“Yes. If it really was Do?a Dolores who took her, then why hasn’t she seen Dolores even once in all these years? Could it be that this Dolores is nothing more than an invention?”

    “Or maybe it was ck Hawk’s lie?” Sebastian suggested.

    “No,” Caitlin shook her head firmly. “I don’t think ck Hawk lied. What he said might actually be true. But here’s the problem–since ck Hawk ended up in our hands, the mastermind behind him must know by now. They would also know that ck Hawk might betray them eventually and tell me the truth. Which means they probably moved my mother before we ever set foot on Ebonreach Isle.”

    She rose to her feet, pacing as her thoughts sharpened. “Let me take this further. They captured my mother but didn’t kill her. That means revenge wasn’t the motive. It had to be about the codex.

    “And suppose this woman we found isn’t my real mother at all. If she’s a nt, then the point of letting us ‘rescue‘ her was to lead us here–to the moment my brother was poisoned. And in my conversations with her, when I asked about Antis in the codex, she exined it all in detail.

    “Then, almost on cue, Aurelius prescribes a cure for Harrison that involves the very same Shard of Life my ‘mother‘ mentioned. That can’t be coincidence.

    “She says the lower half of the codex is with someone named Hector. Aurelius tells us the only cure requires the Shard. And where is the Shard? In Antis. Where do we get the map to Antis? From the codex. One thing leads to another, all too neatly.

    “Put it all together, and what does it look like? Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes, using me to gather the codex, to unlock Antis, and ultimately to retrieve this so–called Shard of Life.

    “This isn’t fate. It’s a setup. We’ve been walked right into it.”

    Her reasoning was razor–sharp, threading scattered clues into a single, chilling line of logic. Sebastian felt as if a veil of fog had been pulled away, leaving only cold rity behind.

    “Then what if we just take her and interrogate her?” he asked. “If she’s a fake, she has to know the truth. And Aurelius–what if he’s been bought by them too?”

    “No,” Caitlin said quickly. “Not yet. They’re only pieces on the board. Whoever orchestrated this is nning something far bigger. If we move now, without knowing who we’re up against, we’ll only spook them and ruin our chance.”

    “So what then? Do we just let them keep leading us by the nose?”

    “Not exactly.” Her eyes shed with resolve. “We’ll y along. We’ll go to D–country, find Hector, secure the lower half of the codex. We’ll piece together the map, unlock Antis, and hunt for the Shard of Life. If the mastermind wants us to reach that point so badly, then that’s exactly where we’ll go. And once we do… they’ll have no choice but to show themselves. And when they do, we’ll finally have the truth.”

    Originally, Caitlin had no intention of chasing down the missing codex. She thought she could revive the Fragrance & Dye Studio without it. But now, with a hidden hand pushing from the shadows, she had no choice.

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    For her brother, for her mother, for the fragile hope of peace–she had to walk this path.

    “No matter what, I’ll face it with you,” Sebastian said, taking her hand. His eyes were steady, unwavering.

    Caitlin nodded. “First, I’ll find a way to quietly test my mother’s identity. If she really is who she says she is, or not.”

    “Good.”

    After speaking with him, Caitlin left the manor. She had another stop to make–Wendy.

    Ever since the tragedy at the Smith household, Wendy and Simon could no longer bear to live in their old apartment. The ce had been cleaned, the blood washed away, but to them it was a grave. They had moved instead into the vi Caitlin had given Wendy, the LL Vi.

    Their mother, Reba, was more stable now, though she still didn’t recognize her own children. To keep her safe, Simon hired a full–time caretaker, afraid she might try to harm herself again.

    Wendy had returned to work, managing the café by day and returning home in the evenings to care for Amelia. While she worked, Benjamin came every day, parking his car outside the café, waiting for her to finish her shift.

    But since their breakup, he had fallen apart. Just days without her, and he looked hollow, sleepless, as if his heart were being carved open piece by piece. He couldn’t let go, but Wendy refused to see him. Even when he stood before her, she was cold, distant, unreachable.

    At first, he thought it was just grief–that the chaos in her family made her too tired for love. But time passed, and nothing changed. He had to face the truth: she truly didn’t want to be with him anymore.

    Still, he couldn’t give her up. The pain was suffocating.

    Desperate for even a glimpse of her, he ordered delivery after delivery of coffee from her café. But it was always Vicky, Wendy’s coworker, who brought it out.

    “Benjamin, here’s your order,” Vicky said, setting the cup in his car window.

    “Why doesn’t she bring it herself?” he asked hoarsely.

    “Um… she said she doesn’t want to.”

    Vicky knew well enough what was going on: Benjamin chasing, Wendy resisting. She hated being stuck in the middle, ferrying messages between them, but there was no avoiding it.

    As she turned to leave, Benjamin stopped her. “Tell me. Why won’t she ept me? Has she ever told you why?”

    Vicky thought hard, then shook her head. “Not directly. But… maybe it’s because she feels inferior.”

    “Inferior?”

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    “Yes. Think about it. You’re from one of the most powerful families in the country. She and I–we’re ordinary. Maybe she feels the gap is just too big. That’s only my guess, though! Don’t be upset with me if I’m wrong.”

    Benjamin waved her off, sinking back in his seat as her words gnawed at him. Wendy’s insecurities–he knew about them. But was that really why? She had always said they weren’t a good match. Did she truly mean his identity was the barrier?

    Or… had she never loved him at all?

    If it was the former, what could he do? He couldn’t change the family he was born into. And if it was thetter –if Wendy had never truly cared for him–then the ache in his chest only deepened, unbearable.

    He was lost in the spiral when a familiar car pulled up nearby. Caitlin stepped out, and Benjamin’s eyes lit up like a drowning man spottingnd.

    “Caitlin!” he called, rushing to her side.

    She turned, startled, and then sighed when she saw the state of him. He looked thinner, paler, beaten down.

    “You and Wendy still haven’t made up?” she asked gently.

    His eyes were bloodshot, his voice raw with desperation. “No. She won’t even see me. She hides from me every day. Caitlin, you have to help me–I’m losing my mind.”

    Help me. Please.

    E