Axaverran herself, Vespera could sense the bitterness simmering beneath Nancy's façade. She observed the unfolding scene, her eyes flicking between the three of them like a seasoned gossip. Then—Dominic's gaze shifted to her. There was no time to look away. He had caught her in the act, her uneasy expression exposed.

Dominic's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had already seen through her thoughts.

“Mr. Nicholson, may I take a walk ahead?” Vespera asked, turning her head slightly to glance at Gerard, a flicker of unease in her expression.

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on things,” Gerard replied without hesitation.

“Alright, just call me if anything comes up.”

With that, she slipped away, the steady rhythm of her high heels fading as she walked off. At the front of the yacht, she found a quiet corner with two chairs and settled into one. The waves gently crashed against the yacht, and in the distance, the city sparkled with tiny golden lights, scattered like stars across the dark expanse of the night.

For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of calm—not just in her body, but within herself. After enjoying the sea breeze, she reached into the inner pocket of her bag and took out her phone. Since her last conversation with Rebecca, she had turned it off. Once she arrived at Seloria, she’d buried herself in work, even going so far as to buy a new phone with a different number.

Turning on the old device, she was bombarded with over a hundred missed calls, even though the phone had been off. There were calls from unknown numbers, her parents, Rebecca, other friends, former colleagues, and even business contacts she barely knew.

She opened WhatsApp. Rebecca had sent several messages. The first one read, “Don’t answer. Don’t get involved. Don’t believe a word. It’s all Luke!!!” An hour later, she sent another: “Vera, where are you?!” Her parents had also messaged: “Where did you go? Come home!”

Even Yasmine had reached out: “Where are you?”

Message after message, Vespera read through them all, each word stretching time unbearably as she pushed toward the end. It felt like the whole world was searching for her, demanding to know where she had gone.

Luke, you lunatic.

She exhaled, exhaustion sinking into her bones. Exiting WhatsApp, she opened her texts—only to be met with a relentless flood of unread messages and voice memos. What began as a simple question about her whereabouts soon gave way to frustration and rage, with Luke’s emotions spiraling out of control. The most recent voice message had arrived just five minutes ago. His voice was hoarse and trembling, thick with stifled sobs.

“Baby, I was wrong, I swear, I know I was wrong. I’m a bastard, I deserve to die—to hurt you, and I’m so sorry. Please, just give me another chance.”

“You can push me however you want, take my life if you have to, just take some time if you need it. I’ll wait for you at home. It was just one mistake, you can’t… you can’t give me a life sentence for it—”

Vera swiftly shut off her phone. It felt as though any further delay would pull her back into that suffocating abyss she was trying to escape.

In Italewick, Luke sat on the grass in front of the villa, looking completely undone. His hair was a tangled mess, his face shadowed with stubble, and empty liquor bottles littered the ground around him. The villa stood behind him, dark and lifeless. He couldn’t bring himself to step inside, unable to face a home that felt so empty without Vespera. He had spent the entire day searching, exhausting every possibility—yet she remained unreachable, as if she had vanished without a trace. The fear of losing her gripped him, tightening around his throat like a suffocating vine. With bloodshot eyes, he lifted his gaze to the moon above. The second deck. She stood up and…