Her words held a wealth of information. It seems my hunch was indeed correct-I had known As for a long time.


    I steadied my thoughts and warned myself not to act rashly. What if this is a timed bomb that Ste set for me? I must stay vignt. This woman is capable of anything, and she can say anything.


    At least for now, her words remain unverified, whether they''re true or false.


    I told myself to trust As. I have to wait for him to return and tellthe truth.


    However, I couldn''t deny that Ste''s words echoed in my mind like a timed bomb, leavinguneasy. If I wasn''t Chloe Hartz, then who was I? While I have spected that I might have known As in the past, he was overseas, and I was in a small town up north. There was simply no way for our paths to cross. What on earth is going on? I couldn''t help but think of my parents. They''ve always been by my side in my memories.


    From the day they first saw As, they didn''t seem to have known him for a long time. So, when did I genuinely meet As? All these questions crashed overlike a tidal wave. My head ached, various influences swirling relentlessly. I sat weakly on a chair in the corridor, holding my head.


    Could it be that As is hiding something from me? No, I couldn''t think like that.


    We agreed I would trust him, and only his answers gavea genuine exnation. I couldn''t let Ste cloud my judgment. With that in mind, I took a deep breath and stood up. I nced again at Trinity in the ICU, silently praying she would pull through.


    If she does, I''d have one more person to helpuncover the secrets behind Ste and her organization.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    I couldn''t directly ask my parents about this matter.


    After all, they were getting older. Even if they knew, it would mean they kept it fromfor many years. That would show it''s not a pleasant matter.


    As I was lost in thought, Ivanna stood beside me.


    "Why are you here?" I asked Ivanna.


    "As soon as you mentioned that her condition worsened, I got nervous. I thought I should cand check,, no matter our past. This time, she was hurt because of you! I can''t help but worry!" Ivanna looked genuinely concerned. "How did it worsen so suddenly?"  "The residual toxins in her blood are multiplying rapidly. If it gets worse, it could lead to organ failure," I muttered to myself. "I hope she can pull through this." Suddenly, I turned to her and asked, "Did you see Jared?" Ivanna shook her head. "At the moment, I don''t want to see him." "He''s also stretched thin. You—" Ivanna interrupted, "When did you start making excuses for him?" "Because I''ve witnessed how tirelessly he''s been working! You''ve said it yourself. No matter what, Trinity was hurt because of me!" I felt helpless. This reason wasn''t something I wanted to admit.


    Although Ivanna didn''t want to see Jared, she couldn''t avoid him.


    Before she could leave, Jared returned. I don''t know why, but I couldn''t shake the feeling that he was covered in the scent of blood.


    .