Her fingers, which had instinctively moved toward her phone, slowly stilled.

Her excitement faded as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a hollow unease.

Taking a slow, steady breath, she lowered her hand.

’What if...’ the thought crept in, cold and unwelcome, ’what if he really is...’

She couldn’t finish it.

Back then, when she had stated that she would deal with him and his ’wild’ cat if he cheated on her.

Now she realized the truth. She had been lying. Not to him but to herself.

If he really was cheating... she didn’t know what she would do.

She didn’t know how she would confront him.

And more than that... she didn’t know if she could survive the heartbreak that would follow.

So instead of reaching out, she chose silence.

Thessy returned to her room.

Now she had Lucian’s help, and that alone should have given her some sense of relief, yet her brows remained tightly furrowed, her fingers unconsciously curling into her palm.

’But that’s not the real problem...’

Her thoughts turned sharp and restless, circling around the one question that refused to leave her alone... who had exposed the scandal to the internet?

At first, suspicion instinctively pointed toward Lana, her eyes narrowing slightly as her lips pressed into a thin line.

’It has to be her... doesn’t it?’

But almost immediately, she shook her head, pacing slowly across the room.

’No... that doesn’t make sense. She doesn’t even know I exist. Why would she target me?’

Taking a slow, steady breath, she forced herself to sit down, her fingers pressing against her temples as she tried to think.

Eventually, her patience snapped.

’If I can’t find the truth... then I’ll make her suffer first.’

A cold glint appeared in her eyes as she stood up abruptly, her movements stiff with suppressed rage.

Without hesitation, she reached into the drawer and pulled out a knife.

She stared at it for a long moment, her grip tightening.

’I know what this means... the moment I use this, she’ll realize something is wrong.’

Her breathing grew uneven, but the anger burning inside her drowned out every hesitation.

’Let her realize it.’

With that thought, she raised the knife and, without giving herself another second to reconsider, dragged the blade across her own wrist.

A sharp, slicing pain tore through her skin, followed by the warm sensation of blood trickling down her arm.

Far away, Lana, who had been quietly cultivating, suddenly flinched as a chilling sensation shot through her arm. Her eyes snapped open, her breath hitching as she clutched her wrist.

"Ouch...!"

Her voice trembled as she lowered her gaze, and the moment she saw the deep, bleeding cut on her wrist, her eyes widened in pure horror.

Fear surged through her body like a tidal wave.

’N-No... not again...’

Her body trembled uncontrollably as fragments of her past life flooded her mind. Cuts appearing out of nowhere. The phantom sensation of whips lashing against her skin.

The horrifying feeling of something stabbing deep into her heart, over and over again.

It had been so painful that even death had felt like a distant luxury she could never reach.

’I... I couldn’t even fight back...’

Her breathing grew erratic as she forced herself to look around, her vision slightly blurred with panic. She instinctively searched for Mr. Crow, her eyes darting across the space.

"Mr. Crow...?"

But he wasn’t there.

A cold dread settled in her chest. She instinctively reached toward the corner, her fingers trembling, but before she could steady herself, another sharp slash tore across her wrist.

"Ahhh!"

A scream ripped from her throat as fresh blood spilled out, the pain doubling in intensity.

Her body shook violently as she immediately channeled her healing energy, a faint glow forming around her wound.

’Heal... heal... come on...!’

But no matter how hard she tried, the wound refused to close.

Her eyes filled with terror. ’Why isn’t it working...?!’

Meanwhile, Thessy stared at her own arm, watching as another cut formed, blood seeping through the bandage. A twisted smile slowly crept onto her lips.

’So it’s true...’

Her eyes darkened, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Now let’s see... whether you can stay calm... or if all of this is because of you, Lana."

Completely unaware of the source of her suffering, Lana stumbled toward the door in panic. Her hands shook violently as she rushed forward and flung it open, almost tripping as she hurried down the hallway.

Lucy, who had been cleaning nearby, turned at the sudden noise. The moment she saw Lana, blood dripping down her fingers, staining the floor beneath her feet, her eyes widened in shock.

"Lana?! What happened?!"

She rushed forward immediately, grabbing Lana’s shoulders, her voice filled with alarm.

Lana looked at her, tears brimming in her eyes, her lips trembling.

"Do something... please... it’s back...!"

Lucy froze for a moment, fear creeping into her expression. "What’s back...?"

Lana shook her head frantically, her voice breaking.

"I don’t know... I don’t know who it is... but someone is hurting me from a distance... every time I move... they slash me again...!"

As if to prove her words, right in front of Lucy’s horrified gaze, another deep cut suddenly appeared on Lana’s wrist.

"Ahhh!"

Lana doubled over in pain, clutching her arm tightly as her body trembled uncontrollably.

Lucy didn’t hesitate any longer. Supporting Lana’s weight, she quickly pulled out her phone with her free hand and dialed Lucian, her fingers shaking slightly.

Lucian, who had just finished working on his laptop, frowned when he saw the call.

’She never calls during work hours... something’s wrong.’

He picked it up immediately.

On the other end, Lucy’s voice came through, unsteady and filled with panic.

"Lucian... something’s wrong... Lana... she’s suddenly getting injuries all over her hands!"

The moment he heard those words, Lucian’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as his hand clenched into a fist.

"Treat her immediately," he said firmly, his voice low but commanding.