The past remained as vivid as ever, but now, everything had changed.

Stars dotted the sky outside the window, and Annabelle Linton’s face, so placid it was devoid of emotion, once again appeared in Leona Grant’s mind.

Her coldness, her coolness, her strength, her aloofness, her indifference... Everything about her played out before Leona’s eyes like a movie.

Untouchable.

It was as if the entire world had gone silent, and she could only watch it all from an impossible distance.

Leona Grant lit a cigarette but didn’t take a drag. The ember at its tip glowed and faded, and the white smoke coiling beside her face made her austere silhouette seem all the more inscrutable.

A late-night breeze blew past, its faint chill reminding her of a past that was at once distant, foreign, and yet familiar. It also brought to mind Annabelle Linton’s cold smile.

She missed Annabelle Linton even more.

She wanted to be with her, even if it meant arguing, giving each other the silent treatment, or having Annabelle give her the cold shoulder.

"Annabelle Linton, I miss you so much. More than ever before."

Beneath the mottled night sky, the wind carried her voice, making it sound faint and ethereal.

One month later, Aaron Wyatt was discharged from the hospital.

Annabelle Linton had quit her job to focus on taking care of him until he recovered.

Besides looking after him, she had also signed up for a class to learn combat fighting.

The kidnapping had made her realize just how dangerous it was for a person to have no self-defense skills.

Having lived two lives, she had already seen through the injustice and darkness of this world.

’A person can only rely on themselves.’

With her previous four years of training as a foundation, plus a month of dedicated practice, Annabelle Linton’s skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

Now, if she were asked to take down a large man, she could actually go a few rounds.

After being discharged, Aaron Wyatt rested at home for a week before hurrying back to his company.

Seeing that he was better, Annabelle Linton also found a place of her own.

Aaron Wyatt asked her to be his neighbor, but Annabelle Linton didn’t agree.

This made Aaron Wyatt feel like Annabelle Linton was trying to avoid him.

And she was.

The main reason was that she didn’t know how to face his recent confession.

Ever since he’d confessed his feelings, she had felt confused and uncomfortable.

Thinking about it carefully, the way he treated her went far beyond what an ordinary friend would do, which made Annabelle Linton avoid him even more.

’There’s no future for us.’ She knew this better than anyone.

’Because I’m not good enough for him.’

Aaron Wyatt insisted she live with him, but Annabelle Linton refused. For the first time ever, they gave each other the silent treatment—for two hours.

In the end, it was Annabelle Linton who had to coax him with a plausible-sounding excuse.

The main thing that placated him wasn’t Annabelle Linton herself, but her words: she had just gotten divorced and wanted some time to herself.

Aaron Wyatt laughed out loud when he heard this. "You really got divorced?"

Annabelle Linton gave a stiff nod, mainly because his smile was making her a little uncomfortable.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and it was only upon hearing this that Aaron Wyatt agreed she didn’t have to live with him.

Annabelle Linton breathed a sigh of relief.

Today was the weekend, and Annabelle Linton was sitting in a coffee shop with Ryan Linton for a while.

Ryan Linton had been very busy lately. She’d heard he was occupied with contacting doctors everywhere to treat Kiera Keane’s leg.

"What, did you find a suitable doctor?" Annabelle Linton asked, a bit puzzled.

"Yeah."

Ryan Linton gazed at the crowd outside the window, the image of a girl’s cold face appearing in his mind.

’Come to think of it, she hasn’t spoken to me in a long time.’

Ryan Linton lowered his gaze and took a sip of his coffee, a pensive look on his handsome face. "It has to be treated. We can’t let it hold her back for the rest of her life."