Edward replied, “I’m fine, Helen. I’m not going down that easily. I have to know what’s happened to Ivy.” Although his lips were pale, years of training kept him on his feet.

Olivia asked, “Who is Ivy to you?”

answer, “She’s my cousin.”

Edward was starting to lose his grip on reality, but he still managed to answer,

Olivia lowered her gaze, her longshes casting a faint shadow as the teardrop–shaped beauty mark

beneath her eye became even more noticeable.

She thought, ‘Ivy, if you’re still out there, pleasee home soon. Everyone’s waiting for you–they miss you more than you know.’

Olivia then took Edward’s pulse. She said, “You’ve been out cold too long–it’s gotten serious. You need to get some food and fluids into you, then head to the hospital for emergency care. It’ll help get your blood circting and bring your temperature back up.

“If I’m right, you’re already starting to feel out of it and slow to react, aren’t you?”

Edward nodded, a little dazed. Right now, Ivy and Olivia’s faces seemed to blur together in his mind. In his daze, he kept seeing traces of Ivy in Olivia’s face.

He reached out and touched Olivia’s cheek. He choked out, “Ivy, we have missed you so muchb. /bWhere have you been all these years?”

When he was locked up in that pitch–ck roomb, /bEdward couldn’t help but wonder if Ivy had been abandoned somewhere just as hopeless.

He thought, ‘Ivy has always been the delicate one–she’d throw a tantrum if it was even a little chilly outside in winter. How could someone as small and fragile as she is possibly survive in a ce like

this?

‘If she was lucky enough to make it bout /balive, had she been spending ball /bthese years in this vige, forced binto /begg donation or surrogacyi? /iOr bperhaps /bshe’d managed to run away, disappearing somewhere they’d never be able to find her.

‘Or maybe–just maybe—she’d already died in that fire, and I would never get the chance to see her again.”

bEdward /bhad ba /bmillion questions–he wasn’t going anywhere until he got the btruth/b. Eyes zing with desperation, he insisted, “I’m not leaving. Not until I find Ivy.”

b08:28 /bTueb, /b9 Septti

Seeing Edward so distraught, Olivia couldn’t help feeling moved. Maybe it was because she, like Ivy, had been taken away bas /ba child, but something inside her stirred. Her mind was in turmoil, her thoughts scattered.

“Since you’re so determined, I’ll make sure you pull through,” she said, picking bup /ba long needle and sliding it into an acupoint on Edward’s wrist, her gaze steady and intense.

She added, “But listen–two hours, max. After that, you have to get to the hospital.”

As the long needle slid inb, /bEdward instantly felt his body lighten up. Warmth started in his chest and spread to his fingers and toes, filling him with new strength.

Watching Olivia work her magic, Helen could finally rx. She’d seen Olivia’s skills firsthand–if Olivial said she could keep Edward going for two hours, one could count on it.

Edward shot Olivia a grateful look. They’d only just met, but she was already willing to help him this

much.

Olivia gave him another acupuncture point on his neck and said, “Drink some hot water to keep your body warm. Don’t worry, we’ll find your sister.”

She meant it. Even though she wasn’t fond of the Summers family, she still admired Edward.

She thought, ‘Hees from a big–name family, but he relies on himself, not his family connections. Even in a mess like this, he is still thinking about rescuing the other victims. That kind of guts is really something.‘

Olivia’s words eased Edward’s mind a lot. He cracked a smile and said, “Thanks–here’s hoping your

words bring me some luck.”

As the thought crossed her mind, Olivia started to wonder about her origins–who she was and where she came from. Everything after Magnolia Town was a total nk in her memory.