Chapter 359

Nathaniel's grip tightened around the steering wheel.

"Wait... What exactly did you hear?" he asked, voice strained.

Cassandra's lips curved into a fragile smile. "You said I belonged to you. Does that mean you've finally accepted me?"

His jaw clenched. "Don't misunderstand. It was just the heat of the moment. I had to—"

"Thank you."

Tears shimmered in her eyes despite her smile.

"Hearing those words... I have no regrets now. At least I won't be a lost soul when I'm gone."

Nathaniel's chest constricted. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"What the hell are you talking about? Gone where?"

She swayed, her fingers digging into his arm. "One last favor... please?"

The desperation in her voice made his resistance crumble.

"Name it."

"After I die... put my ashes in a small box. Bury me by the old well in the village. No ceremonies. Just... someone to light incense for me once a year."

Her breath came in shallow gasps.

Nathaniel's blood ran cold. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm fine, I just—"

A violent cough wracked her body. Blood sprayed across her trembling hands before she collapsed.

Nathaniel caught her just in time.

"Stay with me!" He lifted her into the car, heart hammering. "I'm getting you to a hospital. Don't you dare give up!"

Tires screeched as he tore through traffic.

This was the moment fate sealed them together—just as the old fortune teller's bamboo stick had foretold.

Cassandra was Nathaniel's destined trial. His curse to overcome.

Meanwhile, Julian returned to Blackwood Villa alone after scouring Harbor Market.

Midnight shadows stretched across the empty mansion. Still no trace of Isabella.

It was as if she'd vanished into thin air.

"Sir, we'll expand the search overseas," Dominic said. "I've contacted international agencies. It's only a matter of time—"

"Call it off."

Dominic blinked. "You're giving up?"

"Some gaps can't be bridged." Nathaniel's voice was hollow. "Even if I found her, we'd only destroy each other. Maybe... we were never meant to be."

The old man's words echoed in his mind—four years of separation. Four years to unravel the truth.

Time would either heal them or prove their love was never real.

Upstairs, Nathaniel spread the silk artifact from the market beside the charred fragment salvaged from Lockhart Manor.

The patterns aligned perfectly—a phoenix and spider lily forming an intricate map.

His breath hitched.

"These markings..."

Fingers tracing the delicate lines, he suddenly froze.

A revelation struck like lightning.

"This isn't just a map. It's—"