LOGINArsen threw the knife in any direction after successfully cutting through all the ropes and freeing Josh. “Claire, can you get some medicine and warm water? We need to treat him right away.” “Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital right away? His wounds need stitches, and it looks like he’s lost a lot of blood,” Claire suggested as she helped Arsen support Josh, who was completely weak. “Why are you being so kind to me? I even wanted to hurt you so Juan Forbes would suffer,” Josh asked again, after being laid on the bed. “Stop talking, Josh! You’ve already gone out of your way to explain so much to me,” Claire snapped before heading to the bathroom to run a warm shower. “Listen, Josh. We’ve never known each other before, and that’s still true now. But there’s one thing you need to know: we’re family,” Arsen explained as he pulled back Josh’s T-shirt, which was torn in several places and stained with dried blood.”“We’re siblings?” Josh chuckled. “What kind of joke are you trying
"I was trying to let you go before James showed up and found you," Claire replied without looking at Josh. "I can’t control myself if you keep cursing at me and threatening my safety, so stop talking to me like that."There was a moment of silence. It seemed Josh understood and decided to stop cursing at her. “So, do you mind telling me what James did to you?” she asked as she rubbed the small knife firmly against the third rope.“Oh, I don’t know if having a split personality not automatically means the original personality knows everything. It’s such a hassle,” Josh grumbled, causing Claire to roll her eyes. “I only just found out I have alter egos from Arsen. I didn’t know anything before. But Paul said that once my therapy is fully successful, I’ll be able to communicate with my alter egos. God, why are these ropes so hard to cut?” Claire grumbled as she continued cutting the numerous ropes. “Why are you even trying to free me?” Josh asked, furrowing his brow. “Because you’r
Claire’s words were cut off when Arsen immediately placed his finger on her lips. “Everyone has a past, no matter how dark it may be. I have no right to judge you for what Sergio did to you. Isn’t what matters most the present and the future? Let’s just let go of everything that’s happened,” Arsen said, his gaze distant as he recalled Juan’s actions all this time. “Do I have to forgive Sergio? I still can’t just forgive him like that. I want to teach him a lesson before I can truly let go of the past,” Claire asked, tightening her embrace.Arsen laughed at the question. “If I were you, I’d at least kick his future to the curb and beat him to a pulp. Even though I’m a man too, I absolutely despise cowards like him.” Claire smiled with her eyes closed, feeling comfortable in the embrace of the man who had just popped into her mind during therapy. “Go to sleep if you’re sleepy,” Arsen murmured as he continued to stroke Claire’s hair and kiss her forehead. ***Claire woke up because
“Yes, but only once and for just a few minutes; after that, it disappeared. Actually, I had already guided Claire into a deep trance yesterday so she could communicate with James, but what emerged instead was another underlying ego state—one that lies deep within and is rarely used except for James. That alter ego emerged because Claire had been bullied by her schoolmates, who thought she was strange or crazy. After that, another alter ego emerged, which stemmed from the sexual abuse Claire had suffered while in high school. It was that alter ego that caused Claire’s extreme fear of men with long hair,” Paul explained, observing Claire’s expression, which no longer looked as tense as before. Arsen frowned, feeling as though he’d seen that scene before. When his memory reached the moment where Claire was chased by the long-haired man, his eyes widened.“So that’s the cause? No wonder I once saw Claire trembling with fear. But after that, she suddenly became cheerful, as if nothing ha
“Sergio, let Laura go! I want us to talk this through calmly. You know who I am, don’t you? Yes, I’m Juan Forbes, and I was indeed the mastermind behind Josh’s father’s accident. But you need to know that it was your mother who helped me, Sergio. Your mother loved money and luxury. She did it not because she’s my sister, but because I gave her a lot of money in return,” Juan coaxed, keeping a watchful eye on Andreo as he approached Sergio from the side. Sergio was stunned by Juan’s words, nearly allowing Andreo to grab Laura. “No, my mother wasn’t that kind of person.” Sergio shook his head and quickly pulled Laura toward his car.“Sergio, don’t you want to see your mother’s diary? I’m sure you’re old enough to handle the truth. You’re not a little kid who’s easily swayed anymore, are you? Then read your mother’s diary. Doesn’t what someone writes in their diary tell the truth?” This time, it was Andreo who was coaxing him, then he looked at Juan and nodded toward Sergio.Juan nodd
“Sorry, my name isn’t Emily, but...”The door opened, revealing a male doctor and a female nurse, thwarting Laura’s attempt to question Tania further.“Doctor, can you do a CT scan or an X-ray or whatever it takes to check her brain?” Laura asked before the nurse gently ushered her out. “I’m sorry, please wait outside for now. The doctor will speak with you later,” the nurse said with a polite smile.Reluctantly, Laura left Tania’s hospital room and sat down outside. A thought crossed her mind: Tania no longer recognized Josh and denied that her name was Emily. The girl had recovered from the amnesia she’d suffered as a result of the accident she’d been in with Josh. Her eyes widened instantly at the memory of Josh. The young man would surely do something reckless if he knew Emily was no longer suffering from amnesia. She quickly searched for her father’s contact information to inform him of this, since she didn’t have Juan’s number. But before she could find the contact number, a
They chatted about many things, ranging from their college majors, hobbies, favorite movies, how Arsen had ended up in college late and eventually managed to open his own restaurant, to other trivial matters. Arsen felt that Claire was a pleasant person who could warm his heart. Her demeanor made
After seven hours of working at a restaurant that was always packed with customers, Claire was finally able to go home. She had no choice but to walk to her apartment, since public transportation had stopped running at this hour.Josh couldn’t give her a ride home tonight, and hailing a taxi—which
Claire blinked, confused by the man’s words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—I was just in a hurry to get to the café,” Claire said after snapping out of her bewilderment. She didn’t even know the man standing before her, so why was he acting as if he knew her so well? “Oh, my name isn’t Rose.” The
A week had passed since his encounter with Rose, yet Arsen still couldn’t forget her. Almost every night, he would visit his favorite bar or the places he’d once gone to with Rose, but he never managed to find her. Leo still hadn’t given him any news, and that made him anxious. It was as if she we







