?Chapter 1347:


    The call cut off automatically.


    As the screen dimmed, so did her expression.


    The warmth drained from her features, reced by a quiet intensity. Her aura shifted—sharpened. There was power in the way she stood, in the way her eyes darkened with resolve.


    What in the world was going on in Lyhaton?


    The deeper they buried the truth, the more fiercely she intended to dig it up.


    Especially now—when Nate had gonepletely silent. Her mind raced through possibilities, each one darker than thest. Something had happened. She could feel it crawling beneath her skin like a warning.


    Since they had been together, not once had they fallen out of touch.


    No matter how demanding their lives became, they always found time to connect. Sometimes through a rushed message, other times through hours ofte-night video calls. But never this. Never radio silence. He had never left her feeling this uncertain.


    Corrine unlocked her phone and opened their message thread. Her eyes scanned their recent exchanges,nding on the final message he had sent—at some ungodly hour the night before.


    She hovered over the screen for a moment.


    Then, driven by something between desperation and determination, she hit the video call button. It barely rang twice before cutting off. A message appeared immediately after: “Cannot talk right now. Anything urgent?”


    Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing.


    Another message followed. “Been busytely. I will contact you when I have time. Love you.”


    Corrine stared at those words, her heart oddly still. A coldness spread between her brows, her lips curling into a brittle, mirthless smile. So it was true—something had happened.


    F??rst ??pp??ared ??n g?????????ν???????????


    Meanwhile, in Lyhaton, Saul and Matias hovered over Nate’s phone, tension thick between them.


    “Why has Miss Hond not replied yet?” Saul muttered, eyes glued to the screen. A nerve throbbed visibly near his temple. His stare held the sharpness of a man bracing for a storm. “Do you think she has figured it out?”


    Matias was already on edge, but hearing Saul’s words made the phone in his hand feel like it had caught fire. He shifted his grip uneasily, as though it might scorch his skin. “Let’s think positively. Perhaps we managed to fool her—with a little luck and a lot of nerve.”


    Even as the words left his mouth, he struggled to believe them. They sounded hollow, but he clung to that thin thread of hope like a man gripping a lifeline.


    One minute slipped by. Then another. Five in total.


    Still no reply from Corrine. The silence felt like an anvil pressing down on their chests. Both men slumped into the hospital corridor chairs, their limbs drained of energy, their thoughts dulled by the crushing weight of suspense.


    .


    .


    .