Evangeline felt as though she were walking through a thick fog; she couldn't even recall how she had arrived at the Alexander Corp headquarters.

Her body burned with an unnatural heat, and a cacophony of voices screamed inside her skull, clawing at her sanity. The pounding in her head reached a fever pitch until, finally, her strength gave way in front of the elevator. She crumpled to the floor, losing consciousness.

"Miss Montgomery! Miss Montgomery!" the young receptionist cried out, panic thick in her voice. She quickly braced herself, catching Evangeline before her head could strike the marble floor, then screamed, "Get Preston on the phone! Now!"

Preston didn't waste a second. He burst into the executive office, breathless. "Sir! Miss Montgomery just collapsed in the lobby!"

Marcellus was on his feet before the words had finished hanging in the air, his stride long and lethal as he moved toward the elevators. "Call Damian. Get him to the private clinic immediately!"

"On it!" Preston barked back.

When the elevator doors slid open, they found Evangeline curled on the ground, her skin the color of ash.

"Evangeline!" Marcellus roared, scooping her into his arms as if she were made of glass.

Waylen was already holding the car door open, engine humming.

"To Damian’s clinic! Now!"

Waylen slammed his foot on the pedal, the car tearing through the city streets like a bullet.

Damian was waiting in the treatment room, his face taut. "Bring her in. Quick, over here!"

Marcellus laid her down with trembling hands, his lips white, his eyes fixed on her with a raw, desperate intensity.

"Marcellus, you have to leave. Let us work," Damian said, physically nudging the paralyzed man toward the door.

Marcellus stood rooted to the spot, his gaze locked onto the closed door as if he could stare his way through the wood. His legs were stiff, anchored by the sheer weight of his anxiety. Waylen stood nearby, pacing like a caged animal; he was terrified that if Evangeline didn't pull through, his boss would be the next one hitting the floor.

Thirty minutes later, the door finally swung open. Damian emerged, his expression unreadable.

"How is she?" Marcellus’s voice was a jagged rasp, barely recognizable as his own.

"Like I told you yesterday, the trigger—the person or event she needed to push through this—has appeared," Damian said grimly.

"I don't give a damn about your theories! Tell me how to fix her!" Marcellus snapped.

"She’s been sedated. She’ll wake up soon. But… if her emotional state doesn't stabilize, we’ll have to move to electroconvulsive therapy."

"What does that mean?"

"Using a low-voltage current to stimulate the brain. It can be highly effective in recalibrating her nervous system, but… there’s a risk. She could suffer memory loss."

*Bang.* Marcellus slammed his fist into the wall, the drywall fracturing under the force. "Always the memory! It’s always about losing her!"

"Calm down! Let’s see how she is when she wakes up. We’ll try traditional psychotherapy first, okay?" Damian urged, his voice loud enough to break through the man's rage.

"Evangeline…"

A tiny, fragile sound drifted from the room. Marcellus tried to walk toward her, but his knees buckled. He crashed to the floor, collapsing under the sheer pressure of his fear.

"Sir!" Waylen lunged forward, hauling Marcellus to his feet and ushering him into the room before retreating to guard the door.

Marcellus reached out, his fingers hovering over her pale cheek. "Evangeline? Can you hear me?"

"My head… it hurts," she whispered.

"Evangeline… we need to start the treatment, okay?"

Evangeline had heard the whispers through the door. She didn't want the electric shocks; she didn't want her mind to turn to mush, and she refused to lose a single memory of him.

"Marcellus, stay with me. Just stay, and I’ll be fine."

"But if this happens again—"

"Nothing will disturb my peace of mind again," she cut him off, her eyes blazing with a sudden, sharp clarity.

Seeing the doubt still etched into his face, she added softly, "If I undergo that treatment, it’ll ruin my chances of ever giving you a baby."

Marcellus froze, a flicker of light returning to his eyes before a dark, protective shadow fell over them again. "I just want you healthy. I want you here with me forever."

