Unwilling to give up, Theodore scoured the street, even venturing into narrow alleyways, but Ariana was nowhere to be found.

Eventually, he halted, gasping for air, doubting whether he had actually seen her. The bracelet in his hand, however, was a cruel reminder that Ariana had indeed been there and had left shortly after.

A sense of restlessness consumed Theodore. He pulled out his phone and dialed Ariana's number, only to be met with the sound of her phone switched off.

He understood Ariana didn't want to see him at the moment.

Frustrated, Theodore eventually surrendered his search amidst the sea of faces.

Soon after, a black sedan pulled up to him. Without a moment's hesitation, he climbed in and departed.

Once the sedan had disappeared into the distance, Ariana emerged from a Local convenience store. Without a moment's hesitation, she set off in the opposite direction.

Despite the warmth of the day, Ariana felt a biting chill seep into her bones. She tightened her thin jacket around herself and ventured forth without a destination in mind.

Ariana was unsure where to turn, but she was certain she couldn't return to the hospital. She wasn't ready to face the chill of Theodore's indifference again.

With each step, Ariana delved deeper into her aimless journey, her mind a whirlpool of chaos.

As she meandered past a narrow alley tucked away on a street corner, a pair of hands materialized from the shadows, instantly muffling her screams.

Before she had a chance to react, she was abruptly hauled into a confined space. Caught by surprise, she attempted to shriek, but before she could make a sound, a sharp pang coursed through the back of her head. Her world faded into darkness as consciousness slipped from her grasp.

Inside the black sedan, Theodore was wracked with unease and distress.

From Ariana's unwillingness to pick up his calls, he deduced that she was likely attempting to avoid the impending surgery.

Although he had foreseen this possibility and readied himself for it, witnessing Ariana slipping away from him felt like an iron clamp squeezing his heart, making his breathing erratic and thoughts uncontrollable.

“Confine her. Cripple her, so she'll be reliant on you for life."

A deranged voice resonated in Theodore's mind. He scrunched his brows and clutched his forehead.

At that moment, the buzz of missed calls on his phone interrupted his thoughts.

Theodore glanced at his device and immediately furrowed his brows again.

In his previous attempts to contact Ariana, he hadn't observed the peculiar state of his phone. Now, noting that the battery was at 60%, he realized it hadn't powered down due to low battery.