"What? Jasper, Cyrus, and Axel... Why didn''t you wake me up and tell me about this earlier?" Alyssa demanded, both shocked and furious.


    She was so agitated that sweat drenched her face. She tried to get out of bed, but Jonah pressed her back down with a firm grip.


    "Don''t be rash, Lyse! You''re too weak right now. You can barely stand without losing your bnce. What exactly do you think you can contribute if you go? Do you want Jasper distracted because of you? Do you want him worrying about you instead of saving Amber?"


    "Am I... Am I nothing but a burden to him now? Is that all I am?" Her voice trembled violently. "We''re one. I have to go and help him. What am I supposed to do if something happens to him?"


    Alyssa broke downpletely, tears streaming without end. Her voice hitched between sobs. "Dad can''t even remember me anymore. I can''t... I can''t lose Jasper too... Even if we can''t go back to the way things were, even if he doesn''t love me anymore, I still want to stay by his side...


    "All I want is to be with him... Jonah, I really can''t live without him..."


    It didn''t matter if he found her bothersome. It didn''t matter if he had forgotten her. She would be content just seeing him every day.


    At this moment, Alyssa wasn''t blinded by love. She was drowning in despair, wing desperately at thest thread of hope before she shatteredpletely. And Jasper was the only person she believed could save her.


    "Calm down, Lyse!"


    Jonah, who had never once raised his voice at her, finally lost his temper and growled, "Jasper isn''t the only person in your life. You have us! You have people who love you! Dad may have forgotten us, but that might only be temporary. And even if he never remembers-so what?


    "Isn''t it enough that he is still alive? When he was in aa, didn''t you say you would ept anything as long as he regained consciousness? Now that he has, why are you dissatisfied? We can''t have everything. Don''t let your greed consume you!"


    Alyssa froze, her face pale and stiff. Still, the tears kept falling.


    "Besides, are you sure you even want to go where Jasper is right now?"


    Jonah let out a heavy sigh, his chest tight. "I didn''t want to tell you, but there''s no point hiding it anymore. Jasper called me this morning. He told me to hold you back, no matter what.


    "Who would''ve thought? Even with his emotion processing affected by that drug, he still understands you better than anyone. He still cares about you the most.


    "He just doesn''t express it the way he used to. He doesn''t confess his love like before."


    Alyssa shut her eyes tightly and lowered her head, recalling the tender kiss from the night before. The warmth of Jasper''s lips still lingered on hers.


    So what if the love they once had had changed? It wouldn''t stop them from loving each other from this point onward.


    With a steady gaze, Jonah continued, "Jasper said he''s figured out your thoughts and your n. You distanced yourself from him for a reason. You wanted to get close to Justin and earn his trust. Isn''t that right?"


    Alyssa rubbed her swollen eyes and gave a small, defeated nod.


    "He knows Justin has lowered his guard around you. That means you''re already halfway there. If he approaches you now or crosses paths with you too often, all the effort you''ve put in will be wasted.


    "Since you''ve chosen this path, then see it through. Do it perfectly."


    Jonah''s eyes welled up as his voice grew hoarse. "He also said he''ll protect you and keep you safe. You have to understand him. Even if he hasn''t regained all his feelings, you''re still the most important person in his life."


    "I understand now, Jonah."


    Alyssa lifted her head and forced a bright smile-so dazzling it was painful to look at. "That''s all I needed to hear. I''ll pull myself together and continue with my n. Nothing will trip me up again."


    Jasper''s words were, without a doubt, a surge of strength and a balm for her fractured heart. Even if they walked on parallel paths that never intersected, they could still move forward together, side by side.


    As the sun set, Domere Mountain sank into darkness. Remy had witnessed


    countless nights like this. But tonight felt different.


    The moon hung high in the sky, brilliant and cold.


    The door at the end of the corridor creaked open. Finnegan stood guard outside, ncing around anxiously Remy slipped inside and swiftly switched Amber-barely clinging to life on the hospital bed-with the corpse of a female test subject on a gurney.


    "Get some rest. You''ll see him when you wake up," Remy murmured, gazing into


    Amber''s tear-filled eyes.


    Then, he pulled a white sheet over her head.


    "Hurry up, Remy!" Finnegan urged urgently.


    "I''ming."


    With a grim expression, Remy pushed the gurney out.


    "Remy... what about the surveince cameras?" Finnegan asked nervously.


    "I''ve already handled the cameras in this corridor. I bypassed the system. We won''t appear on any footage."


    They hurried toward the base''s


    secret passage, pushing the gurney.


    Along the way, they passed several


    employees. But with their calme expressions and steady pace, no one suspected a thing. Everyone assumed they were transporting an ordinary corpse.


    Just as they were about to reach the back exit of the base, a voice rang out behind them.


    "Hold it!"