In the car speeding away, Anthony nced at the rearview mirror, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.


    "That kid''s still too na?ve. Did you see that?" Anthony said smugly.


    In the backseat, Ed sat in the shadows, his face unreadable as he gently wiped the sweat from Grace''s forehead, his eyes were full of concern.


    "She''s okay, Ed. Don''t worry."


    Ed clutched Grace''s hand tightly, holding her to his chest. His voice was hoarse. "I regret everything. What am I supposed to do now? I live in fear every single day."


    Anthony''s smirk faded. He took a deep breath. "Your condition''s ring up again. You need to get a grip and take your meds. I told you, she''s not in critical danger -you are. You''re unstable. It''s only a matter of time before something happens. And what happened back then... it wasn''t your fault."


    Even in sleep, Grace felt like she was suffocating, as if vines were wrapping around her, squeezing tighter and tighter.


    When she opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness, she finally rxed. This had to be Ed''s ce.


    She never used to like the dark. But after meeting him, it didn''t seem so suffocating anymore.


    She touched her stomach. No more pain. Her body felt clean, too-someone had wiped her down.


    "Ed?" She called out, but got no response. She pushed herself up, anxious to find him.


    A small hallway light flicked on, and Anthony appeared at the doorway, still in hisb coat, rubbing his temple.


    "He had an episode. I told him to lie down. Ms. Lambert, how are you feeling?"


    Grace felt her heart clench. She''d always known Ed struggled with something mentally, but never the full extent.


    "I want to see him," she said.


    Anthony stepped forward and blocked her. "You can''t. You''ll only make it worse. Let him calm down. If you really care about him, promise me something— whatever happens from now on, don''t go for the kill."


    His words made her freeze.


    As long as Ed was still breathing, Anthony could bring him back.


    Grace stared at him, stunned. He wasn''t just talking about protecting Ed-he was warning her from herself.


    She''d always brushed off Ed''s dark mutterings as jokes. But had she really tried to kill him before? What had actually happened?


    Her breath caught. "You guys don''t trust me?"


    Anthony smiled faintly and removed his sses, slowly polishing the lenses with a cloth. "When you said that just now... did you even believe it?"


    Grace went quiet. She did not argue because he was right.


    Anthony''s movements were calm and deliberate, but somehow, they carried a quiet pressure that made it hard to breathe. It was surprising that this man was Ed''s friend.


    He slid the sses back onto the bridge of his nose and gave her a pointed look. "You''ve never asked how Ed and I became friends, have you?"


    "I wanted to respect his privacy."


    "Was it really respect, or were you too afraid to dig up the truth?"


    There it was again-he saw right through her. But this time, Grace didn''tsh out. Instead, she calmed down.


    Anthony reached for a cigarette but hesitated halfway, then snuffed the lighter out. "Same thing I said before if you ever find yourself remembering what you''re feeling right now... don''t go for the kill. With my medical skills, if there''s even a breath left in him, I can save him."


    Grace opened her mouth but didn''t know what to say. She didn''t even know who she used to be. Words from that old self felt like they didn''t belong to her anymore.


    All she felt now was powerless.


    She turned and headed downstairs.


    Anthony raised a brow. "Where are you going?"


    She replied, "To find the truth. Because if I don''t, I''ll always be at someone else''s mercy."


    Anthony called out to her, "Ms. Lambert, you''ve actually been the most yourself during this time you lost your memory. You''ve always carried too much, so much that you forgot your own feelings. Or the feelings of the ones who care about you."


    Grace paused as she inhaled deeply. Then, with surprising calmness-though her fists were clenched tight at her sides-she said, "Then tell me. What am I supposed to do?"


    Anthony walked up to her slowly, his voice softer now. "While your memory''s still gone, stay close to him. Make more memories with him. It''s the only thing that makes him happy. Don''t fool yourself-what''s between you two isn''t just petty drama. It''s the kind of history that burns everything it touches."


    Clearly, he knew far more than he ever let on. But he wasn''t telling her any of it. Grace turned and left him with just one sentence. "I''ll visit him tomorrow." Anthony stood at the top of the stairs, watching her disappear into the shadows. He let out a slow, weary sigh. "What a damn mess."<fn3a31> Readplete version only at Find★Novel</fn3a31>