Thessy approached him gently.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, her voice soft. "Why are you in such a bad mood? Can I help?"

Lucian glanced at her.

Then he let out a tired, bitter laugh.

"I had a fight with my girlfriend," he said.

Thessy frowned slightly. "What kind of fight?"

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

"Some bitch sent her edited photos of me," he said coldly. "Now she thinks I’m cheating."

Thessy’s lips twitched slightly.

’He... called me that?’

She clenched her fists subtly.

"Do you know who it is?" she asked.

Lucian shook his head.

"No," he replied. "She won’t even show me the photos."

His eyes darkened.

"But if I find out who that two-faced bitch is..." he continued slowly, "I’ll make sure she regrets it."

A chill ran down Thessy’s spine.

She forced a small laugh.

"Yeah... that kind of person deserves it."

She turned and walked away, her expression stiff.

Behind her, Lucian’s gaze turned cold.

A dangerous thought flickered through his mind.

’If I kill her... It’s the same as killing Lana.’

His fists clenched. ’Damn it...’

He suppressed the urge.

Then, he picked up his phone again. He called Lana.

This time, the call connected.

For a brief second, Lucian froze in disbelief.

Then panic rushed in.

"Please don’t hang up," he said quickly, his voice urgent. "Just listen to me."

He took a shaky breath.

"If after hearing everything... you still think I don’t deserve another chance..."

His voice softened.

"I won’t force you."

Lana paused the moment she heard his voice.

’Why does he sound like that...?’

"Speak," she said finally, her voice calm but distant.

Lucian didn’t waste a second.

"I’m sorry," he blurted out, the words rushing out as if he had been holding them back for too long.

"I know I messed up. I know I should have told you everything earlier. I thought I was protecting you, but... I only ended up hurting you."

His voice trembled slightly.

"I promise... from now on, I won’t hide anything from you again."

Lana didn’t respond immediately.

She remained silent, letting his words settle.

Then, slowly, she spoke.

"Is that true?" she asked. "Is there really nothing else you’re hiding from me?"

There was no hesitation this time.

"Yes," Lucian said firmly. "There is something else."

Lana’s brows furrowed slightly.

"I’ve been hiding my memories," he continued. "From my past life."

For a moment... everything went still.

Lana’s eyes widened slightly, her grip on the phone tightening.

’He remembers... too?’

Lucian took a breath before continuing.

"You can ask me anything," he said. "I’ll answer everything honestly... as long as you come back to me."

His voice softened.

"As long as you become my girlfriend again."

Lana didn’t reject him immediately.

Instead, her gaze turned sharp, her mind already racing.

’This is my chance...’

If he truly remembered everything, then there were answers she had been searching for all along.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Fine," she said. "Then answer me this."

Her tone turned colder.

"In my previous life... why did you always treat me so coldly?"

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Lucian exhaled slowly.

"Because by that time... Thessy already had control over your life," he said. "You were constantly being monitored. If I acted too close to you... It would have drawn suspicion."

His voice lowered. "I couldn’t afford that."

Lana’s expression didn’t change.

But inside, her thoughts churned.

’So it wasn’t indifference... it was calculation.’ 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She didn’t dwell on it.

Instead, she asked another question, her tone sharper this time.

"Did you ever sleep with Thessy in my previous life?"

Lucian’s reaction was immediate.

"No."

His voice was firm, almost sharp.

"I never touched her like that," he said. "I always kept her at a distance."

Lana’s gaze flickered slightly.

But she didn’t stop there.

"Think carefully," she said. "Was there ever a moment, any moment, when she was in your bed? Even for a short time?"

Lucian fell silent. Not because he was unsure of his actions, but because he was thinking.

His mind quickly connected the dots.

’Ambiguous photos...’

He exhaled slowly.

"There might have been situations where she got close," he admitted carefully. "But not in the way you’re thinking."

His tone turned serious.

"She’s capable of manipulating appearances," he added. "If she could send you misleading photos now... then she could definitely do the same in our previous life."

Lana fell into a heavy silence.

It became painfully clear that it was Thessy who had resorted to evil methods to sow discord and misled her in her previous life.

"All right... I understand, and I accept your explanation."

On the other end, Lucian released a long breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

However, before that relief could settle, Lana’s voice came again, softer yet firm. "But I still need a break."

The call ended abruptly, leaving behind a hollow silence.

Lucian lowered his phone, his expression darkening almost instantly as the warmth drained from his face.

His fingers tightened slightly around the device, and a cold thought crossed his mind.

’So she still wants distance... fine. Once she wears that jade bracelet, I’ll make sure she learns properly.’

He did not have to wait long.

The very next day, Lana wore the jade bracelet.

By the time she returned to her university classroom, she felt unusually at ease, almost... too at ease.

Then the drowsiness hit her.

At first, it was subtlea slight heaviness in her eyelids, a soft blur creeping into her vision. But within minutes, it became overwhelming.

Her head dipped slightly as she tried to focus, her fingers pressing against the desk in a futile attempt to stay awake.

’Why am I suddenly so sleepy...?’ she wondered, her thoughts sluggish and scattered.

In the end, she could no longer resist it.

By the time she found herself in Axel’s office, she barely had the strength to question how she had gotten there.

When he suggested she rest, she simply nodded, too tired to argue. The moment her body sank into the sofa and her eyes closed, darkness swallowed her whole.