Once Cynthia regained her senses, she clung to Gianna''s lifeless body, her cries echoing through the room, raw and uncontainable. "Oh, Gianna, how could you leave before me? How are your father and I supposed to carry on without you, my daughter?" Her sobs were


    so intense she eventually fainted from the sheer weight of her grief.


    Colton, too, couldn''t hold back his tears. He had held onto the hope that their daughter woulde out of prison and turn her life around. And now, just like that, they were told Gianna was gone. It was a blow too cruel for any parent to bear.


    When Cynthia came to, the tears kept flowing. She t-out refused to ept the prison''s im that Gianna had died of natural causes. "It must have been that witch, Anastasia, wasn''t it?" she used, her voice rising. "You''ve all been bought off, haven''t you? You conspired to kill my daughter and then have the nerve to im it was due to illness. Give me back my daughter!"


    Cynthia couldn''t shake Anastasia''s words from the previous day. How could it be such a coincidence? Surely Anastasia hadn''t foreseen this.


    Her protests turned the prison into a scene of chaos. The staff were firm, "If you don''t leave, we''ll have to charge you with disorderly conduct and you might end up staying here yourself."


    "What''s that? You think you can scare me? I''m not afraid! I want justice, I want my daughter back," Cynthia cried out defiantly.


    Colton tried to console her, "Cynthia, please. Let''s take Gianna home. Let''s give her a proper burial."


    Colton was slightly moreposed than Cynthia, but it would be a lie to say he didn''t harbor resentment. Their daughter had died in prison, and they were expected to simply believe it was an illness?


    Despite his suspicions about Gianna''s death, Colton knew they couldn''t fight the system. All they could do was bring Gianna home for a proper farewell.


    Together, Cynthia and Colton took Gianna''s body to be cremated, returning home with her ashes. But Cynthia refused toy the ashes to rest, instead sitting on the couch with the urn, her eyes burning with vengeance. "I swear I''ll make Anastasia and Herman pay," she muttered, clutching the urn. "Our daughter won''t rest in peace until they do."


    Colton felt a shiver run down his spine. "Cynthia, let''sy Gianna to rest. We''ve got to try and move on, not go looking for trouble with the Salstroms. We can''t win against them."


    "I don''t care. If we can''t win, I''ll make sure they suffer," Cynthia seethed, taking the urn to the bedroom and cing it on the table. She pulled out the little voodoo dolls she had prepared earlier, each marked with a name Herman, Anastasia. Stabbing them with needles, she cursed them bitterly.


    Colton stood at the doorway, watching but not intervening. This was all Cynthia had left to cope with her grief.


    Elsewhere, Salma pondered whether she should visit Cynthia, worried the sight of her might provoke her further. Seeing her hesitation, Anastasia advised, "Mom, it''s best if you stay away. Your visit might be misinterpreted."


    Anastasia was concerned that Cynthia and Colton, driven by grief, might do something drastic. Salma nodded, "I understand. I won''t go. Ana, is it true that Gianna died of illness?"


    Anastasia was taken aback by her mother''s question. "Mom, that''s what the prison concluded. Herman and I had nothing to do with it."


    Salma, trying to ease the tension, replied, "I was just asking. I''ll go check on Emmie and Nancy."


    With that, Salma left the room, and Anastasia was left to her thoughts. Gianna''s death had onlyplicated matters further, and Cynthia was even less likely to divulge Pattie''s origins now.


    Looking for answers, Anastasia made her way to Neon Dreams, hoping to uncover the truth about that fateful night. As she entered the club, memories of Melinda, who had jumped to her death, came rushing back. She hoped Melinda''s spirit had found peace, perhaps reborn into a family that cherished daughters.


    Anastasia had to tread carefully; she couldn''t risk drawing attention to herself. If anything were to surface, it could be used against her and tarnish Elysian Technologies'' reputation, and thus, Herman''s.


    Donning a mask to conceal her identity, she slipped into Neon Dreams, but it wasn''t long before she was spotted by someone she knew.


    "Anastasia, what brings you here? Checking up on us, are you? Herman hasn''t been around for ages," teased Collin Witt with a yful grin.