clothes, making them shiver.

Victoria blinked through the rain. "Mom, please... just calm down. Can we talk? Please?"

But Hannah didn't respond to her-her eyes locked on William.

"We only had Gina. Just one daughter. If you can't get justice for her, William, then what's the point? I'll go be with her instead!"

"My poor baby. She must be so cold and lonely down there. I've got no reason to stay here anymore-I might as well keep her company!"

William trembled, trying to reach her. "Stop saying that! Hannah, I'm here-we'll go through this together. Just come back down, please!"

Watching this unfold, Victoria's heart hurt so badly, it physically ached.

But who caused all this anyway?

She clenched her fists tight, nails digging into her palms.

"Mom!"

The word burst out of her, and suddenly she dropped to her knees on the soaked rooftop with a hard thud.

Victoria had stopped caring about anything else.

She was a daughter of the Ellis family. Of course she cared about them, cared about her parents.

There was no way she could just watch Hannah die right in front of her.

"Mom, I'm begging you, please come down. I swear, I'll get to the bottom of this and give you the truth you deserve, okay?"

At her words, Hannah let out a bitter laugh and finally climbed back over the railing.

"The truth? The truth is that a heartless thing like you killed my daughter. The evidence is all right there-what more is there to say?"

Before Victoria could react, Hannah slapped her hard across the face.

The crack of the slap was drowned by the pounding rain.

Hannah didn't hold back-Victoria's head snapped to the side, nearly knocking her over.

Rain streamed down her face, salty against her lips.

She wiped her cheek but stayed kneeling firmly on the ground.

She didn't argue back. She was too scared a single word would push Hannah over the edge.

A flash of lightning split the sky, and thunder rolled through the distance.

Meanwhile-

Theodore pulled up outside Isabella's apartment.

The second he walked through the door, he saw her passed out on the living room floor.

His heart skipped a beat. He rushed forward and scooped her into his arms.

"Isabella? Isabella?"

Her whole body was cold, completely unconscious. Her ankle was bleeding from a cut, probably glass.

Theodore didn't waste a second. He carried her straight to the hospital.

It wasn't until late into the night that she finally woke up.

He stood by the window, watching sheets of rain pour down and lightning flicker across the sky. His hand tightened around the phone in his pocket.

He couldn't help but hesitate-

Was Victoria okay right now?

A weak voice pulled him back.

"Theodore."

She still had an IV in her hand. He snapped out of it and quickly walked over to help her sit up.

"You're not well, lie down. Don't move around."

"Thanks for coming... didn't think you would. Did I mess up any of your plans?"

He gently tucked the blanket around her. "No. Your health matters most."

As he turned to grab a glass of water, a faint smile played on Isabella's lips.

She knew it-Theodore would never just leave her.

As for Victoria... without Theodore to shield her, once she got back to the Ellis family, Hannah would tear her apart.

That was the price she had to pay for trying to steal Theodore.

Later that night, the rain started to ease.

A car stopped at the entrance of the cemetery.

Hannah yanked a soaked-to-the-bone Victoria out of the car.

She stormed ahead, muttering curses under her breath.

The old man who looked after the cemetery stumbled out, startled by the sudden appearance of three people in the dead of night.

"You folks-who are you? What are you doing here this late?"

He'd never seen anyone visit at this hour. Totally freaked him out.

William walked up behind them, slipping the old man a wad of cash. "Family matter, hope you understand."

Then he quickly caught up to the others.

Hannah forced Victoria down in front of Gina's tombstone.

"You like kneeling so much? Then stay right here and think really hard about what you've done!"

"Let's... let's not go overboard, Hannah," William tried to calm her. "It's late, and she's drenched. Victoria's body might not be able to take it."William hesitated, stepping forward to grab Hannah's arm, trying to reason with her.

"The dead can't come back, Hannah. No matter what we do to Victoria, Gina is gone-nothing changes that."

Cold air lingered throughout the graveyard, the chill slipping down their necks with every gust of wind, raising goosebumps. William even felt like something-or someone-was watching them from the dark.

But Hannah wasn't done.

