?Chapter 504:


    Still, the thought left Cole wrestling with a bitter sting of disappointment. Even if Elliana did know Milena, he would never ask for her assistance. Better to endure her hatred than to expose her to the monstrous reality of his darkest moments. During his episodes, consciousness would abandon himpletely, leaving him blind to his own actions. Having witnessed his mother’s gradual descent into that horrifying madness, he harbored terrible suspicions about what he had be.


    As Cole lost himself in these thoughts, Ruben’s voice cut through the silence like a lifeline. “We’ve burned through countless resources searching for Milena, chasing shadows and dead ends. I’d nearly surrendered all hope.”


    Relief bloomed across Ruben’s weathered features, transforming his expression entirely. “But now, with Trinity iming to soon be Milena’s protégé, we’re finally guaranteed to meet Milena face-to-face.”


    Watching Ruben’s face light up with renewed hope, Cole found himself unable to voice the doubts gnawing at his chest—the growing certainty that the “Milena” Trinity had met was nothing more than an borate charade. The truth would reveal itself soon enough when they came face-to-face with this supposed Milena. Until then, silence served as his shield against crushing Ruben’s fragile optimism.


    “Cole,” Ruben continued, his tone growing more insistent, “why not dy the divorce proceedings? If Milena possesses the power to heal you, you and Elliana could remain together after all.”


    Cole’s mouth twisted into something resembling a smile, though bitterness poisoned every line of it. He shook his head with finality. “Even assuming Milena has devoted years to studying Psychephrenia—and that’s an enormous assumption—there’s no way to predict how long treatment might require. I refuse to keep Elliana chained to my side while I might inflict harm on her.”


    Cole was certain the “Milena” Trinity had met was a fraud, and the real Milena remained as elusive as ever. He couldn’t gamble with Elliana’s safety based on false hope and desperate wishes. Another episode could strike without warning at any moment. If he caused Elliana irreparable harm, the guilt would devour what remained of his sanity. Pushing her away, despite the agony it caused, remained the only path that guaranteed her safety.


    Ruben released a heavy sigh, recognizing the unshakeable resolve in Cole’s voice, and allowed the topic to die a natural death.


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    At precisely three o’clock, Elliana stepped through the courthouse entrance.


    Cole had already imed his position in the waiting area, confined to his wheelchair with Myles stationed behind him, while Aron and Hugh maintained their vignt posts nearby.


    The sight of Cole’s ashenplexion sent a sharp pang through Elliana’s chest, but she forced herself to remain focused. Determined not to waste precious minutes of his time, she moved with purpose and joined him for the proceedings.


    Thirty minutester, they emerged from the courthouse, divorce decrees clutched in their hands like evidence of their mutual defeat. “Goodbye, Cole,” Elliana whispered, her voice barely audible above the building’s ambient noise.


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