"My sister had a history of mental illness, but I don't know exactly how severe it was," Jude explained.

As the doctor spoke, Jude’s expression became more and more complex.

When he hung up, Julian asked urgently, "What is it?"

"Sienna woke up, but she seems to have a post-traumatic stress reaction. Since she has a history of mental illness, the doctor wants us to contact her psychologist. It's not convenient for her to speak right now."

Julian nodded. "I’ll look into it."

Just then, the officer from earlier knocked on the door. He walked in and handed a document to Julian.

"We’ve found key evidence and the murder weapon: a black coat and a dagger. We also found your fingerprints and hair on them."

Both Julian and Jude were stunned.

Jude immediately protested, "That’s impossible! Julian would never do something like that to Sienna!"

The officer nodded. "We know that. Prosecutor Julian was in the Procuratorate building at the time; he has an alibi. So, we wanted to ask... do you have any memory of this coat, or where you might have come into contact with it?"

Julian looked at the document and tried to remember, but nothing came to mind.

Too many people wore black coats at the Procuratorate; he wore them often himself.

The officer told Julian to contact them if he remembered anything and then left the hospital.

Not long after, a nurse came to the door.

"The patient, Sienna, is awake. You may go visit her now."

Chapter 31

The two rushed to the ICU.

Through a layer of glass, they saw Sienna lying on the bed with her eyes open, staring blankly and lifelessly at the ceiling.

It was a look of utter desolation.

"Can we go in to see her?" Jude asked the doctor.

The doctor shook his head. "The patient's emotions are currently unstable. She cannot handle any stimulation for the time being."

The two had no choice but to give up.

I closed my eyes. Now, the moment I opened them, everything was a wash of blood-red.

Even though I knew it was a psychological projection, I couldn't control it.

Thinking of those eyes behind the mask made me tremble with fear.

That emotionless gaze gnawed at my sanity like maggots.

I knew that person wasn't Julian, but I was still terrified.

I was afraid that the moment I saw Julian, I would lose control and end up hurting him.

As it turned out, a mental patient like me didn't deserve to stand by Julian's side.

Reaching this conclusion, I suddenly felt that the two stabs to my abdomen didn't hurt nearly as much as my heart did.

Outside the viewing glass, figures moved.

I tilted my head to look for a moment, then quickly averted my gaze.

Right now, I didn't dare to look at Julian at all.

...

The days in the hospital ward were long. It wasn't until I felt a bit better that I dared to sit up.

I saw Dr. Chen, who came to diagnose my condition.

We talked about some common topics. Dr. Chen maintained a normal demeanor, but I still saw the gravity in his eyes.

After a while, Dr. Chen said, "Your brother and your boyfriend are both outside. Do you want to see them?"

"No." I refused without any hesitation.

Dr. Chen was taken aback. "Not even your brother?"

I hesitated for a long time.

Understanding my silence, Dr. Chen could only leave the ward with his medical records.

Silence returned to the room, allowing my frayed nerves to relax.

Now, I was not only afraid of strangers, but even familiar faces filled me with dread.

"Sienna, you're completely finished..." I lowered my head and murmured, half-mocking, half-despairing.

On the day of my discharge, only Jude came.

He specifically wore white clothes today to avoid triggering a stress response.

Standing at the ward door, I commented dryly, "How ugly."

Jude, who already had a dark complexion, looked even darker in white.

Jude gave a bitter smile. "Still remember how to roast me? It seems you've recovered somewhat."

I rolled my eyes at my brother.

"Where is he?"

Jude paused, knowing exactly who I was asking about.

"Julian is still investigating the culprit, and he has another case that hasn't been closed. He's probably even busier than before."

Jude talked about recent events while leading me out of the hospital.

My mind wandered, but out of professional habit, I still asked, "What exactly is that case? Why has it taken so long to investigate?"

Since Julian was an investigator, he naturally couldn't reveal secrets, so I hadn't asked him.

"I'm not entirely sure of the details. I heard it's a commercial case involving a huge amount of capital. But Julian and his team haven't been able to find evidence, so it's been dragging on."

I nodded.

The two of us made small talk back and forth.

When we reached the hospital entrance, Jude put down the luggage. "Wait here, I'll go get the car."

To take care of me, Jude had rented a car for easier travel.

As Jude walked away, I stared idly at the floor.

Suddenly, a group of doctors walked past me. I instinctively moved aside and happened to look up.

White masks covered their faces, and a pair of dark eyes slowly looked over.

The moment our gazes met, my body froze. The world before me began to flood with red blood.

"Ah—!" I screamed, clutching my head and crouching down.

Everyone around was startled.

In my terror, I suddenly realized that this person was the killer.

I struggled to look up, but those eyes were gone.

My phone slid out of my pocket. I snapped back to my senses and picked it up.

Just as I was about to put it away, a text message suddenly popped up.

— Tell Julian to behave himself, or you'll live in this nightmare forever.

My pupils trembled violently. It felt as if a blade had pierced my abdomen and was twisting inside.

Everything in the world became hollow. I crouched there blankly, the light fading from my eyes.

Chapter 32

Julian was, after all, a famous prosecutor. Through a single text message, he immediately traced the lead to Mr. Lowery.

Although he couldn't find evidence for the time being, it didn't stop him from accelerating the investigation into the man's finances.

I was taken back home; staying in the city was too dangerous.

By the time Julian arrested Mr. Lowery, two months had passed since I returned home.

Julian's business trip finally ended.

Counting my time in the hospital, we hadn't seen each other for five months.

The first thing Julian did upon returning was come to my house.

Jude opened the door in silence and couldn't help but sigh when he saw Julian.

This immediately made Julian tense.

"Is it still not working?" Julian asked.

When the perpetrator who attacked me was arrested, everyone remarked how much the man's eyes resembled Julian's.

It really wasn't surprising that Sienna had been confused.

Jude said, "You'd better be prepared."

Julian was stunned, following him upstairs in a daze.

At Jude's signal, Julian knocked on the door. There was no response from inside.

"Sienna, it's me."

A loud thud suddenly came from the room, as if something had fallen from a height.

Julian's heart tightened.

Jude handed him the key.

With a conflicted heart, Julian opened the door.

The room was pitch black. Things were piled up everywhere, and there was no sign of Sienna.

Julian picked up the documents and books on the floor and placed them on the table.

He looked to the side; the wardrobe door was wide open. Blankets and clothes were bunched together, and I was curled up inside the wardrobe.

Hearing someone approach, I held myself even tighter, burying my face in my knees. My disheveled hair hid my expression.

Julian patiently crouched outside. He said, "Sienna, I'm back."

My body stiffened, and I let out a scream. "Don't open the door! Julian is going to kill me!"

Julian's brow furrowed upon hearing this. He reached out to take my hand, trying to coax me gently. "Sienna, Julian won't hurt you. Can you look up at me?"

I tried desperately to pull my hand back, shaking my head frantically.

"Julian never loved me! He'll only hurt me! I'm not coming out!"

My struggle and resistance felt like a fishbone stuck in Julian's throat; he was so choked up he couldn't even swallow.

I was a lively girl, spirited and optimistic since childhood.

Even after being rejected by him time and time after, I had been strong enough to pull through.

Why had I become like this?

For the first time, Julian felt despair. This was more heartbreaking than seeing Sienna unconscious that day.

He wasn't a man who expressed himself well; even though his emotions were overflowing, he still didn't shed a tear.

Julian squeezed my hand firmly and comforted me, "Sienna, Julian likes you. You like him too, right?"