She yanked her arm out of his grip, her glare sharp as glass. "What, you're feeling sorry for her now? You feel sorry for this murderer? Don't forget, that girl's a stray, while the one under this tombstone is your real daughter!"

Victoria stayed silent. Her eyes, blank but focused, stared straight at Gina's photo on the gravestone. All she could think about was that day at the forensics lab-the body on the table.

Why did Gina end up like that?

And how did it somehow lead back to her?

Hannah looked down and saw Victoria's calm, almost detached expression, her gaze locked on that smiling photo of Gina. The sight made something in her snap.

She lunged forward, hitting and kicking Victoria like she'd completely lost control.

"Don't you feel the slightest bit of guilt? You cold-hearted thing! Why didn't I see through you sooner?!"

Her voice cracked into a wail. The next moment, she stiffened, eyes rolling back. Before she could hit the ground, William caught her just in time.

"Hannah! Hannah!"

Panic-stricken, he supported her as they hurried down the steps out of the cemetery. At the bottom, he turned around and glanced back at Victoria, who was still on her knees.

There was something resigned in his eyes.

Under the red glow of the taillights, the car disappeared into the night, leaving Victoria alone in the dark.

Kneeling on the freezing cement, her mind remained strangely sharp. The numbness in her legs only made the moment more painfully real.

She slowly stood, brushing off the fallen leaves from Gina's gravestone.

So this is what it feels like... being cast aside by the whole world.

She tried to imagine Gina's thoughts in those final moments.

What was going through her head?

Maybe Gina did deserve to die... but not like that. Not so quietly, not without a single answer.

Victoria stayed at the cemetery three whole days-not out of guilt, but to try to make sense of everything.

Gina's death hit the Ellis family hard. For Victoria, it flipped her entire world upside down.

Gina's photo beamed with a bright, sunshine-filled smile. But to Victoria, it looked twisted. Fake.

She lifted her head slowly, holding her hand up to the sun filtering between her fingers. The light was so harsh, it made her eyes sting.

She'd lost track of how long she'd been out there-no calls, no word from the Ellis family... not even Theodore.

As she tried to stand, her vision blurred. Her body gave out, and she collapsed to the cold ground.

Just before losing consciousness, she thought she saw a blurry figure rushing toward her-a shadow in black.

"Elijah..."

Her hand weakly clutched at the man's jacket before going limp.

Henry furrowed his brow and checked her breathing quickly before exhaling in relief.

"Miss? Hey, can you hear me?"

He gently lifted her into his arms and placed her in the ambulance. Just as he turned to head back to the cemetery, he realized she was clutching his jacket with a surprisingly strong grip.

Henry sighed, looking down at her pale, worn-out face.

No choice now.

With one big step, he got into the ambulance.

Hospital.

Henry Carter stood there, totally stumped as the doctor asked him questions. He had no clue.

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the unconscious woman lying in bed. Her pale face was drained of color, and her brows were tightly furrowed, like she was caught in some awful nightmare.

He dug through her pocket and pulled out a phone-battery long dead. After charging it up and powering it on, he finally found an emergency contact.

A guy, from the name.

Henry walked to the window and made the call, but it just kept ringing. No one picked up.

Meanwhile, over in another hospital wing-

Theodore was sitting by Isabella's bedside. The IV drip was almost finished when the attending doctor came in, looking pretty grim.

"You're family?" the doctor asked. "Can I speak with you outside for a moment? There's something about her condition we need to go over."

As Theodore started to rise, Isabella reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Just say it here, doctor."

She figured, at worst, the doctor would say she's a bit weak and needs rest. This was the perfect moment to push Theodore into giving her a proper title.

But the doctor didn't beat around the bush. "Based on the scans, it looks like early-stage breast cancer. Of course, we need further tests to get a clearer picture. I suggest we admit her first, then plan treatment accordingly."

"W-what?"

Isabella was completely blindsided.

She'd just soaked in cold water for a bit-how did it turn into cancer?

Even Theodore was caught off guard, staring at her with a dark, unreadable expression.

He hadn't noticed anything was wrong with her all this time... and now this.

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the caller ID-Victoria. Without thinking, he ended the call and stepped around the bed.

