Yvonne Sutton sat down across from Zoe Churchill, momentarily unsure how to explain their relationship.

"I am Wyatt Shaw’s wife, and you are his ex-ex-girlfriend. I don’t really know what that makes us, but I don’t know you. And," she whispered, "I don’t like her, either."

Because of this, Zoe Churchill’s hostility toward her lessened considerably.

"My family wasn’t well-off. My parents were just ordinary workers, so sending me abroad to study was a huge burden for them. I knew how hard they worked for me, so I studied diligently overseas. My grades were always good, and my professors looked out for me. I could have stayed on at the university, but that accident... it left me disabled. I didn’t even finish my studies. I just scurried back home in disgrace."

"While I was in the hospital, I thought Hannah Abbott would come and apologize, but she never did. I was seething with anger. After I was discharged, I went looking for her, but I couldn’t find her. I asked around and finally went to the university to find her boyfriend, only to find out he had already dropped out. They just vanished, as if my accident had nothing to do with them at all."

"Things were incredibly difficult for me back then. If The Rhodes Group hadn’t sponsored all my hospital fees and given me a sum of money to return home, I can’t imagine what would have become of me."

"The Rhodes Group? You mean the one from Aethelgard?" Yvonne Sutton asked.

Zoe Churchill nodded. "Yes. After I returned to the country, I wrote a thank-you letter to the president of The Rhodes Group. He even wrote back, encouraging me to live a good life."

’Wyatt Shaw wouldn’t have sponsored Zoe Churchill under the name of The Rhodes Group,’ Yvonne thought. ’It must have been Mr. Rhodes.’

"Wyatt Shaw’s original name is Wyatt Rhodes," Yvonne Sutton said, looking at Zoe Churchill.

Zoe Churchill frowned. "Then his relationship with The Rhodes Group is...?"

"He’s the only son of the president of The Rhodes Group. I think Mr. Rhodes must have found out what happened to you. He must have felt terrible and decided to sponsor you in the company’s name."

"So that’s how it was."

"Wyatt Shaw was in a car accident with Hannah Abbott. Hannah died. Wyatt was saved, but the immense trauma, combined with his physical injuries, caused him to lose his memory. He only just remembered everything a short while ago. And the first thing he did after remembering was to find you to atone."

Zoe Churchill stared at her own legs for a long time, then finally sighed. "I’m tired. Just let me be alone for a while."

Yvonne had wanted to discuss transferring her to a hospital in Aethelgard, but it was clearly not the right time.

She helped Zoe Churchill into bed and got her to lie down.

"Whether you forgive Wyatt Shaw or not... can I be your friend?"

Zoe Churchill shook her head. "I don’t know."

"It’s okay. You can say no."

When Yvonne came out, she saw Wyatt Shaw and David Sutton sitting in the garden, smoking.

Seeing her approach, David Sutton stood up.

"I’ll head back to the guesthouse then. You stay with him."

"Okay. You go get some rest."

After David Sutton left, Yvonne sat down next to Wyatt Shaw. He stubbed out his cigarette, turned, and pulled her into an embrace, letting out a long, weary breath.

"After that incident, those people started targeting Hannah Abbott. I had no choice but to take her and move to another city to live. But she couldn’t stay out of trouble. She kept making messes, and to clean them up, I became an assistant to a local gang boss, helping him manage his legitimate businesses. But when you’re immersed in that world for too long, it’s impossible not to get your hands dirty. I didn’t want to sink any further, so I started trying to save myself. I went from being the boss’s subordinate to his partner, a mutually beneficial arrangement, and finally broke away from the gang completely. It wasn’t an easy process. I was on the verge of madness, despair, even self-loathing. My nerves were constantly frayed, and on top of all that, I still had to clean up her messes. I was mentally and physically exhausted... and then I caught her cheating with my own eyes."

That period of his life had been so dark, so suffocating, that every time Wyatt Shaw recalled it, he felt a terrifying sensation of drowning.

Yvonne Sutton patted his back. "Wyatt Shaw, look up at the sun. You’re completely free from that darkness now."

She told him to look at the sun, but he cupped her face in his hands and looked at her instead.

"You are my sun."

Yvonne smiled. "Then I’m honored."

The two returned to the guesthouse for a nap. Just as they were getting ready to go to the hospital to see Zoe Churchill, Sandra Sutton called, asking if Zoe had returned to the guesthouse.

"No, she hasn’t come back," Yvonne said.

Sandra let out a cry of alarm. "Well, she’s not at the hospital either! It seems she went out around noon, and when I tried calling her, her phone was off."

Yvonne and Wyatt Shaw exchanged a look and hurried outside. They ran into David Sutton coming downstairs and asked him to join them in searching for Zoe Churchill.

After leaving the guesthouse, the three of them split up to search.

Yvonne headed toward the outskirts of town, asking people she passed—both tourists and local residents—but even after searching a wide area, she found nothing.

There was no news from Wyatt Shaw or David Sutton either, and Yvonne couldn’t help but start to panic.

Just then, she saw a woman in a blue dress and a straw hat coming toward her. Yvonne quickly waved to stop her.

"What’s wrong? Need some help?" the woman asked, lifting the brim of her hat.

The woman’s features were pleasant but not stunning, and her gentle expression gave off a very comfortable feeling.

"Hello, have you by any chance seen a woman in a wheelchair on the road?"

"In a wheelchair?" The woman thought for a moment. "Are you looking for Zoe?"

Yvonne nodded eagerly. "Yes, I’m looking for her."

"I haven’t seen her on this road. But usually, if she’s not at the guesthouse, she’s over on that hillside, weaving handicrafts."

"Which hillside?" Yvonne asked hurriedly.

"You go down at that fork up ahead, keep going straight, and at the next fork, you turn east, then go north, and then... oh, it’s too complicated to explain. Hop on, I’ll take you there."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

Yvonne quickly climbed into the woman’s three-wheeler. It was only then that she noticed an easel, a stand, paints, and other supplies inside. A landscape painting was on the easel.

"You’re a painter?"

"You flatter me. I just run an art studio."

A thought struck Yvonne. "Are you Dr. Sandra Sutton’s mother?"

"Oh? You know my Sandra?"

"Yes, I met Dr. Sutton when I took Zoe Churchill to the hospital."

"Well, isn’t that nice. You must be here on vacation. I bet you haven’t tried the local specialties yet. You should come over to my house sometime, and I’ll cook for you."

"Thank you."

The mountain road was rough. It took them a while to reach the hillside, where they only found a few knitted roses, but no sign of Zoe Churchill.

"She was definitely here," Mrs. Sutton said, pointing to the knitted flowers on the ground and looking around. "But where did she go?"

Yvonne saw a small dot near the riverbank. Squinting, she realized it really seemed to be her.

"She’s by the river!" Yvonne shouted.

Mrs. Sutton peered into the distance and gasped. "What is she doing over there? She’s not thinking of jumping in, is she?"

Yvonne’s heart sank. She immediately started running in that direction.

To her surprise, Mrs. Sutton was even faster and more agile, rushing ahead of her.