Chapter 88– Flashbacks
The mansion was finally quiet again.
Not peaceful.
Just… exhausted quiet.
The kind that happens after too many emotions in too few hours.
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Moonlight spilled across the marble floors.
Security lights outside softly lit the gardens.
Everything looked calm on the surface.
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Until the main gate opened.
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A black car rolled in slowly.
And Cole returned.
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He stepped out, adjusting his coat, eyes scanning the entrance casually.
Then stopped.
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A pause.
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"…why are there so many shoes?"
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Different sizes.
Different styles.
Too many.
Too recent.
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Cole frowned.
"…did we become a hotel?"
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No answer.
Of course.
Everyone was asleep.
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He sighed once, already tired, and walked inside.
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The mansion felt different with more people.
He could tell instantly.
Footsteps echoed slightly more.
Air felt heavier.
Life had returned here.
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He moved upstairs quietly.
No rush.
Just observation.
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And then—
he stopped outside Care's room.
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For a moment—
he just stood there.
Looking at her door.
Like he already knew she was inside.
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Then he knocked once.
Softly.
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No response.
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He opened the door anyway.
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Care
Care was asleep on her desk.
Half-uniformed.
Medical files still open beside her.
Probably didn't even realize she had fallen asleep mid-work.
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Cole watched her for a moment.
Expression unreadable.
Soft.
Familiar.
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Then he stepped closer.
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"…Care."
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She didn't move.
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"…Care."
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Silence.
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He reached out lightly and tapped her shoulder.
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Instant reaction.
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Care jolted up immediately.
Turned sharply—
grabbed his wrist—
twisted slightly—
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Then froze.
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Cole blinked.
"…okay. I deserved that."
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Care exhaled sharply, realizing who it was.
"…you don't enter like a normal person."
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Cole raised a brow.
"You tried to break my arm."
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"I was asleep."
"I know."
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She sat back down slowly, rubbing her face.
"…what time is it?"
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"Late."
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Cole glanced around the room.
Then back at her.
---
"…why are there so many people in my house?"
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Care sighed.
Like she had been waiting for this exact question.
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"They're from the Philippines group."
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Cole paused slightly.
"…Section E?"
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Care nodded.
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Cole's expression changed instantly.
Subtle.
But sharp.
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"…they're here."
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Care leaned back in her chair.
"Yes."
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Pause.
Then she added carefully:
"They know the truth now."
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Silence.
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Cole didn't react immediately.
Just processed.
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Then calmly:
"…which truth."
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Care looked at him directly.
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"JJ."
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That name alone shifted the air in the room.
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Cole's jaw tightened slightly.
"…they know about her condition?"
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"Yes."
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"…and they're staying here?"
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Care nodded again.
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"For now."
Pause.
"Until she stabilizes emotionally."
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Cole looked away slightly.
Thinking.
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Then finally:
"…that's going to change everything."
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Care agreed softly.
"It already has."
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Silence settled again.
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Cole walked a few steps inside slowly now.
Looking at the room properly.
At the exhaustion.
At the files.
At Care herself.
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"…you've been overworking again."
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Care didn't respond.
That was answer enough.
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Cole sighed quietly.
Then asked the real question.
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"…how close is she?"
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Care hesitated.
Just for a second.
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"…closer than before."
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Cole nodded slowly.
Like he already expected that answer.
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Then he turned toward the door again.
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Before leaving, he paused.
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"…don't let them rush her."
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Care looked up.
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Cole's voice was quieter now.
More serious.
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"If JJ breaks again… you won't be able to fix her the same way."
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Silence.
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Care nodded slowly.
"I know."
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Cole left the room without another word.
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And outside—
the mansion stayed quiet.
But now it was different.
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Because the second. architect of this strange safe world had returned…
and even he could feel it shifting.
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Next morning.
Morning light hit JJ's room softly.
Too soft for what her mind was doing.
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She woke up with a start.
Not calm.
Not rested.
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Breathing uneven.
Fingers slightly trembling.
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Something had changed overnight.
She could feel it before she even understood it.
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Her mind wasn't blank anymore.
Not fully.
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Fragments.
Sharp.
Broken.
Uninvited.
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The First Flash
Blood.
Not everywhere.
Just enough.
Enough to make her freeze.
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Young JJ.
Smaller hands.
Shaking.
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A voice shouting somewhere far away.
Her heartbeat too loud in her ears.
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And fear.
Pure instinctive fear.
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But then—
something else.
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Control.
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Her body reacting before her mind could.
Not freezing anymore.
Not helpless.
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Just… survival.
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JJ gasped and sat up abruptly in bed.
Sweat at her temple.
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"…what was that?"
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The Second Flash
A corridor.
Dark.
Too narrow.
Someone too close.
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Her back against a wall.
Not weakness.
Not anymore.
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Her hand moving before thought.
A sharp object in her grip.
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Not confusion.
Not panic.
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Decision.
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The image broke suddenly.
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JJ clutched her chest.
Breathing uneven now.
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"…no… no no no…"
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Present
She looked around her room.
Familiar.
Safe.
But her mind didn't feel safe anymore.
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Because something inside her had shifted.
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She didn't remember everything.
Not even close.
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But she remembered enough to know this:
She was never just someone who was saved.
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She survived.
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Downstairs – Unaware World
The mansion was already awake.
Care arguing softly with Rhys about breakfast timing.
Alex checking calls.
Lyra reviewing patient files.
Cole in his room, asleep or working till now.
Section E slowly gathering again.
Normal chaos.
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Keifer was the first to notice something was off.
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"…she's awake," he said quietly.
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Aries looked up.
"How do you know?"
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Keifer didn't answer.
Just stood up.
Already moving.
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JJ
JJ was sitting on the edge of her bed now.
Staring at her hands.
Trying to understand what her brain had given back.
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Fear of blood.
Gone.
Not completely.
But replaced.
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Not fear anymore.
Control.
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And the second memory—
her breath hitched again.
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Not detail.
Not clarity.
Just emotion.
Heavy.
Protective.
Survival instinct carved into muscle memory.
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She whispered to herself:
"…I didn't just disappear."
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Pause.
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"…I ran."
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A knock came at her door.
Soft.
Careful.
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Keifer's voice.
"…JJ?"
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She didn't answer immediately.
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Because now—
for the first time—
she wasn't sure who she was going to open the door as.
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And outside—
Keifer stood outside her room…
quietly bracing for a version of JJ none of them were ready for yet.