"Mr. Dn, ra''s seriously hurt. Aren''t you going to check on her?"

    Dn stopped in his tracks, ncing at the woman beside him. Megan couldn''t remember thest time they''d actually looked each other in the eye like this.

    Truth was, she''d had Dn''s contact for ages—he''d even added her first. Back then, she''d been over the moon, until he messaged: "Can you update me about her now and then?"

    He''de to the school once-probably for ra''s graduation. ra was right in the middle of everything, soaking up everyone''s attention,ining to anyone who''d listen about her missing uniform.

    Megan had fallen for Dn at first sight. Just one look, and she was a goner. That''s why his message had hit her like a bolt of lightning, leaving her stunned for days.

    Even though she told herself she''d heard him right, she still couldn''t resist adding him back. It was Dn, after all there weren''t many people in the whole city who didn''t know his name.

    That was when she realized that, behind all the family reputation and good looks, he could still pine for someone in secret. And for what? ra? Just because she was the Bradford family''s precious daughter?

    Jealousy dug deep, growing wild inside her. She hated that the woman Dn cared about wasn''t her.

    Now, she finally knew the truth-ra wasn''t even a real Bradford. Just some outsider. So why was Dn so obsessed?

    It felt like fate had finally taken her side. Dn didn''t care about ra anymore.

    Megan thought about all the times she''d messaged him, the sting of disappointment always threatening to make her cry. Every social post she wrote was carefully crafted, hoping he''d notice her. But the only time he ever liked her posts was when they were about ra.

    And every time he hit that like button, she''d be happy for days.

    She''d even started slipping little glimpses of herself into her ra updates, but after all these years, Dn still only saw ra.

    Now Megan''s eyes were rimmed red, her jealousy written all over her face as she stared at him. She didn''t even try to hide it.

    Dn frowned, as if trying to remember who Megan was even talking about.

    Seeing his confusion, Megan realized-he''d not only stopped caring, he''d actually forgotten ra.

    "Fine, Mr. Dn. If you''re not going, I''ll look after ra myself."

    Dn didn''t say a word. He just turned, grabbed his folder, and walked away.

    Megan watched him leave, wishing she could somehow burn that image into her memory forever. She didn''t turn away until his car disappeared from the driveway. Only then did she finally head upstairs to find ra.

    ra was still sitting on her bed, lost in thought, staring at nothing.

    Megan couldn''t resist twisting the knife. "Mr. Dn just got home. I told him toe see you, but he wouldn''t he acted like he didn''t even know you. ra, was your fight with him really that bad?"

    ra looked thinner than ever, her body sunk back against the pillows, eyes closed.

    l.ne

    Megan sat beside her and squeezed her hand, trying to look asforting as possible. "If you''re feeling down, I''ll stay right here. You don''t have to talk until you''re ready."

    ra stayed silent. Her head and throat throbbed too much to even try.

    Two dayster, Megan came in again. ra seemed a little better.

    "ra, how are you feeling today?"

    ra''s lips barely moved. She turned to the maid. "Can you make extra food for

    Milo and Buddy today? Thank you."

    The maid nodded and handed her a

    odde

    ss of water. "You don''t have to be so polite, ma''am. You''ve lost so much weight. Sir only rushed home and then left again. If there''s some misunderstanding between you two, please try to clear it up soon. We''re all worried about you."

    ra kept her feelings locked down tight.

    The truth was, the biggest problem between her and Dn was that there wasn''t

    any misunderstanding at all.

    She didn''t say anything. The maid slipped out quietly.

    Megan perched on the side of the bed. She''d tried sneaking into that house against night, but got thrown out. Now she was dying to know who was being kept in there.

    “ra, are you feeling any better? Can you tell me what really happened now?"

    ra summed up thest few days in less than a minute, then looked at Megan. "Thank you, Megan."

    If it hadn''t been for Megan, she probably wouldn''t have survived that night.

    Megan''s heart skipped. If she''d known there''d be so many people out to kill ra, she would have left her behind-maybe then she''d never have to see her again.

    She really did regret it for a second, but she was always careful. After a few moments, she put on her most worried face.

    "So what now? Walter''s treating you like this, and he''s not holding back with Mr. Dn either. Are you really nning to hide away in Palm Bay forever?"

    ra looked out the window. The truth was, she had no idea what to do next.

    Dn''s short visit was probably just a test from the old man, to see if he''d really moved on.

    The guy trailing Dn would report everything back.

    Clearly, the old man was happy-Dn had forgotten her sopletely he didn''t even look her in the eye. It was like she was a total stranger to him now.

    Just thinking about it made something in ra''s chest ache, like her heart was breaking all over again.