Julien lowered his gaze to the caller ID glowing on the screen. A sharp pain twisted deep in his chest, as though a knife were cutting into his heart again and again.
He had cklisted Jonah''s number before. Yet recently, he had been closely following the Taylor family''s situation, desperately trying to gather updates on Winston''s condition.
After all, Winston was his uncle who had once encouraged and supported him unconditionally, treating him like a son of his own. Such a kind and loving elder was impossible to ignore. How could Julien truly not care whether he lived or died?
That was why Julien had thrown himself into analyzing the medication Justin provided. And it was also why he had quietly removed Jonah from his cklist. His eyes lingered on the contact name he had saved My Love.
Those two simple words made his vision blur.
Julien had never changed that name. Not when they broke up. Not when he blocked Jonah. Not even now, after unblocking him.
Yet no matter how things stood, they could never return to the past.
The phone continued to vibrate in his hand. He did not answer the first call. Jonah called again, relentless.
Julien''s heart sank.
Something felt wrong. His instincts screamed that Jonah truly had something urgent to say this time.
Just as Julien lifted his thumb to answer, a sudden chill crept down his spine. He turned around sharply.
A man dressed entirely in ck stood behind him, a low cap pulled over his face. In one swift motion, the man locked an arm around Julien''s throat. With his other hand, he pressed a white cloth tightly over Julien''s mouth and nose.
Julien''s eyes widened in horror.
As a doctor, he recognized it instantly-ether.
But it was already toote. Darkness surged in, swallowing his consciousness whole. His strength drained away, his fingers loosening as the phone slipped from his grasp.
The moment it fell, the man caught it.
He nced at the screen, his lips curling into a cruel smirk before switching the phone off without hesitation.
"Jonah," he murmured coldly, "I''d really like to see how far you''re willing to go for this man."
...
A heavy gloom settled over Jonah as he stared at his phone. Julien had rejected his call. An ominous unease washed over him.
"Jonah!"
Cyrus rushed in from the police station the moment he heard about Mandy''s disappearance and Alyssa copsing. Ss and Liam followed closely behind.
Cyrus'' anxiety was written all over his face, the veins at his temples throbbing. "I can''t reach my mom either. Something''s wrong. I need to track her phone right now!"
"I lost contact with Julien too." Jonah''s grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. His voice came out low and hoarse, "His phone was ringing earlier. He didn''t answer at first but if he didnt want to talk to me, he could''ve rejected the call. Why would he turn his phone offpletely?"
Trying not to jump into conclusions, Ss spoke carefully. "Could it be that his
battery died? Try calling againter. It might go through."
Jonah could think of nothing except Julien. Worry and longing crashed over him in relentless waves. His fall, frame swayed, and he had to brace himself against the windowsill to stay upright.
Liam''s heart hammered against his ribs at the sight of Jonah, whose face had drained to the color of ash. "Are you alright, Jonah?"
Jonah''s eyes were bloodshot. His voice wavered, the words fraying at the edges. "Cyrus, track Julien''s phone too. I want to know exactly where he was before it was turned off."
A drone silently tailed a ck sedan all the way to the site of Mandy''s ident.
The car came to a halt. The door swung open, and Remy stepped out into the biting wind.
For reasons he could not exin, his
legs felt weak. His heart pounded
violently each beat heavy and
unsteady. It felt as though he were
walking on clouds, unable to
summon any strength into his limbs.
Even so, he did not dare show the slightest hint of panic. Justin and Sheryl were
likely watching his every move through the drone''s camera.