"We'll do the admission now. Please go ahead and arrange the next steps."

After the doctor left, Theodore turned around to see Isabella sitting on the bed with her hands covering her face. She looked so fragile it hurt to look at her.

He walked over slowly, still shaken by the news himself.

"You'll get through this. I'll be right here with you," he said, his voice unusually soft as he rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a light pat.

Isabella leaned into him, putting her face against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"I'm okay, Theo. You don't have to worry about me."

Her forced calm only made Theodore frown. He wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"As long as you're here with me, that's enough," she whispered, sounding like she might pass out any second.

Theodore didn't reply. He just stared out the window at the budding leaves, thoughts already drifting far away.

Her quiet dependence only made him ache more.

At that moment, Victoria's unanswered call didn't even cross his mind.

Compared to a life, nothing else mattered.

But as soon as Theodore left to process the admission paperwork, Isabella's gentle mask crumbled.

She grabbed a pillow and hurled it onto the floor, then buried her hands in her hair in frustration.

How could it be cancer? Why her of all people?Just when she thought she'd finally surpassed Victoria and was about to step into the dream life as Theodore's woman, the universe just had to mess with her?

At the nurses' station, a few young nurses were whispering among themselves.

"Room 703, right? That girl must be Isabella. I've seen her movies before-she's seriously so pretty in real life. Even without makeup, her skin is flawless. And the guy taking care of her? Total heartthrob. Must be her boyfriend, right?"

"I bet it's her brother. I haven't heard of her dating anyone. But that face and those proportions? Way too good to be true."

They were clearly all fangirling when, out of nowhere, a tall, ridiculously good-looking man walked up to them.

Henry cut straight to the point, not at all interested in their gossip. "Hey, is there anywhere nearby I can grab some food?"

The doctor had said Victoria was seriously malnourished and dehydrated-that she needed to eat something decent once she woke up.

He'd already spent much more time here than he'd planned, but somehow, sticking around a little longer didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

Henry couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Normally, he'd never get involved in something like this. He hated trouble.

But now...

One of the nurses, cheeks turning pink under Henry's gaze-those sharp brows and intense eyes were no joke-quickly pointed him in the direction of a nearby spot.

"Thanks."

Henry gave a polite nod and turned to leave, just as a quiet squeal came from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder and spotted a man in all black stepping out of one of the doctors' offices. The lighting hit just right-the guy's side profile looked like it had been chiseled by an artist.

Henry paused mid-step. That guy looked familiar.

He was about to go over, but then Theodore turned the corner and disappeared from view.

Henry ended up buying some light, bland food and headed back to the room. He figured he'd try messaging Victoria's emergency contact again with an update.

Just as he pulled out his phone, a soft, choked sound came from the bed.

Victoria stirred, her head shifting from side to side, forehead slick with sweat.

Henry set his phone down and walked over. He leaned in, hand reaching to wipe her brow.

In the dark haze of her mind, Victoria thought she heard a faint voice-someone calling her name again and again.

She couldn't tell who it was, or where it was coming from.

Then, a sudden flash of white light-she blinked open her eyes slowly.

Her vision was blurry, but the person standing in front of her...

"Elijah..."

Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. She tried moving her fingers, but her whole body felt like lead. No strength left at all.

"Elijah, is that really you?"

She had no clue if this was a dream or reality. Her eyes locked onto the man in front of her as tears welled up and spilled over without warning.

Henry froze.

Who's Elijah?

He opened his mouth to explain, but the way she was looking at him-those red-rimmed eyes, the fragile hope on her face-it hit him hard. Like someone had punched him square in the chest.

And just like that, his resolve crumbled.

The words stuck in his throat. He couldn't move.

For a second, all he wanted was to know everything about this woman.

Victoria slowly reached out, her pinky hooking around his. "Am I dreaming, Elijah..."

She didn't dare blink. What if she closed her eyes and he disappeared?

But the haze in her vision started to clear, and when her eyes finally focused...

She realized he wasn't Elijah.

Even though something about their facial features felt oddly familiar-he wasn't him.

"You... you're-"