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The underground parking garage was dimly lit. Esther Abbott sat beside Lynn Winslow, resting her chin on her hand as she watched her.

“You don’t seem very flustered.”

Lynn Winslow’s lips curled slightly. She said flatly, “If I panicked, would you let me go?”

Esther Abbott frowned, unable to hide her disgust. She said coldly, “You know what? I hate the way you are. As the sole heir to the Winslow family, you get money, power, and love without lifting a finger, and you look down on everything.”

Lynn Winslow tilted her head to look at her, feigning confusion. “And I suppose Miss Abbott isn’t the same?”

“Hah. The second branch of the Abbott family might look glamorous, but behind the scenes, it’s a cesspool of filth. The main branch has a special status and can’t get their hands dirty with certain things, so all the unsavory business gets passed down to my family.”

“…” Lynn Winslow knitted her brows. ‘This is getting complicated,’ she thought.

Esther Abbott sneered, looked away, and said calmly, “Forget it. There’s no point in telling you all this.”

The words had barely left her lips when a commotion erupted in the distance, growing closer. Esther Abbott knew that Ian Sterling and the others had arrived.

She stood up, crossing her arms as she watched the approaching group. Meanwhile, the men in black who had been standing behind her suddenly drew daggers and pressed them to Lynn Winslow’s throat.

Lynn Winslow sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the person she worried about most.

Ian Sterling’s steps faltered to a halt. He stared blankly at the woman he loved most. Seeing her hands and feet bound, an unspeakable ache erupted in his chest. He glared at Esther Abbott, grinding out each word, “What the hell do you want? Just say it.”

“Ian Sterling, I don’t want to do much. I just want the Sterling family to watch a little show.” Esther Abbott laughed lightly, her eyes sweeping over everyone who had come with Ian Sterling. She raised her voice, “Today, even if I have to risk my life and forsake the Abbott family, I’m dragging that person down with me.”

After speaking, she looked quietly at Zachary Quincy and said guiltily, “I’m sorry, Zachary. Maybe at first, I really was just using you, but later… my feelings were real. But I have no choice…”

Zachary Quincy took a step forward and said in a cold voice, “Esther Abbott, whatever it is, let Lynn Winslow go first, and then we can talk. Everything else is negotiable. As long as you release her, the Sterling family won’t hold this against you, and neither will the Winslow family.”

Esther Abbott ran a hand through her hair, leaving strands messily across her forehead. She shook her head and said slowly, “There’s no need. Cousin, this has nothing to do with my parents or my brother. I hope you won’t drag them into this. Let them off the hook.”

Nigel Abbott’s expression was already dark. He stared intently at Esther Abbott, cursing her under his breath.

“Aren’t you going to come out yet?” Esther Abbott snarled, gritting her teeth. “You think that if you hide, I won’t expose all the dirty things you’ve done?!”

“Esther Abbott, you’re so useless.”

A figure emerged from the crowd, slowly walking to a stop in front of Esther Abbott, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

“Jared Sterling—” Ian Sterling swore, his patience gone. If he hadn’t been held back, he would have lunged forward to kill him.

He trembled, forcing out each word, “Let Lynn Winslow go. I’ll forget everything that happened before.”

Jared Sterling shook his head and said languidly, “I’m not the one in control here, dear cousin. This is all Esther Abbott’s doing.”

Lynn Winslow finally spoke, asking with a smile, “Why are you doing this? Esther Abbott has her reasons. What about you?”

“Huh?” Jared Sterling turned to her in mock confusion, then suddenly chuckled. “I don’t have a reason. You could just say I was bored.”

The elders arrived via the elevator. Seeing the scene, Mr. Sterling and Lady Sterling asked in confusion, “Jared?”

“Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, my apologies.”

He did offer a sincere-sounding apology, then shrugged and looked at Esther Abbott with a helpless air. “What is it you really want? Just say it. The game is about to end anyway.”

“Jared Sterling, did you really think I wouldn’t find out just because you didn’t tell them?” Esther Abbott glanced at Lynn Winslow, then fixed her gaze on Ian Sterling and said coldly, “Jared Sterling’s company was researching a machine that can rewind time. The truth is, Lynn Winslow was already dead—killed by Elder Winslow’s younger brother and his family. It was Jared who turned back time. It was also him who gave Lynn memories of the time before the reversal, so she could come back and find you.”

“You should be thanking him. But do you know why he said the game is over? Because that machine is about to be destroyed, and you’ll all be sent back. Lynn Winslow will still leave you, and then she’ll die in the suburbs of Morelia. And you, Ian Sterling, you will marry Mia Rhodes. That is the storyline you were supposed to follow!”

“He was just using you as test subjects for his machine! Now that you’re out of his control, his only choice is to destroy it all and start over!”

Ian Sterling shook his head, completely breaking down. He looked at Lynn Winslow, who met his gaze, and then abruptly fell to his knees before Jared Sterling. “Cousin, don’t destroy it! Don’t make me lose her again! Cousin, I’m begging you.”

Mr. Sterling roared, “You scoundrel!!”

Jared Sterling looked down at Ian Sterling for a long moment, then chuckled softly. “Finn, wouldn’t it be better to go back? By then, you would have already forgotten Lynn Winslow and married the person you fell in love with later. Isn’t that better than this?”

“I don’t want that! I only want her! Cousin, don’t destroy it…”

“It’s too late.” Lynn Winslow smiled faintly as a tear slid from the corner of her eye. She felt her own heartbeat accelerating, hammering in her chest until she could barely breathe. With great difficulty, she spoke: “Baby, come here.”

Ian Sterling stared blankly at her pale face. He scrambled forward recklessly, his hands fumbling to untie the ropes binding Lynn Winslow.

The moment she was free, Lynn Winslow threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. She murmured, “I knew it. It was all a dream. How could I ever have you again?”

“It’s not a dream! It’s not a dream! Baby, don’t leave me! I don’t want you to die! I want to be with you forever! You promised me! You said you’d always be with me!”

Ian Sterling broke down, sobbing as he clutched her, holding Lynn Winslow tight as if terrified she would disappear at any moment.

Lynn Winslow’s lips curved into a weak smile. She clung to Ian Sterling’s shoulders, studying the details of his face—his brows, his eyes. She whispered with a soft laugh, “I’ll remember what you look like. I’ll find you again in the next life.”

The pressure on her heart forced a trickle of blood from the corner of her lips. She coughed, her voice growing fainter, as she cupped Ian Sterling’s face and slowly pressed her lips to his.

Ian Sterling was crying so hard he couldn’t breathe. Sensing the life draining from the woman in his arms, he looked at Jared Sterling with a crazed expression, begging, “Cousin, don’t! I’m begging you, don’t let her leave me! Cousin!”

Jared Sterling looked at him with pity and smiled gently. “Finn, I can’t control it anymore either. Once the destruction sequence is initiated, no one can stop it. So, there’s nothing I can do. Don’t blame me, little cousin.”

“No! No—”

In his arms, Lynn Winslow’s eyes flew wide. A sharp, immense pain seized her heart, and blood surged up her throat.

SPURT—