"Careful." Thaddeus pulled her securely into his arms on instinct.


    Evadne let a tear fall, leaning her weight against his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.


    She didn''t care.


    Even if the world were ending in the next second, she was going to hold onto him. Her Thaddeus.


    "Whenever I try... to remember my past... my head feels like it''s being ripped apart."


    Hans took a sip of warm water, recovering slightly, though his body still shook from the residual pain. "For years, whenever these migraines hit... Chad would give me a specific medication, iming it was a treatment for the headaches.


    "The strange thing was, the moment I took the pills, the pain vanished. Over the years, I''ve bepletely dependent on them. And every time the pain started, I''d get shes of unfamiliar memories... but as soon as the drugs kicked in, the memories would wipe clean again."


    Evadne''s heart broke. Stepping away from Thaddeus, she rushed over and pulled her brother into a tearful embrace. "Hubery... don''t be scared. I swear I''ll find a way to cure this! I promise!"


    "Hubery''s situation is exactly what Thaddeus went through."


    Cassius''s heart sank, his breathing tight. "Chad was never giving him headache medicine. He''s been feeding him a highly addictive narcotic designed to severely manipte his neural pathways. The process of memory recovery triggers extreme physical reactions, and Chad was using the drugs to suppress his brain and block him from remembering!"


    Evadne''s eyes red with absolute hatred. "He''s a deranged psychopath!"


    Yet, despite Chad''s meticulously evil calctions, he had missed one crucial detail.


    Even without his memories, even living under the alias of Hans, he had still betrayed Chad. He had still chosen to stand on the side of the light.


    To be betrayed and abandoned by everyone that was the destiny Chad Abernathy deserved.


    Evadne forced back her tears. "We need to contact Chasel! He''ll definitely know how to help Hubery!"


    "Chasel... something happened to him." Cassius knew he couldn''t hide it any longer.


    "What?!"


    Evadne paled. "When did this happen?!"


    Cassius felt a stabbing pain through his chest, his face draining of color. "Aaron and I have been doing everything we can to track him down since the day before yesterday. But so far... we have nothing."


    "Could it be...n? That new guy Chad recruited?"


    Hans''s breathing grew heavy, sweat beading on his forehead. "Ian has always held a grudge against the Ashbournes, and Dr. Bright is someone who


    interfere with Che definitely in


    would absolutely usen to


    eliminate him. But as for wheren took Dr. Bright... I honestly don''t know."


    Just as the room fell into an anxious silence, Cassius''s phone rang.


    Thinking it was Aaron with an update, he quickly pulled it from his pocket, only to see an unknown number shing on the screen.


    Instantly, an invisible weight crushed his chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe.


    The room went dead silent. Evadne and Thaddeus watched him tensely as he answered the call, bringing the phone to his ear. His voice was dark and raspy.


    "Hello."


    "Cassius! Don''t listen to a single word he says! Don''te looking for me!"


    The desperate, tearing scream of


    Chasel Bright ripped through the et


    speaker. "It''s a trap! I don''t want you to save me if youe here. bite my own tongue and bleed out!"