Kaye gazed out the car window, en route to Mikhail's mansion. Sensing her uneasiness, Tristan gently took her hand, eliciting a surprised glance from her. His reassuring smile accompanied the words, "You seem lost in thought; everything will be fine."
She summoned a strained smile, a façade masking the nervous undercurrent within her.
"Looks like it might rain today," Kurtis mentioned from the driver's seat.
"Drive slower if it pours," Kaye reminded him.
Kurtis smiled and nodded.
Beside him, Shin dozed off, while in the back seat, Cedie played mobile games next to Tristan. Kaye's phone vibrated, revealing Timothy's call. She couldn't help but avoid him since he lied to her about being close friends. Despite his seemingly kind treatment, he took advantage of her selective amnesia and they even had a relationship. Now that her memories have returned, she is uncertain about how to confront him. She must end her relationship with him before her husband finds out.
"Why aren't you answering?" Tristan inquired, glancing at her phone.
"Not important," she replied, powering down her phone. "I'm sleepy."
"Take a nap; I'll wake you when we arrive," Tristan suggested.
She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder and drifted into sleep.
.
.
"Damn it!" Timothy exclaimed, hurling his phone in frustration. Kaye wasn't answering his calls, and when he checked her apartment, she was nowhere to be found. Taking a leave of absence only fueled his anxiety. "Just where the hell did she go?"
A sense of unease crept over him as he considered the possibility that Kaye's memories had returned. "No... This can't be. I can't let you go, Kaye. You're mine. If your memories return, I don't care. If I have to lock you up again in my room, I will do it to keep you from escaping."
.
.
....
At Fuentebella's Mansion.
"W-What do you mean he left?" Kaye asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Our underboss already left and returned to the main mansion the day after they sent you home," the guard explained matter-of-factly.
"W-What?" Kaye was shocked. Mikhail couldn't have left her.
Desperation colored her next question. "Then... When will he return here?"
The guards exchanged glances. "Who knows? He rarely visits us, and besides, we can't disclose information to outsiders. Now please leave before others see you; we don't want trouble," the guard urged.
Kaye felt an overwhelming sadness. Mikhail had left, and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was her fault. She sought comfort in Kurtis, confessing, "If only I had believed him, this wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault. We can try to follow him," Kurtis reassured her.
Shin interjected pragmatically, "But we don't even know where their main mansion is. Mafias keep their lives private; even searching online won't yield any information about them."
"So how do we find him?" Tristan inquired.
"I don't know. Even the police won't be able to help us. Let's pray he returns here. But even if he does, we may not know because we lack contacts, and the guards won't assist us either," Shin explained.
Kaye sighed; the situation had become more complicated. Tristan, trying to comfort her, gently rubbed her back. "Don't worry; we will see him again."
"I hope so," she replied.
"I'm hungry... Can we go home now?" Cedie complained.
Kaye lifted him. "Alright, let's go. We can't stay here any longer; this place is dangerous without Mikhail. The people here won't hesitate to harm us."
They returned to the car and left the mansion, uncertainty hanging in the air.
.
.
....
Kaye returned to her apartment, feeling a profound sense of loneliness that lingered with the knowledge of Mikhail's departure. The uncertainty of not knowing his whereabouts weighed heavily on her heart.
Despite Kurtis' offer for her to stay at their house, she declined, citing pending work. However, she decided to move in with them the next day, planning to have her belongings delivered to Kurtis' house.
Upon entering her apartment, she was startled to find Timothy sitting on the sofa. "T-Timothy, what are you doing here?" she inquired, perplexed about how he gained access.
"I'm waiting for you. Where have you been?" he demanded, his anger palpable.
Concerned about his aggressive demeanor, she asked again, "But how did you get in?"
"Just answer my damn question!" he yelled, rising and grabbing her arm with a strong smell of alcohol on him.
"It hurts! Let go, Timothy!" she pleaded.
"No! I won't let go until you answer my question!" he retorted.
Frustrated, she pulled her hand away. "I don't have to explain to you what I do every day; this is my life, and I'm the one who controls it."
Timothy was surprised.
"Kaye, I am your boyfriend. Of course, I have the right to know where you've been and what you're up to. I'm just worried. What if the Fuentebellas kidnap you again?" he insisted.
