Chapter 3

A shrill alarm tore through the chamber, and the researcher monitoring my vitals instantly went pale.

"The subject's brain waves are abnormal. Her vitals are tanking!"

The head researcher pulled off his headset, panic creeping into his voice.

"Her body can't handle a memory extraction of that level. If we force this sequence any further, it's going to cause permanent, irreversible brain damage!"

Teresa threw herself at me like a madwoman. "Bianca, where on earth is Caterina? Tell us! Do you actually want her to die out there?"

She struck me across the face over and over again. Blood pooled at the corner of my mouth, and my vision dimmed.

The truth rose to the tip of my tongue, but I forced the words back down my throat as I offered a desperate plea. "I can't tell you… Please don't make me!"

Damiano's eyes remained locked on mine, filled with a mix of betrayal, disappointment, and an almost pathological obsession.

"Bianca, this is your final chance. If you won't say it yourself, I'll see it with my own eyes."

A chill washed over me, and I shook my head frantically. "Damiano, just let it go! Finding out the truth won't do anyone any good!"

Nevertheless, Damiano stepped onto the platform, walking right up to me. "Let it go? That's my sister! How do you expect me to just let it go?"

When he realized that I wasn't going to speak, the last trace of mercy in his eyes vanished.

"Keep the machine running until we see the truth!" he demanded.

An even stronger electric current hit my brain as a blood-curdling scream tore out of my throat.

The massive projection screen flickered to life all over again.

In my memory, Caterina had deliberately spilled red wine over her dress, weeping as she turned to look at Damiano.

"Bianca, I was only trying to stand up for you… Why do you hate me so much?"

Damiano had frowned and pulled her behind him.

The scene cut again.

This time, Caterina was wrapping her arm sweetly around mine with a sweet, innocent smile, only to pitch herself backward down the staircase a second later.

When everyone rushed to the scene, she looked at Damiano with tear-filled eyes.

"Damiano, this isn't Bianca's fault… I just lost my footing…"

In the final memory, Caterina was standing in my bedroom. Gone was her usual sweet, innocent persona. She glared at me, her eyes flickering with jealousy and crazed obsession.

"Bianca, you need to leave Damiano. Ever since we were kids, I've been the only girl allowed by his side. If you hadn't barged into our lives, he never would've married anyone else."

Pale-faced, I looked at her and said, "Caterina, you've lost your mind! You're the Caruso family's adoptive daughter. You and Damiano can't be together!"

But Caterina only locked her manic gaze onto me. "Why is it impossible? As long as you leave, Damiano will return to me eventually."

The memory cut off there, and the entire council chamber exploded.

"Ms. Caruso was actually in love with Don Caruso?"

"How could she even harbor a thought like that?"

Damiano stood rooted to his spot.

Pushing past her initial shock, Teresa ground her teeth together and snarled, "Caterina was just young! She grew up trailing right behind Damiano. Of course, she'd be attached to him!"

"She isn't blood-related anyway," Emilio added sternly. "If she made a mistake, we can discipline her and fix it later. Right now, our only priority is locating her."

After saying that, he ordered sternly, "Don't stop that machine! I want to see exactly how deep she buried the rest of this memory!"

In the next second, I desperately gasped for air like a fish out of water as the machine forced my heart rate back up.

The memory I had kept buried in the deepest recesses of my mind was violently dragged out into the open.

"No! I'm begging you, make it stop!"

"Look! That's the final scene before Caterina went missing. She really does know where Caterina is!"

Amid the collective gasps of the crowd, the secret I had hidden for so long finally came to light, displayed for all to see.

Caterina burst into my bedroom, pale as a sheet and shaking like a leaf.

"Bianca, you have to save me… I'm begging you. You're the only one who can help me…"

On screen, my own voice shook as I asked, "What happened?"

Tears streamed down Caterina's face as her hand instinctively moved to shield her stomach. "I'm pregnant, but I can't have this baby. Bianca, I have to leave right now. Please help me!"

"Why? Who's the father of your baby?" I asked.

The scene fell into a heavy silence.

Caterina kept her head lowered, her shoulders heaving violently. Finally, she whispered a single name.

At that moment, the entire council chamber erupted in horror.

"How is that possible?"

"This is insane… This is absolutely insane!"

The color drained from Teresa's face as she staggered backward. Meanwhile, the glass in Emilio's hand shattered with a crack as he crushed it with his bare fist.

As for Damiano, he stared at the screen as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked completely shattered.

My consciousness began to blur as blood kept streaming down my legs. Deep down, I knew that my baby was gone.

With what little strength I had left, I lifted my eyes and looked at Damiano, his face darker than I had ever seen it.

This was the truth he was so desperate to find.

I sure hoped he was happy now.