<h4>Chapter 180: France</h4>


    <i>*~Hazel’s POV~*</i>


    I clung to Caspian tighter as the weight of regret came crashing down on me.


    <i>No... I shouldn’t have. Oh no, I really shouldn’t have.</i>


    The guilt was suffocating, I tried to stand, but my knees gave out. I slipped—only for Caspian to catch me just in time.


    "Calm down," he whispered gently. "You’re still overwhelmed. Let’s go to the room."


    But just as he spoke, Aurora barged in—and suddenly, the High House wasn’t empty anymore. The stillness shattered as footsteps echoed and voices returned. I blinked.


    Where were you guys? I wanted to scream. Where was everybody?


    I turned to Caspian, trembling.


    "Why would you all leave me and my babies alone in the High House?"


    He looked at me, confused.


    "We didn’t. Everyone’s been here."


    "What?" I breathed.


    "Everyone’s been inside. Only High Cayden and Aurora stepped out for a moment."


    He then pointed to the staircase—and I turned, only to see his mother and father, Lady Anna and Lord us, descending slowly.


    "Oh my God... Hazel, dear?" Anna’s voice was soft. Concerned. "What’s wrong?"


    My heart raced wildly.


    "Were you all inside... just a few minutes ago?" I asked, my voice shaking.


    She nodded. "Of course. We’ve been inside the entire time."


    "And nobody heard me scream?"


    us frowned. "No one screamed, Hazel. We just noticed our sons were back and asked what happened."


    "No. No. That’s impossible," I said, shaking my head. "This entire ce was empty. I was screaming—begging for help—while Cyrius stood there. But no one came. No one answered."


    Anna exchanged a worried nce with us.


    "Even the maids were here," she said carefully. "What do you mean nobody answered?"


    "I know what I’m saying!" I snapped.


    Caspian ced a hand on my arm.


    "Hazel, calm down—"


    "Are you doubting me now?" I cut him off. "Do you think I’m crazy, Caspian? I’m not out of my mind! I only heard one single heartbeat in the entire High House!"


    I could feel my breathing quicken.


    "Oh my God... what’s happening to me? What’s wrong with all of you?"


    I screamed.


    Caspian pulled me closer, gripping my hand tightly.


    "Hazel, why are you shouting? You need to calm down."


    "Calm down?" I echoed, stunned. "That must be a joke."


    My stomach was hot with panic. My skin burned with rage and disbelief.


    "My babies were just taken, Caspian. By a man everyone calls a traitor. I screamed—begged—and no one came. And now you’re telling me everyone was here the whole time? That it was all an illusion?"


    My voice cracked, my hands trembling.


    "What if... that wasn’t even Cyrius?" I whispered. "What if I handed my babies over to something else entirely?"


    I looked up at Caspian, wide-eyed.


    "What if it was Jonathan?"


    Calm down."


    "Jonathan, you really need to calm down now," Caspian said, stepping forward.


    "There’s no way Jonathan is behind this. He’s dead. Cayden killed him—right in front of us."


    He held my gaze. "So please, calm down, and let’s think this through."


    He began pacing.


    "You said the High House felt empty... that no one answered your screams. But in reality, it wasn’t empty. We were all here. Which means—whatever you experienced wasn’t real. It was an illusion. A powerful one."


    He turned to face me. "This has to be the work of a witch."


    Before I could speak, Aurora stepped forward, arms crossed.


    "No." Her voice was sharp. "I don’t think a witch is behind this."


    Everyone turned toward her.


    "If a spell had been cast here, I would have sensed it immediately. I’d know."


    "Are you sure it’s not one of your girls?" Caspian asked.


    Aurora shook her head firmly. "No. My girls aren’t responsible for this. Anytime they cast a spell—even if I’m miles away—I can feel the surge in my blood. But this... this wasn’t them."


    "Then how is this possible?" Lady Anna stepped forward, her voice shaky. "Jonathan?" She looked at me, horror dawning in her eyes. "Are you telling me my grandbabies are missing again?"


    She clutched us’s arm. "Oh God... when will we ever see peace in this house? Those innocent babies... we just found them."


    "Mother, please," Caspian soothed. "We will find them."


    That was when the doors burst open.


    <fn665a> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? F?nd-Novel</fn665a>


    Cayden.


    "I didn’t see him," he panted. "He didn’t pass me. Are you sure he went that way?"


    "Yes!" I cried. "He should’ve passed you. It was barely a minute after he left that you came in!"