"They won't do that. I already settled everything with them. I am tired now, Timothy. I want to sleep. Please lock the door when you leave," she stated, turning her back on him.
Annoyed, Timothy clutched his fists. "Why are you acting like this? Just what the hell happened?"
"Nothing happened. I'm just tired," she replied, still avoiding eye contact.
Tsss...
"You may leave now, Timothy. Good night," she said and was about to enter her room when Timothy quickly grabbed her again and carried her.
"W-What do you think you're doing? Put me down!" she demanded.
"I don't care if you hate me, but you know how much I love you, Kaye. You can't hide anything from me. Whatever you're up to, I will still find out about it," Timothy declared, carrying her out of the apartment.
"Put me down, Timothy!" she insisted, attempting to resist, but he was too strong and not even bothered. "If you don't put me down, I will break up with you!"
He paused. "What did you say?"
"I'm already tired of your personality. You're always like this. You only care about yourself. Let's break up," she asserted.
Timothy let out a bitter laugh. "Break up with me? No, Kaye. You can't do that. Since the day you accepted me, you are already mine. You can't leave me!"
"You are crazy," she said.
"Tss... You can't break up with me, Kaye. If you dare to leave me, I will lock you up in my room again, and you won't even be able to step out," he threatened.
Kaye trembled in fear. Is this Timothy's true self? Regardless, she knew she had to escape from him. If he locked her up, she wouldn't be able to see her family again.
"Aaahhhh!!!" she screamed and pushed him. They fell down on the stairs, and she seized the opportunity to run away.
"Come back here, Kaye!" he shouted.
I'm sorry, Timothy. I know you like me so much, but I can't stay with someone who's obsessed like you.
She quickly called a taxi and got in. Taking out her phone, she called Kurtis.
.
.
....
Kurtis was waiting outside when he saw the taxi approaching, and Kaye stepped out from it.
"Kaye, what happened?" he inquired.
Kaye, visibly sweating, stammered, "K-Kurtis..." before fainting into his arms.
Reacting swiftly, Kurtis carried her to his room. After assessing her condition, he covered her with a blanket and stepped out. Retrieving his phone, he called Tristan.
Tristan, interrupted from writing his lesson plans, responded urgently, "What? Okay, I'll be there," and grabbed his coat, swiftly leaving his room.
His father, reading a magazine on the sofa, questioned him as he hurried by, "Where are you going at this late hour?"
"I need to buy materials for my lesson tomorrow," Tristan replied and rushed out.
He drove to Kurtis' house, visibly worried when he arrived. "Where is she?" he asked.
"She's sleeping in my room," Kurtis informed.
"What happened? How did she end up fainting?" Tristan inquired.
Kurtis explained, "She didn't tell me what happened. She just called me; her voice was shaking. She said she would spend the night here. When she arrived, she fainted the moment she got out of the taxi."
"I'm afraid something happened when she returned home," Tristan speculated.
"Let's wait for her to wake up and ask her," Kurtis suggested.
Tristan nodded in agreement.
.
.
Outside of Kurtis' house, Timothy stood there, stunned and in disbelief. He had followed Kaye, curious about her destination. To his shock, he saw a man standing outside the house who looked exactly like Xerxes.
This man carried Kaye inside when she fainted. After a few minutes, a car arrived, and another man emerged from it, bearing a striking resemblance to Gawain.
"Fuck! What the fuck is going on? How come there are people in this world who look exactly like Aria's husband?" Timothy thought, growing increasingly puzzled.
He began to contemplate. This couldn't be a mere coincidence. Timothy looked exactly like Gilmesh, and now he had encountered Kaye, who resembled Aria. Mikhail had a resemblance to the crown prince, and now there were two individuals who looked like Xerxes and Gawain.
"If I think about it deeply, everything is connected. This isn't a coincidence!" Timothy concluded, his mind racing.
He laughed creepily, a realization dawning on him. Kaye, wanting to break up with him, made sense now. Her husbands were here too. They were all transmigrators.
"But I don't care. I will still take you away from them, Kaye. I found you first in this world, so I should be the one who's with you now and not them," he muttered, clenching his fists.