Evelyn Grandelle lunged at Theodore Valentine with a dagger clenched in her fist.

His legs were bound with a necktie, wrists tied tightly, leaving him to hop down the corridor like a frightened rabbit.

Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

The bloody scratches on his face stung as sweat seeped into them.

His dress shirt clung to his drenched body.

Never in his life had he been this humiliated.

The dagger was merely an ornamental piece Sophia had bought for home decoration—its blade deliberately dulled.

But Theodore had no time to inspect it.

Survival was all that mattered.

Evelyn chased him relentlessly, the dagger's tip flashing near his chest and waist.

Terror gripped Theodore's heart.

Patients from other rooms peered out, pointing and whispering at the spectacle.

He wished the ground would swallow him whole.

Vincent Laurent and Sophia followed closely, ready to intervene.

The dull blade scraped Theodore's arm with a thud.

Though it drew no blood, the friction burned his skin, making him grimace.

Medical staff rushed over, and several burly orderlies barely restrained the enraged Evelyn.

Even as the dagger was wrested away, she thrashed violently.

Her eyes bore into Theodore with searing hatred.

Slumped against the wall, he gasped for air, his back soaked in cold sweat.

A nurse moved to untie him, but Vincent's sharp glance stopped her.

His assistant arrived late, stammering at the sight of his disheveled boss. "M-Mr. Valentine..."

"Useless!" Theodore snapped, venting his fury. "Untie me now!"

He shielded his face with his coat as he left, desperate to avoid recognition.

——

In the ward, a doctor prepared to administer a sedative to Evelyn.

"No! No needles!" She curled into a ball, trembling.

Vincent stepped forward. "Let me."

He gathered her gently, murmuring in her ear, "It's me, Vincent. Remember when we painted together as children?"

Evelyn stilled, her eyes reddening.

Sophia slipped out quietly.

The doctor reassured her, "Mrs. Grandelle's condition is more stable than last year. Family companionship aids recovery."

Through the door crack, Sophia watched Vincent press a reverent kiss to Evelyn's hand.

Her nose stung.

What a remarkable man. If only he were her real father.

——

Inside Theodore's luxury car, he inspected his wounds in the rearview mirror, fuming.

"Take me home," he ordered the driver. "I won't be going to the office for two weeks."

Victoria Windsor was arranging flowers in the living room when he arrived early. "About Isabella—"

Her words died as she noticed his face. "What happened to you?"

"Shut up and fetch the first-aid kit."

Victoria studied the scratches and sneered. "You went to see Evelyn, didn't you? Couldn't handle her remarrying?"

Theodore shoved her aside irritably. "Stop your nonsense!"

"My nonsense?" She snatched a fruit knife from the coffee table. "For that lunatic, you actually—"

Reflexively, Theodore grabbed her wrist.

The knife clattered to the floor.

Victoria staggered back, her lower back impaling itself on the blade.

Blood bloomed across her silk nightgown.

Theodore froze for two seconds before fumbling for his phone. "Call a surgeon—now!"