Felicia pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

A brief silence followed, then Sebastian's tired, hoarse voice: "Felicia, where are you? I'll come find you."

"Let's meet at the same café as last time," she replied.

"Alright."

Arriving at the café, Felicia asked Stanley to wait in the car. She went in alone to the same table by the window, its bright light familiar. She immediately spotted Sebastian, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. He'd lost considerable weight. His handsome face was sharper, his eyes bloodshot, and he exuded the weariness of travel. Yet, his cold, distant demeanor remained unchanged.

Felicia sat across from him. When the waiter approached, she declined to order, fearing a repeat of his previous coffee-throwing incident. Though he'd restrained himself last time, there was no guarantee.

Unaware of her apprehension, Sebastian casually ordered two coffees. As the steam rose from the cups, they stared at each other in silence. Finally, Sebastian's deep, hoarse voice broke the stillness. "How have you been?"

Was he attempting small talk?

Felicia smiled faintly. "Let's get this over with. You must have questions. What is it?"

Sebastian was silent, his dark eyes fixed on her. Their resemblance was striking, particularly in their eyes; a chilling similarity in their cold gazes.

He finally spoke. "Felicia, do you know our parents are missing?"

She already knew. On the morning Stephan left, she'd learned from him that the Carrells of Seldvale had acknowledged Kayla as a relative, likely using the map as leverage. The Carrells would undoubtedly decode the map and travel to its destination, taking the Fuller couple as both a living map and a decoy. Over ten days had passed, and Felicia had no idea of Stephan's progress or the Fullers' fate.

After a moment, she offered Sebastian a lead. "Start with the Carrell family in Seldvale. They've recognized Kayla as kin. Your parents were likely taken by them, because of the map. Your parents saw it; the Carrells need them as guides."

She shared only what she knew, omitting mention of Stephan. But to Sebastian, her knowledge seemed excessive.

Gripping the table, he said in a low voice, "You knew."

She was dumbfounded by his logic. "What did you want me to do? Beg the Carrells to release them? Kill them all? Would it satisfy you if they killed me instead?"

A flicker of helplessness crossed Sebastian's face. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Felicia's laughter, tinged with bitterness and self-deprecation, erupted. "Why is it that no matter what I do, it's always wrong? Why?"

It had always been this way. Whatever she did was wrong—even breathing, even existing.