?<strong>Chapter 1434:</strong>


    Though her old phone was long gone, Tracy’s number was burned into her memory. Maybe Tracy would see it if she sent a message.


    Elyse stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She typed a few words, only to erase them. In the end, she couldn’t express what was on her mind.


    Setting the phone aside, Elyse found herself lost in thought about the woman she had seen at the mall. She was sure it had been Tracy. She knew her too well. No matter how much time had passed or how much Tracy had changed, Elyse would recognize her anywhere.


    Yet the fact that Tracy hade to Cambape and chosen to act in secrecy, avoiding her entirely, made Elyse hesitate. If she reached out now, would it ruin whatever Tracy had nned?


    Elyse understood that Jayden’s words made sense, but what he didn’t grasp was the depth of her feelings. She carried a heavy sorrow for Tracy, an overwhelming empathy for everything her friend had endured.


    Tracy’s survival after being pushed off that cliff was miraculous. Elyse could feel the weight of her hatred, the fire of her need for revenge against those who had hurt her, and the unbearable despair that came with it.


    It was that empathy—her deep understanding—that kept Elyse from even considering stopping Tracy.


    As these thoughts consumed her, tears began to streak down her face. She buried her face in her hands, clenching her jaw tightly, and muttered, “I’m so useless. I can’t help anyone, not even myself.”


    Her sobs were quiet. She couldn’t bear the thought of Jayden seeing her like this.


    The stark white ceiling of the hospital room seemed to trap Dolores’s gaze. Her expression was vacant, her thoughts drifting far from the sterile walls around her. Shey motionless, a shadow of the fiery woman she used to be, her silence broken only by the creak of the door as it swung open. Lowell stepped inside, carrying her medication like a peace offering.


    He ced it gently on the bedside table before sinking into the visitor’s chair with a sigh.


    Dolores’s eyes shifted toward him, sharp yet clouded with longing. “Shaun hasn’t visited me again today. Go find him for me, will you?”


    Lowell froze for a moment, her words slicing through the air. A sh of bewilderment crossed his face. He struggled to make sense of her request.


    Dolores had been infatuated with Shaun—so consumed by her obsession that she had nearly ruined his wedding. And Lowell? He’d beenplicit, swept up in her frenzy, convincing himself that if her reckless scheme worked, and Shaun came running back to her, it might finally give her the happiness she desperately craved.


    But here they were now, with Shaun robbed of his memories and Dolores nursing wounds from a reckless car crash. Her obsession felt off-kilter, almost grotesque. Could this even be called love? Or was it something darker, something that gnawed at her from the inside?


    The silence between them stretched thin until Dolores’s frown deepened. “Are you even listening to me?” she snapped.


    Lowell snapped out of his thoughts. “Shaun’s been discharged. There’s nothing I can do.”


    Dolores’s reaction was instant and volcanic—her eyes widened in disbelief before narrowing into venomous slits. “Discharged? Why didn’t you stop him? Why didn’t you make hime see me? What kind of brother are you?”


    Lowell’s patience thinned, like ice underfoot. His brow furrowed into a stern frown. “Do you even hear yourself? Why on earth would Shaun listen to me? Can’t you see how he feels about you?”


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