<h4>Chapter 362: A w</h4>


    Mnie stilled when she saw the man standing at the door. There was something about him, that froze her in ce. And for some reason, her chest tightened with an inexplicable wave of fear. She didn’t know why. There was no memory to reach for, no name shing in her mind, no past experience her brain could connect to this man walking toward her with such familiarity. But her body remembered.


    Her body recoiled before her mind could catch up, and a cold, invisible hand began to press against her chest. Her breathing changed.


    It came in shallow, quick bursts—just enough to keep her upright but not enough to calm her. Her heart started to thump harder, not fast exactly, but deep, like a drum echoing from somewhere far beneath the surface. She sat up straighter in the booth, willing herself to stay still, to seem normal, to remember the instructions Jung had whispered through the earpiece. But her limbs were getting heavy.


    Her mouth suddenly felt dry. Her palms damp as she realized that she was having another panic attack. "Not now. Not now! How could she have a panic attack?"


    She hadn’t had a panic attack even when she was kidnapped. Why was she having one now? She frowned. This would be the third one... But even as her mind tried to catch some elusive thought, her breathing was getting shorter and shorter, as if there was no oxygen around her.


    "Get a grip," she whispered under her breath, clenching her hands into fists beneath the table. She counted backwards in her mind. Five. Four. Three. Focus on the room. The hum of the people around her. Anything. Two. One.


    And then he was there.


    Richard Thomas.


    He stopped at the edge of her booth. The look on his face was a mix of worry, hesitation, and some unspoken emotion tooplex to pin down. He didn’t rush. Didn’t sit. Just stood there, before finally speaking, "Melody?"


    Her head turned toward him slowly, as if it were no longer under her control. Her lips moved on instinct. "Yes..." she said, the sound barely audible, just a breath over her tongue.


    But the voice didn’t feel like her own. It sounded far away, like it belonged to someone else in a room she was watching from behind a pane of ss. Richard’s expression shifted to relief, disbelief, pain and still, she sat there, detached from it all.


    She knew she needed to ask him who he was. Pretend to be scared. She could hear Dr Jung speak in her ear through the earphone, <i>"Ask him who are you".</i> But the floor beneath her seemed to lurch. Her hands gripped the edge of the table to steady herself.


    <i>There’s a w in the n,</i> her mind whispered, distantly, <i>How am I supposed to have no memory if I can’t even remain conscious.</i>


    Everything inside her was screaming. She couldn’t breathe properly. Her lungs refused to expand. The air felt too thick. The faces around her blurred. Someone was saying something. But she couldn’t make out the words.


    Then her vision began to tunnel. She saw Richard Thomas step forward but her body was already going limp<i>. </i>And then everything went dark.


    Her body slumped sideways in the booth, tea sloshing quietly in the cup as it bumped against her elbow. The phone on the table vibrated once more before going still. Outside, the man who had followed her stood frozen, staring into the café, unsure whether to move.


    Richard caught her just before she slid to the floor, shock flickering across his face as he lowered her carefully at seeing his daughter faint reight before his eyes. "Call the ambnce, Now." He barked at the people who were all shocked before hurrying forward and lifting Mnie from the table.


    Richard didn’t wait for the ambnce. As the waitress fumbled with her phone and customers hovered in confusion, he moved to Melody, trying to wake her up," Mel? Me. What happened? She’s so pale... What the hell happened?" he muttered, pressing his hand against her cheek. Her skin was mmy and cool to the touch, her breathing shallow and uneven.


    Pushing past the murmurs and stares, he stormed straight out of the café, as he shouted at his assistant," Get the car!"


    The assistant yanked the back door open just as Richard reached the vehicle. Richard slid in with his daughter held close, cradling her limp form, one arm supporting her head, the other steadying her against his chest.


    "Drive. Now. Nearest hospital. Don’t stop for anything," he snapped.


    The car sped off, weaving through traffic, horn ring at intersections. Inside, Richard kept his eyes on her, checking her pulse with trembling fingers.


    "You’re going to be okay, little girl," he murmured. "Just hold on a little longer."


    From across the street, in a parked ck sedan, Dr. Jung sat stone-faced as the SUV disappeared into traffic. "Follow them. Keep them in sight. I want eyes on that car every second until they reach the hospital."


    As his own car followed the other car, he exhaled restlessly. What happened suddenly? What could have triggered such level of shut down?


    He tapped his earpiece again. "Mnie? Can you hear me?" Static answered him.


    He swore under his breath. The phone had disconnected.


    "This doesn’t make sense. She managed keeping her calm under all conditions, even after she realized she had been kidnapped.. But now, she fainted from panic..


    Jung’s expression hardened. It seemed Richard Thomas was a strong emotional trigger. Something neither her or he had ounted for. This could change things even more. No.


    "Inform Adam Collins that Melody Thomas has been found and let him the hospital where they take her. Also, arrange a meeting for me with the director of the hospital they are taking her to."


    Just then, his phone rang and Jubg swore under his breath as he answered," Cadence."


    He paused as he heard Cadence’s worried voice and hurriedly spoke," Cadence! You promised Melody that you would give her time to talk to her parents. No. She’s just gone back to her parents. Give her time, okay? Don’t do that.."