Keaton burst into the room like he had just discovered a new.


    "Zane''s definitely up to something. If you want to get to the bottom of what''s going on with Winona, you need to keep an eye on Zane. Trust me on this!"


    Tarquin frowned, "Get to the point!"


    Keaton leaned in closer, "I''ve done some digging. Turns out, Zane''s got a thing for your wife."


    Tarquin''s expression darkened immediately, "..."


    Keaton continued, unwavering, "Zane''s been crushing on Elysia since college, but


    it was a secret crush. She didn''t have a clue."


    "But then he got involved with Winona. I suspect it was all about money."


    "Back in college, Winona was loaded, but Elysia? She was just scraping by."


    "Zane''s kept his feelings for Elysia buried deep, but I picked up on it."


    "You remember what happened with Gage ter, right? That was Zane''s doing." Tarquin''s face grew even darker. Of course, he remembered Gage.


    Gage was N ter''s uncle, and he''d tried to assault Elysia. Someone had taken him out ofmission after that.


    "You''re sure it was because of Elysia that Gage got what wasing to him?"


    "Definitely. Zane and Gage didn''t have any beef. It was all about Elysia."


    Tarquin''s expression turned stormy.


    After Gage''s incident, the ter family had poured a fortune into tracking down the culprit, even posting a bounty on the dark web.


    Plenty of hackers and hitmen had tried to crack the case, but no one found the perpetrator.


    Even Lowell hade up empty-handed.


    Who would have guessed it was Zane!


    Just considering the Gage incident, Zane was no ordinary guy. He''d managed to


    stay under the radar when so many others had failed!


    How could someone from a simple background have such skills?


    Before Tarquin could fully process this, Keaton added,


    "And there''s something else. Zane''s got this cousin named Sarah. He''s always looked out for her."


    "For a while, Sarah lived in the vi with Winona and Zane, posing as his cousin."


    "Then out of nowhere, Sarah got pregnant and took a break from school. Coincidentally, as soon as Elysia came back, Sarah''s pregnancy hit a snag."


    "Here''s the kicker: Sarah''s been calling Elysia a murderer!"


    "Elysia wouldn''t harm anyone, but she might be the catalyst."


    "Like, maybe Zane saw Elysia back in town and ditched Sarah and the baby on


    the spot. Sarah''s bitter because of Elysia, maybe?"


    "After all, Elysia''s always been Zane''s dream girl!"


    No wonder Zane had been hanging around Elysia so much when she first returned to Jindale City!


    Tarquin''s face turned even grimmer.


    "Isn''t Sarah supposed to be Zane''s cousin? How could she be pregnant with his kid?"


    "Sarah''s actually adopted from Zane''s aunt''s family. No blood rtion."


    Tarquin was left speechless.


    ...


    When Elysia woke up, the only person in the hospital room was Tarquin.


    The kids were off busy with something else, so Tarquin had stayed behind to keep herpany.


    Seeing her awake, he leaned in, speaking gently, "How are you feeling now? Any better?"


    Elysia had just finished her IV drip, so she was feeling a bit better, though still worn out.


    She moved her lips, her voice raspy, "Winona..."


    "I''m already looking for her," Tarquin reassured her.


    Elysia closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks.


    Tarquin felt a pang of heartache, gently wiping them away with his thumb.


    "Don''t scare yourself. You''ve faced tough times before and pulled through. Winona will too."


    Elysiay there quietly for a moment, then suddenly opened her eyes and threw off the covers, attempting to get out of bed.