News of the ballroom incident spread like wildfire through the city by morning. Everyone was talking about the Oliver family—the perfect marriage that had just collapsed in public. When Sloane heard what had happened, she couldn’t sit still. "I’m worried about Beth," she said, insisting that Lucas drive her to the Oliver estate. As soon as they stepped inside, Shawn’s furious voice rang from the living room. "Tony’s a bastard! A goddamn bastard!" "Shawn, enough!" Kaizen’s sharp reprimand sliced through the air. "Stay out of things that don’t concern you." "I’m not a kid anymore!" Shawn protested, his face red with anger, though he still fell silent under his father’s stern glare. Sloane and Lucas entered just then. Beth was sitting on the couch, motionless, her expression unreadable. Sloane’s chest tightened at the sight. "Dr. Rivers, Mr. Hawthorne, please, have a seat!" Kaizen said quickly, forcing some warmth into his voice to mask the tension. Only then did Jeffrey finally speak, his voice low but commanding. "Beth, what are you planning to do now?" Beth slowly raised her head, her eyes dull but steady. "At first, I thought Miles must’ve been controlled—that there was some reason for him to say those things." Her tone was calm, almost detached. "Tonight, I tested him," she continued, her voice faint but steady. "He remembers everything. He’s not controlled by anyone. He’s just… stopped loving me." She picked up her cup and took a sip. The tea had long gone cold; the chill burned her throat and froze straight into her chest. When she looked up again, her composure had returned. "He’s already made his choice. I won’t beg." Jeffrey slammed his palm onto the table, making the tea spill over. "Divorce him! Immediately! But don’t think he’s walking away easy. No damn way!" "Dad, calm down—" Kaizen started. "Calm down?!" Jeffrey roared. "That boy was nothing when we met him! If our family hadn’t built him up, he’d still be a nobody! And now he dares humiliate my daughter like this?"Shawn nodded fiercely. "Exactly! Grandpa’s right! Everything Tony has came from the Olivers. Now he wants to just take his hands off and walk away? Over my dead body!" Beth quietly set her cup down, her voice low but cutting. "I’ve already ordered the legal team to start the financial audit. Whatever belongs to the Oliver family will stay with the Oliver family." Sloane noticed the way Beth’s fingers tightened around the teacup until her knuckles turned white. Her face might have been calm, but the strain showed in every detail. "Beth…" Jeffrey’s tone softened. He looked at her with the pained helplessness only a father could have. "It’s not about the money. I just can’t stand seeing you hurt like this." Beth forced a smile. "I’ll be fine. I’ve survived worse." The drive back to the hospital was silent at first. Lucas kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. He could tell from the furrow in her brow that something was turning in her mind. Then suddenly, Sloane’s eyes lit up. "I remember now!"Lucas startled slightly and immediately pulled the car to the side. "What is it? Slow down, tell me." Sloane turned toward him, her voice trembling with urgency. "When I was little, I once read a text in my mentor’s private library—it described a kind of ancient ritual, a forbidden one. Something that could transfer emotions from one person to another." Lucas frowned. "You mean… some sort of mind-control drug?" "No," she said, shaking her head, her hands twisting together nervously. "It’s not chemical—it’s spiritual. The book called it the Heart Transfer Ritual. It said the spell could move a person’s love and devotion from their original bond to the one who cast it." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "The worst part is… the victim keeps all their memories. They remember everything about the person they loved—but their emotions are completely rewritten." Lucas’s expression darkened. "You think that’s what happened to Tony?" Sloane nodded slowly, her eyes full of dread. "If I’m right… Dania didn’t just seduce him. She stole his love."