Mitchel stepped on her uninjured hand and twisted it with brutal force.

"Ouch!" Tears flowed down Katie's cheeks as she cried out, "Mitchel... Mitchel... You dare, you dare... Wait until Lorenzo hears of this, he will skin you alive..."

The pain nearly drove Katie to madness. She grasped that if Mitchel were to escape, Lorenzo would undoubtedly pursue him.

“Give me your medicine," Mitchel demanded coldly, with a broken table leg as a makeshift crutch.

"What... What medicine?" Katie stammered, bewildered.

"What do you think?" Mitchel's face was drawn, a portrait of impatience.

“I don't know what you're talking about." Katie feigned ignorance with a shake of her head. "I was lying. There is no medicine."

Mitchel's lips barely twitched as he shifted his weight onto his toes, pressing down harder.

"Ah! Ah!" Katie's scream of agony reverberated through the room.

"Now, do you have it?" Mitchel demanded, his voice sharp.

Wincing with pain, Katie reluctantly retrieved a small glass vial and tossed it onto the floor.

Within it, two blue pills were sealed with wax, unmistakably marked by the witch of Aurora. This unique seal, derived from a specific herb, was both indestructible and inimitable.

Katie collapsed, her face pale from the intense pain. “Are you really going to take it? Do you understand what this medicine will do to you?" she gasped.

"I know," Mitchel responded softly, his cold demeanor softening momentarily. "Whether I become a walking corpse, a waste, a paralytic, or something less than human, as long as I have another moment with Raegan, I am willing to endure it.”

The knowledge that Raegan was carrying his children again and had chosen to stay had shifted Mitchel's priorities dramatically. For the first time, his will to live ignited fiercely. He yearned to be present when she delivered. His absence when Janey was brought to this world was a regret that gnawed at him relentlessly. This time, he was determined to persevere until the children's arrival, to witness his children's first breaths...

Mitchel pocketed the glass vial just as noises erupted from the doorway.

"Help..." Katie's attempt to scream was cut short as Mitchel stuffed a gag into her mouth. “Mmmph..."

The guard who had left for the bathroom re-entered, immediately struck by the chaotic scene. "Where is the man?" he barked, noticing Katie's bloodied appearance.

"Mmmph... Mmmph..."" Desperate and struggling for breath, Katie frantically tried to signal to the unaware guard that her mouth was gagged.

Finally noticing, the guard quickly removed the gag and asked urgently, “Where is the man?"