Without hesitation, Lyvana began typing.

This is going to sound crazy, but someone is planning to hurt Mr. Grant.

She stopped.

Deleted it and started again.

Please read this carefully. I accidentally overheard a conversation. A woman is planning to poison Julian Harrison Grant III.

Her pulse hammered.

She knew how insane it sounded, but she couldn’t stay silent.

She typed everything she remembered.

Every word. Every detail. Then she hit send.

The message disappeared from the screen. She stared at it, hoping someone would read it.

​A few moments later, her phone vibrated. An email reply had arrived.

Thank you. We are investigating.

​Then, another flash.

​The scene shifted. She found herself in the penthouse where she was shot.

Mark had already left with Clarisse, and she was alone.

​Suddenly, a figure stood in the doorway, dressed entirely in black. There was a gun in his hands.

Instinctively, she scrambled backward. "What..."

​The first shot hit her chest before she could finish the word. The force slammed her hard against the wall.

Sharp, blinding pain exploded through her body as the air was torn from her lungs. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

​Through her blurring vision, she watched the shadow raise the gun again.

But then, unexpectedly, the shooter reached up and grabbed the mask covering his face. Her heart pounded wildly. She needed to see him. She needed to know who had shot her.

​Slowly, the mask began to come off.

​Just as the fabric cleared his face, the memory shattered.

​"Lyvana! Liv!"

​A panicked voice broke through the darkness. Something cold splashed across her face.

​Lyvana gasped and jerked upright. Her eyes snapped open, and she choked on her breath, a cloud of silver smoke coming out from her mouth.

Water dripped down her cheeks and neck. On the floor beside her, the black candle had almost burned out, and the empty vial lay on its side.

​Julian was kneeling in front of her, both hands gripping her shoulders.

"Babe," he said. "Talk to me."

She stared at him in confusion.

Emily must have left when he arrived.

​"Oh my God," she whispered.

​Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him close and hugged him tightly.

"My God babe, you gave me a fright there."

"How long was I out?" she asked. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"According to Emily, over two hours."

​"How long have you been here?"

​"About thirty minutes," Julian replied, his grip tightening around her. "I woke you up because you were shivering so much. I thought something was happening to you."

​Lyvana pulled back slightly, her hands resting against his chest as she looked up into his intense, worried gaze.

​"You won’t believe what I saw."

​She took a deep breath and told him everything. Then, she described the moment the shooter took off the mask.

​She stopped. Her eyes filled with frustration.

​"The mask came off," she whispered, shaking. "But his face was completely blurry. It felt like my mind was blocking it. I still do not know who it was."

​Julian became very quiet. He looked serious.

I was in love with you in your previous life?" Julian whispered.

He lifted her gently and carried her to the bed, laying her down against the soft pillows. He pulled the blanket over her to keep her warm. Then sat down next to her, trying to connect the pieces of this strange puzzle.

​"So you’re saying," Julian continued, his eyes widening in anger. "Trudy helped Zara poison me, because I didn’t love her?"

He clenched his fists, the anger burning hot in his chest.​

Lyvana reached out and placed her hand on his chest and kissed his arm gently.

"That was the past, Julian. In this life, we got together as we should have."

Her calm words cooled his burning rage. He wrapped his arm around her, feeling his anger melt away.

"Perhaps when the babies arrive, we will try again. Once we know who it was, we can finally end this."

He rested his chin on top of her head.

"But for now, do not worry about the past. Just focus on your health and the children. Get some rest now. I will be right here."

....

Back in the Vaughn mansion, the atmosphere was tense.

"Hi dad..." Alex said, smiling at his father.

"Don’t you dare ’hi dad’ me!" Mr. Vaughn barked in anger.

"Anger management, father. Anger management," Alex said smoothly, walking over to take a seat. "Think of what the doctors said. You don’t want to pop a vein..."

"You’re the one hoping that I’ll pop a vein," Mr. Vaughn snapped. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Sleeping with your brother’s fiancee!"

"I’m sorry. It was on impulse."

​"Well, I am tired of your impulses!" He leaned back into his chair, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Your mother is not talking to me because of you."

"I didn’t mean for things to go this far."

​"But it did! Every time you act without thinking, the whole damn family pays the price. Your mother is furious, Alex. She locks herself in the guest bedroom, refusing to look at me, and blames me for not keeping you on a shorter leash."

​He leveled a pointed finger at Alex.

​"Fix this. I don’t care how you do it, but you are going to apologize to your brother, until he forgives you. Then you are going to clear the air with your mother, and you are going to stay as far away from that woman as humanly possible. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, father," Alex said quietly.

Mr. Vaughn let out a heavy, tired breath. He leaned forward and looked straight into his son’s eyes.

"Do you love this girl at all? Do you even think the baby is yours?"

"I... I care about her," Alex muttered, shifting his weight. "And yes, I am pretty sure the baby is mine."

Mr. Vaughn rubbed his face with both hands.

"You are pretty sure? That is not good enough, Alex. If that child belongs to this family, we will handle it. But she will never marry any of you. I will not let her ruin our family name. Whatever little is left of it."

Back in the prison’s solitary confinement, the door swung open. Catalina squinted at the bright light flooding into the dark cell.

"Windsor, your therapist is here to see you," the guard announced.