Yvonne''s wrists bore deep gashes. Blood seeped from her wounds, pooling across the floor. A knifey nearby. Its presence made it ringly obvious that Yvonne had slit her wrists. After what felt like an eternity, Yvonne slowly opened her eyes.


    "Is this... hell?"


    As her faint words trailed off, a voice answered her, "Do you want to go to hell that badly?"


    Turning around, she saw Felix standing nearby, his face noticeably paler than usual.


    "Felix? Did... Did you save me?"


    Felix''s expression darkened as he fixed his gaze on her. "What else could I have done? Do you think I would''ve let you die? Yvonne, what were you thinking? Why did you try to kill yourself?"


    The room showed no signs of a struggle. While Yvonne would''ve been helpless facing a highly skilled fighter, things wouldn''t be so messy if that were the case. The most likely exnation was that Yvonne truly intended to end her own life. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned away.


    "Lady N ordered me to die. How could I disobey her?"


    Felix''s face grew even darker. "Didn''t she promise me she would give you the freedom to make your own choices?"


    "She only granted me the right to pursue happiness. Everything else is still up to her."


    This was far too close of a call. If Yvonne hadn''t been a martial artist, she wouldn''t havested long enough for Felix to save her. Anyone else would have died from blood loss.


    "I don''t know what N is trying to aplish, but tell her this. My patience has limits," Felix said.


    To his surprise, Yvonne smiled.


    "I know my own body well. If I''m still alive, it means you care about me. So, why are you so cold to me the rest of the time?"


    N was ruthless. She was willing to push matters to such an unforgivable extent just to test a theory.


    "It doesn''t matter whether I care about you or not," Felix replied. "After this, I owe you nothing. From now on, we are strangers. Let''s pretend we never met."


    With that, Felix turned and left.


    *


    Yvonne''s heart shattered into a million pieces. She knew she had truly lost Felix this time.


    When Felix returned home, it was already noon. His face was pale-a result of the significant amount of blood he had donated to save Yvonne. Even a master healer couldn''t conjure new blood out of thin air. Copsing onto his bed, he fell into a deep sleep, only to be awakened sometimeter by the ringing of his phone. When he saw that it was Xena, he hurriedly picked up the call.


    "Xena?"


    "Felix,e quickly! My grandfather isn''t doing well!"


    Her panicked voice left Felix no time to think. In a sh, he was out the door.


    An hourter, Felix let out a sigh of relief. "Mr. Summers Senior is out of danger."


    Beside him, Xena, who had been on edge the entire time, nearly copsed with relief. She had been so terrified something might happen to her grandfather, ming herself for the situation. "Thank you, Felix. I didn''t trust anyone else, so I had to call you." Felix smiled. "It''s nothing. He just had some trouble with his lungs, which caused his breathing difficulty and fainting spells. As for the cause, we''ll have to wait until he''s fully awake to know for sure."


    In truth, Curtis had already regained consciousness, but Felix chose not to mention it, sparing them both from an awkward moment.


    "My grandfather went out this morning to exercise with Mr. Meyer Senior. He said Mr. Meyer Senior taught him a new breathing technique. Who would''ve thought he''de back like this?"


    Frowning, Felix pondered for a moment before replying. "That''s likely the issue. Mr. Meyer Senior probably meant well.


    "However, if a person doesn''t have any martial arts foundation, they would be prone to severe reactions if there''s even a slight error, especially at Mr. Summers Senior''s age. It''s better to take it easy from now on."