Jasmine slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the blinding light above her. Panic struck her chest as the thought hit—was she dead?What happened to me? she asked herself, bewildered.Her memory felt fractured, like someone had torn pages out of a book. She couldn’t piece together how she had ended up here. The last thing she remembered was being inside a warehouse with Joaquin… then the deafening explosion.“Ms. Lopez? Do you hear me?” asked Dr. Ramirez.He carefully opened one of her eyes and shone a small light inside. Her pupil reacted, and he immediately let go.A faint smile tugged at Dr. Ramirez’s lips as he glanced at Javier Villareal, who stood tense and watchful at the bedside.“She’s back, Mr. Villareal.”Relief washed over Javier like a tide breaking through a dam. He leaned down to see his daughter’s face more closely, his voice trembling.“Jasmine? It’s me. It’s your father.”Jasmine let out a faint groan in response. Her vision still spun, the world tiltin

The next morning, Javier sat beside Jasmine’s bed, his hands clasped tightly as though by sheer willpower he could anchor her back into the waking world. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors filled the sterile air, steady but… off. He had spent too many nights in hospitals not to notice when something didn’t add up.Her breathing seemed slower today. Not labored, exactly, but shallow—as if some invisible weight pressed down on her chest. Joaquin’s vitals, in the bed beside hers, flickered faintly on the screen. His blood pressure had dipped during the night, and though the nurses insisted it wasn’t unusual, Javier’s instincts screamed otherwise.“Doctor Ramirez,” Javier called, his voice sharper than he intended. The physician hurried into the room, clipboard in hand.“Yes, Mr. Villareal?”“Why does her chart say her medication dosage has been reduced? Last night, you told me she needed the same level to stabilize.” Javier’s eyes narrowed on the tablet the doctor carried.Doctor Ramir

Jasmine exhaled softly as she gazed at her brother. He was still unconscious—still trapped in that deep, unending sleep. Yet there was something in her memory that felt… incomplete, like a missing piece she couldn’t grasp.“What happened to you, Joaquin? Please… come back,” she whispered.Just then, the door opened, and someone stepped inside. Jasmine’s eyes widened slightly when she saw who it was.“Mikyla. What are you doing here?” Her tone sharpened, her eyes narrowing. “Are you part of them?”Mikyla froze, clearly startled. “Who?” she asked in confusion. “I just came because I heard you were awake.”Jasmine arched an eyebrow but decided not to argue. Instead, she turned her gaze back to her brother.“I’m fine. You can leave now.”Mikyla winced and bit her lip.“Jasmine, I know there’s bad blood between us. But please, don’t push me away. I’m genuinely worried about you and Joaquin.”Jasmine smirked faintly. “Really? I’m sorry, but after everything that happened, it’s not that easy

“Just pack a few of your things. We’ll be leaving again,” Joaquin said.They had just returned home to grab some essentials. Both stood in the living room by the stairs, the tension in the air as heavy as the silence that followed.“Where are we going? I thought you didn’t want us staying at Father’s house,” Jasmine asked, puzzled.“No. We’re not going there.”“Then where?”“To Mr. Suarez’s. You’ll be much safer there.”Jasmine froze, the name instantly reminding her of her recent conversation with Javier.“Ahm, Joaquin,” she began carefully, “I’m not defending Father or anything, but… I think he and Mr. Suarez know each other.”Joaquin frowned.“Well, they’re both wealthy. It’s not surprising if they’ve met.”Jasmine shook her head. “No. This feels… different.”“What makes you say that?”“I mentioned Mr. Suarez to Dad. I told him he might be able to help us—but he got upset. It’s like he didn’t want us to go anywhere near him.”Joaquin paused, his expression darkening. It would’ve ma

“But when did James come here? Why didn’t I know about this?” Andrea asked in disbelief.When she left, there had been no word about James at all. She had even given the guards strict orders to contact her immediately if anything unusual happened at home.“Everything happened so fast, dear,” Carmela said, her voice trembling. “We had no idea James was a wanted man back home. We let him in as a guest… but then—suddenly, others came in too. They were wearing masks—”“What?” Joaquin interrupted sharply, standing up. “They were wearing masks?” he repeated, his tone hardening.Carmela nodded. “Yes. Masks—and dark robes.”Joaquin and Jasmine exchanged a knowing glance.“Joaquin… do you think it’s them?” Jasmine whispered.Joaquin took a deep breath, his jaw tightening. “It’s very likely. After they tried to hurt you, now they’re after Serena? Their evil knows no bounds.”Emilio’s brow furrowed. “Wait—what happened to her?”“They tried to kill me. Both of us,” Jasmine explained, her voice lo