Michael was sitting at the dining table in the old Doran residence, listening to everyone's merrymaking. Trisha sat beside him with Jules in her arms, occasionally leaning in to speak to him.

He would occasionally glance at his phone screen, his finger swiping across it as if he were waiting for something.

"What are you looking at, Mike?" Trisha suddenly leaned in and took his phone away. She tapped on the screen, going right into Michael's social media page.

Michael quickly took his phone back. "Don't simply touch my things, Trisha."

Trisha's eyes reddened as she said pitifully, "I was just trying to take some photos to leave as memories… The doctor says I don't have much time left, so I'm scared there won't be any more chances to do this…

"I'm sorry, Mike, for troubling you… Evie must be in a bad mood lately. I can just tell her that I don't have much time left if she's still upse

"Eve Withers!" Michael called out again. His voice echoed throughout the empty house, but he didn't hear anything back. 

He took out his phone and called Eve's number but was only met with, "The number you have dialed cannot be reached."

Michael repeatedly called Eve's number and finally realized it wasn't a coincidence that he couldn't reach her. He then sent several text messages to her but received no answers in response.

"Where did she go…" Michael mumbled to himself, his breathing quickening from his panic. Finally, he called up some of his friends over the phone to ask, but all of them gave him the same response.

"I have no idea where Eve is. She never contacted me. What happened? Did you two get into an argument?"

Michael brushed them off distractedly and ended the calls.

In the end, he called Charlotte's number.

Trisha's voice came over from the other end of the call when 

It was nighttime when Eve woke up in the hospital. She tried to move her fingers and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back that made her groan.

"Eve!" Michael called out worriedly from beside her. He clutched her hand tightly. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

Eve pulled her hand away in silence.

Michael then sighed and said helplessly, "Why do you have to be so stubborn? What's wrong with just coming clean about your actions?"

"I didn't frame her," Eve said.

Michael's expression froze. He then looked disappointed. "I won't blame you for what you did, Eve. But you can't keep on being so unremorseful."

Eve closed her eyes, saying nothing. She knew he wouldn't believe anything she said now.

He stayed by her bedside for some time before sighing.

He never came to visit Eve for the next couple of days. Eve was cared for in the hospital and would often gaze quietly at the clouds outside the window. The nurse who came to give her medication would sometimes look like she wanted to say something, but she'd always end up leaving silently.

When Eve finally recovered, the doctors agreed to discharge her.

Eve settled her discharge by herself and stepped out of the hospital entrance with her belongings. As the wind blew past, she tightened her coat around her and called for a cab.

All of a sudden, someone pressed a cloth against her nose.

The sharp scent of chloroform filled Eve's lungs, and she struggled against the person's grip. But her body quickly grew limp, her vision fading into darkness.

When Eve woke up again, she found herself suspended in mid-air. Her arms were chafed from the rope she was bound with. She lifted her head with all her strength and saw Trisha across from her with Jules crying in her arms. Trisha was bound with a rope as well.

"Finally awake?" A masked man walked over. "Remember to pay me the rest of what you owe me after doing this."

The door to the warehouse they were in was suddenly kicked open. Michael ran inside, his face turning pale when he saw the sight before him.

"Let them go!" His voice was trembling. "I'll pay you however much you want!"

The masked man shook his head. "That won't do. My boss doesn't want your money. All you need to do is choose."

Trisha sobbed furiously. "Why did you do this, Evie? I don't care that you want to hurt me, but why bring the baby into it?"

Trisha then turned to Michael, tears flowing uncontrollably from her eyes. "Mike will surely choose you. He's always loved you…"

Eve slowly understood what was happening. "I didn't do this!"

Michael then saw the mattress that the masked man had set up underneath Eve, as well as how the masked man seemed to be guarding her. His gaze grew cold. "Stop this nonsense and make him stop, Eve."

The masked man swung the blade in his hand, impatient. "Hurry up and choose, or don't blame me for cutting any rope I please."

"No!" Trisha shook her head in fear. Her gaze was pleading. "Please, Eve. Please just let the baby go! I don't have long to live anyway, so I'll be fine…"

Michael closed his eyes, feeling agonized. "Why did you have to get Jules involved, Eve? He's still so young… You don't need to keep on doing these things to get me to prove to you that I love you, Eve. I really, really do love you. Please, tell them to stop this…"

Eve was about to respond when the masked man snapped, "Choose!"

The man was already pressing his blade against the ropes binding Trisha.

"I choose Trisha and my baby!" Michael yelled out. "Let them go!"

The masked man shrugged and shot Eve a helpless look. "See? He tried his best."

Trisha and Jules were released to safety. Trisha immediately dove into Michael's arms, her body wracked with sobs.

Michael saw that the masked man seemed ready to let Eve go and sighed. "I'll pretend this never happened, Eve. But I hope something like this never happens again."

Michael then left with Trisha in his arms, not noticing the way the masked man had stopped letting Eve down.

"Ms. Coleman is so generous. We're really earning big tonight." The masked man chuckled. He then gestured for his men to take the mattress away and sliced the rope holding Eve up.

Eve screamed and fell heavily onto the ground, pain filling her entire being. She watched through hazy vision as the masked men left the scene. She heard a car engine start before she finally passed out.

An unknown amount of time later, Eve woke up from the biting cold. She tried to move her fingers, but unbearable pain filled her body. Luckily, the men hadn't seemed intent on killing her and hadn't strung her too high up off the ground.

Eve slowly pushed herself up, gritting her teeth in pain. Her phone was still in her pocket.

She shakily unlocked her phone and saw a text message from Michael, which he had sent several hours ago.

"Let's both take a break for some time, Eve."

Underneath it was a text message from the immigration department. "Your migration application has been approved."

Eve smiled briefly and bought the earliest flight ticket overseas.

She went home and took her pre-packed luggage. This home, which had once housed her hopes and dreams, was now devoid of any other living soul. Meanwhile, Michael had just uploaded a photo of his and Trisha's families having dinner online.

Eve smiled bitterly when she saw the photo. She then sent Michael a text message.

"You can open that surprise I left you once you're back home."

Eve then pulled out her SIM card and snapped it in two before tossing it in the trash. She then glanced at the gift box she'd left on the table before leaving the house.

Eve was finally leaving all this deceit behind and stepping into the beginning of her new life.

Michael was sitting at the dining table in the old Doran residence, listening to everyone's merrymaking. Trisha sat beside him with Jules in her arms, occasionally leaning in to speak to him.

He would occasionally glance at his phone screen, his finger swiping across it as if he were waiting for something.

"What are you looking at, Mike?" Trisha suddenly leaned in and took his phone away. She tapped on the screen, going right into Michael's social media page.

Michael quickly took his phone back. "Don't simply touch my things, Trisha."

Trisha's eyes reddened as she said pitifully, "I was just trying to take some photos to leave as memories… The doctor says I don't have much time left, so I'm scared there won't be any more chances to do this…

"I'm sorry, Mike, for troubling you… Evie must be in a bad mood lately. I can just tell her that I don't have much time left if she's still upset with me…"

Michael felt a little annoyed seeing Trisha like this but quickly forced the feeling do

Chapter 8