A crescent moon cast its cold glow over theboratory base, heavy darkness swallowing thepound whole.


    Remy and Finnegan entered Amber''s ward one after the other. Ambery motionless on the hospital bed in the dim, airless room, her frail frame nearly lost beneath an oversized white gown. The loose fabric only emphasized how thin and pale she had be, as though a single gust of wind could carry her away.


    Her cloudy, sunken eyes slowly opened and fixed on Remy as he approached. She was so weak she could not even part her lips to speak. A tear slipped silently from the corner of her reddened eye.


    Remy took in her condition, his gaze darkening. She was at her limit. If she weren''t removed and given proper treatment soon, she wouldst no more than a month.


    "Remy..." Finnegan murmured near his ear.


    Keeping his expression impassive, Remy lifted his gaze to the surveince camera in the corner. Its green light blinked steadily. In a cold voice, he instructed,


    "Administer the experimental drug."


    "Yes, Remy."


    Finnegan picked up a syringe and approached Amber.


    Amber''s eyes widened in sudden terror. Panic surged through her frail body as she struggled with what little strength she had left. The steel cuffs around her ankles nged sharply against the metal frame.


    Finnegan nced at the camera, his face turning merciless. "Behave! Do you really think struggling will help? Keep it up and I''ll give you extra doses so you can truly experience how powerful this drug is."


    "Just... kill me... if you dare..." Amber rasped hoarsely. "Take my life... all of you..."


    Remy stepped forward at once, gripping her shoulders to steady her. He leaned close, his voice warm and steady against her ear. "Don''t be afraid. I switched the medication. It''s only a vitamin shot."


    Amber''s dim pupils contracted as her gaze locked onto his-clear, resolute, unwavering.


    Her cracked lips parted slightly. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out a single syble. "Da-"


    The sound was barely audible, yet it struck Remy like a de to the chest.


    "Don''t speak. Save your strength."


    He took the syringe from Finnegan and gently injected the vitamin into her arm, already mottled with needle marks. His eyes were bloodshot, as though he had wept.


    "Conserve your energy," he whispered. "You still have to leave this ce and reunite with the man you love."


    Axel...


    Tears clung to Amber''sshes as they trembled. Her heart twisted in agony.


    Days of confinement and escting experiments had left her feeling as


    though her body no longer betonged though her body no


    no longer bnged


    to her. At times, she was tucid, but


    more often her mind drifted in a


    dense fog that refused to lift.


    A few nights ago, alone in the darkness, she had tried desperately to recall Axel''s


    face.


    All she could see were blurred


    fragments his eyes, the line of his


    nose, the curve of his lips, and the


    sharp outline of his face. It was as if


    he were nothing more than a


    silhouette slipping away into a fading dream.


    The pain had pierced her heart over and over again. She spent the rest of the day in silent tears.


    She never imagined a drug could steal memories-could erase even the image of the person she loved most.


    For lovers forgetting each other was far crueler than death. Even Jasper had forgotten his feelings for Alyssa. It would not be surprising if he, too, forgot Axel entirely.


    "Don''t worry," Remy said again, giving her bony hand a secret squeeze. "Leave everything to me. I''ll get you out."


    "We need to go, Remy," Finnegan urged under his breath. "People will start getting suspicious."


    He had already chosen his side. There was no turning back now. If he was to survive, he had to see this through and help Remy get Amber out safely.


    Remy nodded.


    Just as he turned to leave, Amber''s fingers tightened weakly around his. "I-If something goes wrong... leave me behind..." she stammered.


    Remy''s brows drew together.


    Amber looked at him with a gaze both fragile and fearless. "It''s fine... even... if I die... But you... have to live... Everyone''s waiting... for you... toe home..." Waiting for him toe home?


    Remy froze, as though a bullet fired from light-years away had pierced straight through his brow.


    To avoid suspicion, Remy and Finnegan left the ward separately.


    Finnegan went to prepare a trolley and a corpse to take Amber''s ce.


    Remy climbed to the rooftop and lit a cigarette. Then he dialed a number he had


    saved long ago but never once called.


    After several rings, the line connected.


    "Hello? Who is this?"


    Jasper''s deep, steady, husky voice came through the receiver-low and heavy as


    the night itself.