    Cayden’s eyes widened in disbelief, his lips pressing into a tighter line. He ran both hands through his hair, tugging the strands in frustration as rage danced across his face.


    "Oh, Hazel..." he breathed, voice heavy with anguish. "You shouldn’t have. You shouldn’t have."


    He punched the table—wood cracked and splintered beneath his fist. Everyone flinched.


    "God knows what my babies are going through right now."


    He gritted his teeth. "Shit!"


    The room fell into tense silence, broken only by the pounding in my chest.


    "If it’s really Cyrius..." I finally said, voice low, "If it’s really him, then you all need to return my memory. Now."


    I looked around at each of them. "He said things I didn’t understand. Things that felt familiar, but I couldn’t ce. If I had my memory, maybe I’d be able to recognize what he meant. Maybe I’d know where he’s going."


    There was a beat of silence.


    "Nice," Aurora said quickly, grabbing my hand. "That’s exactly what we’ll do."


    Without another word, she pulled me upstairs, urgency in her grip.


    We got to my chambers, and Caspian shut the door behind us.


    Aurora didn’t waste a second. She guided me straight to the bed and helped me lie down. Her expression was tense.


    She reached for my hand. "This is going to hurt a little," she warned softly. "But please... bear with me."


    She took a deep breath, then muttered, "<strong><i>Versa</i></strong>."


    Her palm began to heat up. It went from warm to burning, and before I could react, she ced it directly on my forehead.


    "Ah!" I winced sharply. Pain erupted through my skull.


    She lied—it didn’t hurt a little. It hurt too much. It felt like my brain had been dipped in hellfire. My memories weren’t justing back, they were frying their way through my mind like they’d been locked in mes, and now they were burning their way out.


    And then...


    The fragments began.


    I saw myself screaming Ariel’s name, holding her limp body in my arms, tears rolling down my face. I brought her back to the High House—Cayden was responsible for her death.


    Then—me. Inbor. Giving birth.


    And Cyrius.


    Cyrius taking the babies away from me. And Then my babies dying—Cyriusing back for me and the babies.


    "We’re going to France, Aaliyah," I heard myself say. "The whole of France, Alexander."


    It was all flooding back in an avnche. sh after sh after sh.


    Me, furious at Cyrius.


    Me, stabbing him—plunging the dagger into his chest —because I chose my family in New Orleans over everything.


    Then... chains.


    Alexander. His chains. Wrapping around me like cold betrayal.


    Cyrius screaming in anger. Aurora and Caspian rushing in. The dagger plunging into Cyrius’s body—even after he’d started to calm down, even after he agreed to listen to me... after I’d begged him to return with me to New Orleans.


    And then...


    Aurora.


    Aurora took my memories.


    Even though I begged her not to.


    I gasped and opened my eyes. Aurora was still holding my hand—only now, her entire body was trembling. Blood was dripping from her nose, down her lips, over her clothes. Her hand slipped from mine.


    "Aurora!" Caspian rushed to her side. "Are you alright?"


    She staggered back, clutching her temple. "I’ll be fine," she whispered. "I just... need a moment."


    She stumbled toward the door, barely able to walk straight.


    Caspian turned back to me, his eyes wide.


    "Hazel?" he whispered. "Are you alright?"


    I blinked slowly, dizzy, and leaned into him as he caught me.


    "I... I’ve remembered everything," I said weakly. "All of it. Everything they took from me."


    And then it hit me—the first crystal-clear thought rising from the ashes.


    France.


    "What?" Caspian asked.


    "France," I repeated, firmer this time. "Cyrius... he must be in France. That’s where Alexander is. That’s where he’s taken my babies. It’s the only ce he can go now."


    My breath caught again.


    "France, Caspian. He’s gone back to France."


    "Aurora is weak right now," I murmured, my voice shaky as I leaned into Caspian’s arms. "How are we supposed to go after him like this?"


    My thoughts were spiraling. My heart couldn’t stay still.


    "I know it’s by road," I continued, breathless. "We went there by road... thest time. It’s not that far. Please..." I turned to him, gripping his wrist. "Go get Cayden."


    He nodded immediately, but I wasn’t done.


    "Let’s be fast. Please."


    Paned my words.


    "He can’t hurt them. He won’t hurt my babies. He loves them—I saw it in his eyes. He just wants to take them away from me... from this ce. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let him."


    My voice cracked.


    "We need to find him before it’s toote."


    I stood, still weak, still dizzy, but fueled by something deeper—a mother’s terror.


    "He said something else too," I added quickly. "Something is connected. Between me, the babies... and all of us."