"Will Allen Ramsey be okay?"


    "You should be asking if ude Hart will be okay. Mr. Hilton''s people have arrived, and Ronald Collins will probably make sure ude spends the rest of his life in prison. Harming Lydia, kidnapping you twice, plus his financial crimes... it''s enough to keep him locked up forever. Mr. Hilton anticipated he''d pull something like this. That''s why he deliberately hit me that day and made me leave. He wanted to see what ude would do if I was out of the picture."


    As Helen turned into the Hilton family estate, I couldn''t help but feel like I was the one who had been yed.


    "So Max used me as bait to lure ude, all without discussing it with me. And Helen, you knew everything and didn''t say a word."


    My shoulders began to tremble uncontrobly.


    It was cruel, wasn''t it? After he promised he would discuss everything with me from


    now on.


    Kate Goodwin almost died in front of me. I almost legally married ude. And now Helen was telling me it was all a setup orchestrated by Max.


    "Stop the car!"


    Helen immediately pulled over.


    I threw the door open, stepped out of the gates of the Hilton estate, and gasped for breath.


    Kate ran up behind me. "ire, I knew about it too. Mr. Hilton was going to tell you, but he was afraid that if you knew, you would...”


    "Enough. Why are you all making excuses for him? Have any of you thought about me? I''ve been walking on eggshells, only to be deceived and manipted time and time again. Is this what ''for my own good'' means? Pushing me to my breaking point over and over?"


    I walked faster.


    I didn''t know what I felt for Max anymore. All I knew was that even in this second chance at life, my fate never seemed to be my own to control.


    I walked ahead, sensing Helen and Kate following close behind me.


    “Helen, take Kate to get some rest. I need to cool down by myself. It''s safe around here; it''s all crawling with Max''s people."


    A bitterugh escaped me.


    I felt for the ring I had bought today in my pocket.


    I raised my hand, intending to throw it away, but I couldn''t bring myself to do it. I let out a long sigh.


    Helen approached and handed me her phone. "ire, will you take Mr. Hilton''s call? He didn''t mean to hide this from you. He was going to tell you, but he didn''t expect ude to move so quickly and kidnap you the same day. The situation with Garrett was also an emergency. Mr. Hilton was fully prepared to marry you."


    Helen was still desperately trying to exin on Max''s behalf.


    I took the phone and held it to my ear. I heard Max''s soft voice call my name. "ire, I''m so sorry about what happened with ude. If you me me then maybe we should just end things."


    My mind wentpletely nk.


    He was in such a hurry to find me just to say that if I med him, we should call it quits.


    Yes, maybe we should.


    We were never meant to be. I had been pregnant with his child twice, and both were


    lost. We were about to get married, and then this happened.


    If that wasn''t a sign that we weren''t fated to be together, what was?


    "Alright. So you''re letting me go, is that it?" I asked, forcing a light tone.


    The line was silent for a long time. I could hear him take a long, deep breath.


    I thought he would try to convince me to stay, like he always did.


    But then, his voice firm, he said, "I''ll let you go. As long as you''re happy."


    "Fine."


    I handed the phone back to Helen. "He said he''s letting me go. Don''t follow me."


    I gave the ring box from my pocket to Kate. “Return this for me. Or just throw it away."


    After walking a few steps, I added, unable to leave it unsaid, "The orphans at Evergreen Health Center... they belong there. Don''t let anyone force them out."


    A few more steps, and I said, "Kate, feel like I''ve hit a wall with my medical studies anyway Just everyone I''ve gone away f?r advanced training for a while."