"If it happens again, I promise—I will be good, and I will do whatever the doctors say. Deal?"

"…Deal."

Evangeline leaned into his chest, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Outside, Damian listened to the exchange and let out a frustrated sigh. *Idiots,* he thought. *Both of them.*

***

Meanwhile, at Montgomery Enterprises, Edward had finished handing over the evidence. He ordered every remaining contaminated shipment incinerated and overhauled the entire internal supervision department. He wouldn't let anyone touch his business again.

"Austin," Edward said, rubbing his temples, his face lined with fatigue. "Draft a public statement. We are formally cutting all ties with Cassidy. She is no longer part of this family."

"Understood, sir."

Once the statement hit the news, the entire city turned on Cassidy. Everyone knew the story of the adopted daughter who had bitten the hand that fed her.

When Jonah saw the news, he felt like someone had reached into his chest and carved out a piece of his heart. He remembered the nightmares of his past life—but in those dreams, Cassidy had succeeded. Here, in reality, she had been caught. *So it really wasn't just a dream,* he thought.

A strange relief washed over him. The tragedy wouldn't repeat itself. Evangeline wouldn't die. He still had a chance at redemption.

"Good thing you never married that snake," Anthony Harrison said, clapping a hand on his son’s shoulder. "She’s nothing but a jinx."

"I always knew she was trouble," Angela Harrison added, shaking her head. "It’s just a pity she ruined the engagement with Evangeline."

Jonah stayed silent, shoveling food into his mouth as his mind spiraled. *Evangeline will never forgive me,* he thought.

At the Montgomery estate, the bodyguards had been pulled back, and Cassidy’s room had been scrubbed clean. Marilyn Montgomery sat on the sofa, sighing deeply.

"It feels like we’re living in some soap opera. I can't even leave the house without people whispering about us."

"The family didn't do anything wrong, Mom," Evangeline said, soothing her mother’s hair. "Once the gossip dies down, people will forget."

"I suppose so." Marilyn nodded, but her heart remained heavy. She couldn't understand how a daughter she’d raised since childhood could turn into such a stranger.

Edward wrapped an arm around his wife. "Let it go, Marilyn. She isn't worth our tears."

The three of them sat in the quiet of their home. The nightmares of her previous life were gone, and for the first time, Evangeline felt a sense of peace.

The next morning, Jonah arrived at the detention center.

Cassidy sat in the visitation room, her hair disheveled, her eyes hollow.

"Cassidy!"

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. Her face lit up with a manic, desperate hope. "Jonah! You came to get me out, didn't you?"

Jonah stared at her with icy disdain. "You belong here, Cassidy. You’re a menace to everyone around you."

"You can't do this to me!" she screamed, lunging toward the glass. "I’m carrying your child!"

"I told you already—I’m not acknowledging that kid. You’d be better off getting rid of it now before it grows up to be a tragedy nobody wants."

"Jonah, how can you be so heartless?"

"I’m just reaping what you sowed," he retorted.

"You only came here to mock me?"

"I came to tell you that the Montgomerys have officially disowned you. Everyone in the city knows exactly what you’ve done. Even if you get out of here, you won't have a place to call home."

Cassidy gasped, her brain racing, trying to find a way out of the corner she’d been backed into.

"This is all your fault! Because you wouldn't marry me! It’s all your fault!" she shrieked, her voice tearing at her throat.

Jonah didn't spare her another glance. He turned and walked away.

Cassidy slumped in her chair, her face turning a ghastly shade of white. She was finished. Everything was gone.

Suddenly, a wicked gleam returned to her eyes. She reached down, gently stroking her stomach. *Heh,* she thought, a twisted smile spreading across her face. *As long as this child exists, you’ll never, ever be rid of me.*

The guard standing nearby felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of her transformation. *That woman,* he thought, *is absolutely unhinged.*