"No," Maeve said, puzzled. "Didn't the source of Xasia wipe out a few years ago? How could I still come into contact with it?" Except for the virus remaining dormant in those with indirect contact, it had disappeared. However, there was no danger as long as the dormant virus in those individuals remained inactive. That's why Maeve and Theo had been safe all these years.

Jaylen's expression darkened. "Your pulse is unusual. It's very similar to those infected back then."

Maeve was stunned. "Is that so?"

"I hope I'm wrong. But to be safe, let's return to my villa. I have a special device in the laboratory to check your blood."

After saying that, Jaylen asked Daryl to handle the discharge procedure. In less than half an hour, the car arrived at the residence.

Jaylen took half a tube of Maeve's blood and left her to wait for the test results alone. Maeve, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, absentmindedly swiped through her phone, her mind racing.

'It shouldn't be. The Xasia virus had a small outbreak in Erancia. Theo and I lived nearby and had indirect contact with infected individuals. While infection was possible, we've been fine since the virus was eradicated. It's been years; there's no way we'd be so unlucky. No, it can't be. There's a way to treat it even if it is true,' Maeve thought. Her gaze paused on Byron's name, her finger hovering over the call button, hesitating before ultimately not dialing.

'He's made it clear we shouldn't meet, so why bother him? Like Bonnie said, emotional involvement hurts. Maybe... Byron doesn't like me as much as I thought. Perhaps I've overestimated myself,' Maeve thought.

Maeve slowly exhaled. Suddenly, she heard the door open behind her. She turned to see Daryl pushing Jaylen in. Jaylen's hands gripped the wheelchair's armrests tightly, his eyes darker than usual, filled with brooding intensity and unspoken pain. Seeing them both masked, she immediately sensed something was wrong. "The results aren't good, are they?"

Tears welled up in Daryl's eyes as he turned away, unable to answer. 'How could someone as good as Ms. Reese be harmed by a virus that disappeared? God is unfair!'

Jaylen looked at Maeve, his throat too dry to speak. After a long pause, he said, "The initial diagnosis is a mutant variant of Xasia, but further tests are needed to confirm."

Any virus labeled "mutant" signaled trouble. The special medication developed for Xasia was ineffective against this mutated strain. Maeve's heart—