Seeing the heavy expression on Thaddeus''s face, Gordon leaned closer, his tone earnest. "Mr. Abernathy, no one stays the same forever. You have to be on your guard with Chad. And when the timees, you have to fight back. You can repay the debt you owe him, but that doesn''t give him the right to manipte or ckmail you!"


    After a moment of silence, Gordon added, "Actually, I''m wrong. There is one thing I believe will never change."


    Thaddeus looked up. "What''s that?"


    "Mrs. Abernathy''s love for you."


    Thaddeus''sshes fluttered, a storm of conflicted emotions brewing in his chest.


    Three days passed.


    Evadne was moved from the ICU to a regr room. A full examination revealed nosting side effects from the ordeal, though both of her hands were frostbitten and carefully wrapped in medicated gauze. She tried to make light of it, joking that her bandaged hands looked like clumsy paws.<fn8dfc> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on Find~Novel</fn8dfc>


    But Cassius, who had rushed back from Country M to sit by her bedside, wasn''tughing.


    "Cassius, what are you doing back?" Evadne tried to sit up, but he gently pressed her back down. "What about Chasel? Did you find him?"


    Cassius''s gaze faltered, and his voice was hoarse. "No. I got a lead on his whereabouts twice, but he was gone before I got there. He''s actively avoiding


    me."


    A pang of sorrow shot through Evadne. Her wonderful brother, who had sacrificed so much for her and for the Ashbourne family, couldn''t even find happiness with the one person he loved. It was so unfair. Was their family cursed with some ancient heartbreak hex?


    "Evadne, you went too far this time," Cassius said, his voiceced with a mixture of fear and worry. For the first time, he looked at his cherished sister with genuine anger. "At the end of the day, Thaddeus is just a man! Is an Ashbourne really going to fall apart over a breakup? When you lost the will to live, did you spare a single thought for us? For Dad? For Mom''s memory? She''s watching over you from heaven. Do you think she can rest in peace seeing you treat your own life so carelessly?"


    Jason walked in just then, looking ufortable as he witnessed the rare sight of Cassius raising his voice at Evadne.


    "You know, Cassius, I''ve only just realized how strong you are. You were born to be a leader. I really admire you." Evadne stared at her bandaged hands, her nose tingling as her eyes welled up. "As for me... I''m just insignificant."


    "Evadne!" Cassius snapped, his brow furrowed in anger.


    "That night, I sat in the snow and


    cried for a long time," she confessed, hugging her knees and curling intoza small ball. She sniffted. "For a moment, I really did think about dying. But... you don''t have to worry anymore, Cassius. I''ve had time to process everything, and I''ve made my peace with it. I''m letting him go."


    Both men stared at her, stunned. They never thought they would hear those wordse from Evadne''s lips. It was shocking, heartbreaking, and deeply regrettable all at once.


    After a heavy silence, Jason tried to lighten the mood. "Ms. Ashbourne, do you remember when I told you I went to see Arnold and his fiancée?"


    Evadne mustered a faint "Mmm."


    "Well, Arnold told me something pretty interesting."


    "Interesting?"


    "He said that a few days ago, he went to Elmsworth''s Fifth Penitentiary to provide legal aid to the inmates, and he ran into someone."


    "The Fifth Penitentiary?" Cassius''s focus sharpened. "Isn''t that where they keep death row inmates, lifers, and convicts with sentences ever twenty years? The worst of the worst."


    "Not just them," Jason added. "They also house inmates with severe mental illnesses there."


    Cassius narrowed his eyes. "I heard Mason Austin is serving his sentence there."


    At the mention of that name, a flicker of emotion crossed Evadne''s otherwise listless face. "Go on, Jason," she said softly.


    "Arnold said he was just about to leave when an inmate in an orange jumpsuit suddenly lost control, rushed out, and threw himself at Arnold''s feet!"


    "An inmate in an orange jumpsuit?" the Ashbourne siblings asked in unison.


    "At the Fifth, an orange jumpsuit signifies a high-risk inmate with a severe mental illness. It


    distinguishes them from the general poption," Jason exined,


    blinking. "The man knelt before


    Arnold, clutching his legs and


    sobbing that he wasn''t crazy and


    that he didn''t kill anyone. He said he


    was framed and begged Arnold to help clear his name."