Abby had dabbled in racing with Ste, so she could easily identify the keys. There were keys for luxury cars, but also a significant number for high-end sports cars. She did a quick mental count and estimated there were at least a hundred of them.


    Suddenly, she recalled seeing a massive, five-story-high warehouse structure behind the castle when they first arrived. Could that be the garage?


    She sighed. Poverty truly did limit one''s imagination.


    After inspecting the second room, Abby eagerly moved on to the third. This time, what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks. She was so shocked she couldn''t even take a step inside.


    Ste, though not as excited as Abby, noticed her standing frozen in the doorway. "Abby, what is it?"


    Abby''s expression shifted from shock to something moreplex. She moved aside. "Star, I think you should go in first."


    Ste gave her a curious look before stepping into the room. The moment she saw what was inside, she too froze.


    The room was filled with violins of every kind. Ste even saw Rachel''s famous instrument, the one named ''Nereid''s Sonata.'' Besides that, she recognized several others-legendary violins that had been sealed away when their renowned virtuoso owners retired.


    Though she could no longer y, her love for the instrument had never faded. She still followed news about violins whenever she came across it. She had never chosen to avoid the instrument just because she couldn''t y it anymore.


    Abby had moved to stand beside her. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Star, I know I wasn''t there, and I don''t have the right to say anything about what you went through. But..."


    She looked at Ste, her voice soft. "I''ve spent a lot of time with Joshua, and I can see that he... he really does care about you. Think about it, when he was confronted with Rachel he could have just denied everything. your trust in


    Given her state ended him,


    you would have believed at But The didn''t lie or hide. Even if he''s a bad guy, he''s an upfront one..."


    Abby wasn''t even sure what she was saying anymore. She was just instinctively trying to say something good about him. Not just for his sake, but because she could feel Ste''s overwhelming sadness and pain.


    She knew Ste must be feeling incredibly conflicted and confused, and that it was a form of torture. If Joshua had been like Leonard, causing her nothing but harm, it wouldn''t hurt this much. But oshua had given her help that no one, not even Abby herself, could ever


    provide or rece.


    It wasn''t just Ste; even Abby felt a pang in her heart just thinking about it.


    Sometimes, emotional torment was far worse than physical pain. The better Joshua


    had been to Ste, the deeper the wound when the truth was revealed.


    "Star," Abby said quietly, "I don''t think Joshua is as bad as he makes himself out to be... Look, you gave him over twenty years of birthday. presents to make up for what Ke missed. In return, he gave you an entire castle of gifts. That first love'' wasn''t that important to him, but because her music eased hi headaches, he was willing to offer some help... And yes, helping Rachel was a twisted game for him, but I think... if Rachel hadn''t lied to him, he never would have toyed with her like that."