"...Hello."

"Is this Miss Lilian Summer?" a female voice asked.

"Yes."

"This is Velaridge City Police Headquarters."

Kendra’s expression changed instantly.

"Do you need something, officer?" Lilian asked, her tone carefully composed.

"We have a case that requires your cooperation. Please come to the station immediately."

Lilian’s grip on the phone tightened slightly. "I’m currently at the hospital."

There was a pause.

"Shall we send officers to the hospital then? This is an urgent matter."

Lilian’s gaze darkened.

If the police came here... if the media found out...

That would be disastrous.

Her current condition—her act—would be exposed instantly.

"I’m fine enough to come," she said quickly. "I’ll come to the station myself."

"Alright, ma’am."

The call ended.

Kendra turned to her immediately, panic rising. "What do you mean you’ll go there yourself? What if they’ve already caught Lucas? What if they’re planning to arrest us?"

Lilian’s expression remained calm—too calm.

"Think about it," she said slowly. "I’ve never met Lucas. I’ve never spoken to him. If this is about him, the police should be contacting you, not me."

Kendra hesitated.

That... made sense.

But something still felt off.

"What if they’re trying to get to me through you?" she muttered, anxiety creeping in. "No—I can’t stay here."

She quickly began packing her things.

But before she could move, Lilian grabbed her wrist.

Firm.

Cold.

"I still have the contact information for your parents’ care home," Lilian said softly. "And I’m still paying for their expenses."

Kendra froze.

"What do you think would happen if I made just one phone call?"

Kendra’s face went pale. "You wouldn’t..."

Lilian’s gaze didn’t waver.

"Then come with me," she said calmly. "And if Lucas is caught... you’ll take the blame. You’ll keep me out of it."

Silence fell between them.

Kendra’s hands trembled slightly.

She knew exactly what Lilian was capable of.

And she knew she had no choice.

After a long pause, she nodded stiffly.

"...Fine."

"Good."

Lilian released her and stood up, heading toward the bathroom to get ready.

A short while later, the two of them made their way down to the underground garage.

But just as they approached the car—

Several men dressed in black stepped forward, blocking their path.

"Miss Lilian," one of them said respectfully, "Mr. Blackwood has sent us to escort you to the police station."

Both Lilian and Kendra froze.

Alexander’s POV

When Lilian arrived at the station with the men I had sent, she stepped inside first—

—and froze the moment she saw me.

So she hadn’t expected this.

What caught my attention, however, wasn’t her reaction.

It was her condition.

Just a few hours ago, she had looked weak, fragile, barely holding herself together.

Now—

She looked... fine.

Too fine.

Was everything earlier just an act?

"Alexander..." she called softly, her voice suddenly fragile again. "Why are you here? Why did you suddenly leave earlier?"

"This isn’t why we’re here," I said calmly. "Let’s focus on what matters."

"Miss Lilian, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat," the officer in charge said, gesturing across from me.

She glanced at me cautiously before sitting down.

Kendra followed, quieter than usual—far too quiet.

Her head remained lowered, her silence almost unnatural.

"Miss Lilian," the officer began, flipping open a file, "three years ago, on January 5th, at approximately 10 p.m., an incident occurred on Crestfall Street. Do you remember it?"

Lilian stiffened.

This time, it wasn’t an act.

"I remember," she said slowly, her voice tightening. "How could I forget the night that destroyed my life?"

Her eyes flickered toward me before returning to the officer.

"Why are you asking?"

"We’d like to know if you saw any of their faces."

She paused.

Thinking.

"Miss Lilian?" the officer prompted.

"They were wearing masks," she replied finally. "I couldn’t see anything clearly."

The officer leaned back slightly. "Are you sure? Not even a small detail?"

Silence.

Then—

Her fingers tightened around the armrest.

A faint sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead despite the cold air.

For a moment, I was pulled back to three years ago—

Her nightmares.

Her hollow eyes.

The way she had looked... broken.

Now, as she sat there, her expression began to shift again—

Almost like she was slipping back into that version of herself.

"...There was one man," she said suddenly, her voice trembling. "Dark hair. His mask slipped when I struggled in the car."

The officer straightened immediately.

"He seemed like the leader," she continued. "The others were following his orders."

The officer’s eyes lit up.

I remembered—

Lucas also had dark hair.

"If you saw him again," the officer asked carefully, "would you recognize him?"

"It was dark... I didn’t see clearly," she hesitated. "But... maybe."

The officer glanced at me.

I held Lilian’s gaze for a moment—

Then nodded.

"Bring the suspect in."

"Suspect?" Lilian echoed, confusion flashing across her face.

"Don’t worry, Miss Lilian," the officer reassured. "As long as you cooperate, nothing will happen."

A moment later, another officer entered—

With Lucas.

The instant he stepped inside, his gaze shifted—

—not to me.

To Kendra.

Kendra looked up.

Shock flashed across her face.

Real shock.

Lucas’s expression, however, remained unreadable.

Then— 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He looked away.

Toward Lilian.

Lilian’s body tensed visibly.

Her expression turned pale, her fingers gripping the chair.

"Miss Lilian," the officer said, watching her closely, "do you recognize him?"

No response.

She sat frozen.

Lost somewhere far away.

"Miss Lilian," the officer tried again, softer this time, "you’re safe here."

Still nothing.

I finally spoke.

"Lilian," I said evenly, "calm down and answer the question. We need to confirm this."

Slowly—

She looked up at me.

Then at Lucas.

Her lips trembled.

"Alexander..." her voice shook, "he’s the one... the one I told you about... the one in my dreams..."

Tears spilled down her face.

"He was the one who dragged me into that dark room..."

Before anyone could react, she stood abruptly and threw herself into my arms.

I stilled.

For a moment, I didn’t respond.

Then, seeing how violently she was shaking, I placed a hand on her back—lightly.

"It’s alright," I said quietly. "It’s over now."

"It’s all in the past".

"I’m sorry," the officer said. "We didn’t mean to trigger her."

I said nothing.

After a moment, I gently removed her from my arms.

She looked up at me—almost unwilling to let go—but eventually returned to her seat.

That was when I noticed—

Kendra.

Her expression had completely changed.

Shock.

Fear.

And something else beneath it.