?Chapter 507:


    This didn’t bother me much, as I only cared about the mysterious stranger.


    My only concern was if he woulde find me again. However, days passed, and I saw no sign of him. I began to wonder if he had already left the pce. Disappointment and anxiety gnawed at me.


    Could it be that the mysterious stranger wouldn’te see me anymore? Had I made the wrong decision?


    A few dayster, when all hope seemed lost, there was a gentle knock on the door.


    Makenna’s POV:


    Iy in bed, hovering on the edge of sleep, when a faint noise jolted me awake, sending a chill down my spine.


    “Who’s there?” I whispered, letting my voice waver with practiced frailty. “Who’s outside the door?”


    For good measure, I coughed weakly, as if my next breath could be myst.


    Every sound seemed to stretch in the silence until finally, the door creaked open, inch by agonizing inch.


    In stepped a masked man, his tall silhouette casting a long shadow across the room. My heart leaped in recognition—this was the same mysterious figure who had saved me once before, back in that cramped lumber room.


    “You?” I gasped, feigning surprise while stifling the excitement wing at my chest. “How. How did you get in? And why are you here?”


    “I came to check if you’re still alive.” The man scanned me with a clinical, almost indifferent look, as though the answer meant nothing to him.


    In a few brisk strides, he was at my bedside, studying me like one might examine a faintly interesting specimen. He muttered to himself, “This doesn’t make sense… You should be in perfect health by now.”


    His masked gaze locked onto mine, sharp and assessing, as he tilted his head. A sh of suspicion cut through his otherwise emotionless tone. “You lied to me, didn’t you? The effects of the potion are long gone. You’re in perfect condition—nothing like a dying woman.”


    Realizing my little ploy had unraveled, I dropped the act, letting my posture rx as I leaned back.


    “And if I hadn’t faked it, how else was I supposed to lure you here?” I replied, a sly smile creeping onto my face. “Just as I suspected… you do care, don’t you?”


    He scoffed, a dry sound filled with disdain. “You think you can trap me here?”


    He turned as if to leave, the heavy intent of his footfalls underscoring his irritation.


    But I wasn’t about to let him go that easily.


    “Do you really think I’d lure you here without some insurance?” I replied smoothly, my voice carrying a warning. “There are guards stationed outside this house. One shout, and they’ll be here in an instant.”


    He stopped mid-step, the tension crackling in the air as he turned to look at me. Beneath the mask, I could sense his narrowed gaze, probing and watchful, as though calcting the truth of my words.


    Inside, my heart pounded a chaotic rhythm, but I held his gaze, refusing to back down. I forced my voice to stay steady as I continued, “Rx. I don’t mean you any harm. All I want is to talk.”


    “Talk?” His lips twisted into a skeptical smirk as he pulled out a chair, dragging it noisily across the floor before sinking into it. He poured himself a cup of water from the pot on my nightstand, downing it in one swift gulp.


    “Talk, then,” he said, cing the cup back on the table with a click. “What’s to say I won’t just use another potion to get rid of you?”


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