Chapter 55

Susan Thompson stood at the edge of the cliff, the mountain wind howling as it whipped at her clothes.

"Daniel is waiting for me," she murmured, her toes already hanging over the void.

"Susan!"

Andrew Lucas rushed forward and locked an arm around her waist. His steel-like grip trembled slightly.

"Let go!" Susan struggled violently. "Daniel said it's so cold down there..."

"I'll send people to search!" Andrew's voice was hoarse. "Don't do anything reckless!"

Susan suddenly laughed, the sound uglier than a sob. "Living is what's reckless."

She threw herself forward, but Andrew held her tight.

"Get away from me!"

When her struggles grew too fierce, Andrew simply scooped her into his arms. "I won't let you die."

"Nicole Capra saved me. I can't abandon her," he said quietly. "As long as you live, we can start over..."

The body in his arms went still.

Andrew looked down to find Susan unconscious. Blood streamed from her forehead and lips, staining his shirt crimson.

"Susan!"

He carried her to the car, completely forgetting Nicole's existence.

Halfway down the mountain, Susan woke.

To his surprise, she didn't fight. She only said calmly, "Take me to Willow Lane."

"Susan, Daniel—"

"Don't say his name." Her eyes were hollow. "He'd find it filthy."

Andrew's chest constricted. In silence, he pressed the accelerator.

At Willow Lane, Susan blocked the doorway.

"Mr. Lucas, please leave." Her voice was eerily steady. "I remember the agreement. That hundred million won't go to waste."

The moment the door closed, Susan slid to the floor.

Her fingers dug into her palms. How could Daniel survive such a high cliff?

Not even his body could be found...

Susan curled into herself, trembling soundlessly. Her Daniel—her little sun who used to warm her hands—was gone.

Fate was always this cruel. She'd finally scraped together the surgery funds, only for them to become useless forever.

She clutched Daniel's photo to her chest as if it were her only oxygen.

Outside, the distant sound of helicopters echoed. Andrew had sent search teams to the base of the cliff.

The next morning, the doorbell rang.

Nicole Capra stood there, wearing an unreadable smile.