Mr. Crow’s expression turned serious. He closed his eyes, focusing his senses, trying to trace the origin of the disturbance.

For a brief moment, everything went still.

Then suddenly... he coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Mr. Crow!"

Lana’s eyes widened in horror as she immediately reached out, her hands glowing faintly as she channeled her healing energy into him.

Unlike her own wounds, his injuries began to heal under her touch, the bleeding stopping as his condition stabilized.

But as he tried to focus again, Lana quickly grabbed his arm, shaking her head.

"Don’t! You don’t have to push yourself!"

Mr. Crow opened his eyes slowly, his gaze heavy as he looked at her.

"Someone... has linked their soul and body to yours," he said gravely.

Lana froze.

"If this connection isn’t severed... you will continue to suffer like this for the rest of your life."

Her breath hitched.

"And the person who made this link..." he continued, his voice darker, "they are the one causing you harm."

Lana’s fingers tightened into fists as she processed his words.

"Then... if I’m hurt... that person should be hurt too, right?"

Mr. Crow shook his head slowly.

"No. This connection is one-sided."

His words fell like a hammer.

"It is extremely dangerous. You bear all the pain... while the other person remains completely unharmed."

A chill ran down Lana’s spine.

"This kind of contract... was most likely formed when you were very young," he added. "You wouldn’t have been able to give consent."

Lana’s voice trembled slightly. "A contract...?"

Mr. Crow nodded.

"Whoever is linked to you has bound your soul and body to theirs. If the connection is severed, you will bear all the backlash. And any pain they inflict... you will feel it fully."

Silence filled the room.

Lana clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

’I... was being used like this all along...?’

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she looked at him again. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Is there... any way to find who did this... without harming you?"

Mr. Crow remained silent for a moment before shaking his head, a reluctant expression crossing his face.

"Even if I wanted to... I cannot," he admitted. "Some things are hidden even from the heavens. Interfering with them... is not something I can do freely."

Lana frowned, frustration flickering in her eyes.

"What gives the heavens the right to make me suffer like this?"

Her voice carried a mix of anger and helplessness.

Mr. Crow was momentarily stunned.

He looked at her, a trace of pity in his gaze.

She hadn’t done anything wrong... yet in both her past life and this one, she continued to endure endless suffering.

"I will try my best," he said quietly. "But you must understand... this is not simple."

Lana closed her eyes briefly before nodding.

"I understand..."

She knew this wasn’t his fault.

Meanwhile, far away, Thessy was enjoying the lively atmosphere of the party with Lucian.

Lucian occasionally glanced in her direction, his gaze slightly unfocused, a faint, flirtatious smile playing on his lips.

Thessy couldn’t help but smile back, her heart beating a little faster.

’He’s already drunk...’

A thought crept into her mind, bold and tempting.

’Maybe tonight... I can finally be in his arms...’

But while she entertained those thoughts, Lucian’s mind was entirely elsewhere.

Every glance, every smile he directed at Thessy was calculated.

’As long as she stays under my watch... she won’t dare to harm herself again...’

He took a slow breath, his eyes briefly closing as memories surfaced from his past life.

Back then, Thessy had been connected to Lana. Whenever Thessy harmed herself, Lana would suffer.

He had known it all along, and that was why he used to keep Thessy close, distracting her whenever Lana showed signs of pain.

Sometimes, Lana didn’t even realize how many wounds had appeared on her body.

’Maybe she got used to the pain...’

The thought made his chest tighten.

’But I never wanted her to suffer... not even once.’

Hence, he restrained himself, forcing every ounce of emotion deep within his chest, never allowing even a trace of his true feelings toward Lana to surface.

In that previous life, Thessy had already known everything about Lana, every weakness, every connection, every hidden truth that could be used against her.

Even when Lana had finally come over to his side, choosing to stand with him despite everything, Thessy had been aware of it long before he could even react.

’She was always watching... always calculating...’

Because of that, Thessy would often probe him, her gaze sharp and probing as she tried to uncover whether Luciano harbored any feelings for Lana.

Each time, he had no choice but to respond coldly.

"I don’t feel anything for her," he would say, his tone indifferent, almost dismissive.

And to make it believable, he would deliberately distance himself from Lana, treating her with a coldness that even he found unbearable.

’If she believes it... then Lana will be safe...’

That had been his only thought.

Who could have imagined that even after enduring all of that, suppressing everything, sacrificing every chance to be close to her, he would still die in the end... and worse, Lana would continue to suffer even after his death?

The memory made his chest tighten painfully.

Taking a slow breath, he opened his eyes again, the faint noise of the party returning to his senses.

’This life will be different.’

A cold determination settled in his gaze.

’This time... I’ll make all of them pay for what they’ve done.’

In his previous life, it had taken him what felt like an eternity to discover a solution, and even then, it had only been half-complete, barely enough to delay the inevitable.

But now...

’Five years... no... even one year might be enough.’

Meanwhile, after the party ended, Thessy approached Lucian, a seductive smile playing on her lips.

"What’s wrong?" she murmured, her voice soft yet teasing. "Why were you looking at me like that all night?"