Lance sensed that something wasn't right with Virginia. He closed the car door behind him and turned toward her. "What's wrong?" Virginia quickly averted her gaze from the figure in the distance. "Nothing," she replied quickly, her voice betraying a hint of discomfort. She didn't want Lance to see Addison. Not in the slightest. "I thought I saw a stray dog over there," Virginia added nonchalantly. "It looked pretty pitiful. Should we give it something to eat?" Addison is just like a stray dog, isn't she? A wanderer with no home, surviving only on the kindness of others to get by. If the Johnstons ever throw her a bone, it'd only be out of pity. It's almost laughable—how after receiving a few scraps, Addison has so shamelessly latched onto them. "A dog?" Lance echoed, his voice calm but puzzled. The area around them was eerily quiet, situated on the outskirts. There was no way a stray dog would be out here. In this kind of place, a dog wouldn't last long on its own.But Lance didn't linger on the thought. His mind was set on reaching the Divine Healer. Everything else could wait. "So it's just a dog. Let's go," he said, brushing it off. Virginia managed a smile. Lance is right—it's just a stray dog, hardly worth our time. "Then let's go, Lance," Virginia said, a smile tugging at her lips, as she casually linked her arm with his. She could feel the warmth of his arm, and though Lance glanced down briefly, he said nothing. ... The building they were heading toward was so immense that they had to park quite a distance away from the entrance. The walk toward the front doors felt like it took forever. As they moved closer, nearing where Addison had been standing, Virginia's irritation only deepened. The long flight had already drained her, and Lance's indifference to her fatigue didn't help. Her mood soured further, and the sight of Addison only deepened her bitterness, amplifying her exhaustion.Virginia kept herself on Lance's right side deliberately. Every time he tried to glance in that direction, she instinctively raised her hand to block his view. She didn't fully understand why she was doing this. Was it jealousy? Or fear? Am I jealous that Addison has ever been the recipient of whatever small amount of affection Lance can offer? Am I afraid that any love I have might slip away? She wasn't sure, and she wasn't ready to confront those feelings yet. Until Lance acknowledges it, I'll just pretend he's still in love with me, and Addison hasn't taken his heart. After all, she's just the replacement. The first love will always be the first, and she, the substitute, will remain in the shadows, never seen for who she truly is. Addison wants Lance's attention? I will do everything in my power to stop it. As long as I am here, I will block Addison at every opportunity. I'm not going to let Addison take what was never really hers. A dark thought began to take root in Virginia's mind, slowly growing, its branches reaching deep into her heart until it was firmly planted, unshakable. If she couldn't have it, she would destroy it—and she wouldn't let anyone else have it either. Lance had been walking on her left the entire time. Though he couldn't understand the thoughts racing through her mind, he could feel the increasing tension in her grip on his clothes. The suit he wore had been custom-made by an Italian designer, crafted with care and meaning. It was a gift from Steven, and it held special significance for Lance. If Virginia keeps tugging at it like this, she'll ruin it. Lance turned toward her, about to speak, when Virginia suddenly darted in front of him, as if shielding him from something. She clung to his side, almost as if she were hiding something from view. Lance's line of sight was completely blocked. The man was taken aback by Virginia's sudden reaction, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What's going on? Why do you look so flustered?" "Ah ... nothing," Virginia stammered, struggling to regain her composure.Trying to cover up her panic, she quickly pointed to Lance's shirt. "Hey, Lance ... there's a leaf on your shirt. Let me get it for you." As she reached out, she subtly shifted her body, positioning herself to block his view entirely. She couldn't let Addison catch his attention, not for a second. Lance followed her finger and looked down. The leaf stuck to his shirt was small and almost unnoticeable. But what really caught his eye was the fabric itself—wrinkled in a way that made it look like a series of deep creases, layers upon layers, resembling a mountain range. Lance instinctively frowned. His first thought was that the shirt, with all its wrinkles, might be better off tossed away. Virginia saw the wrinkles too. A brief moment of embarrassment flickered across her face. She knew this shirt was special to Lance and understood why he had chosen to wear it today. Internally, Virginia cursed herself. How could I have missed this detail? My mind was so focused on Addison that I didn't notice how tightly I was gripping Lance's shirt.The silence around them grew heavy, thick with tension. Virginia forced a smile. "Um ... Lance, how about I take your shirt to the dry cleaners tonight?" "No need." Lance's cold, indifferent reply cut her off. Virginia's words stuck in her throat. She dropped her hand, unable to keep holding onto him. She tried to shrink back, to blend into the background and become as invisible as possible. But in doing so, she couldn't block Addison from view anymore. To keep Addison from being seen, she would have to press herself closely to Lance—and clearly, that wasn't an option. Virginia found herself trapped in an impossible situation. Just as her anxiety started to spiral, Addison moved. She was holding a phone, speaking to someone as she made her way toward the main entrance of the Daves Residence. With each step, the distance between them shrank—what had once been dozens of feet was now just a few. At this point, Virginia couldn't block Addison any longer.Lance, however, merely lifted his gaze. His eyes settled on a familiar figure. For a brief moment, he froze. Time seemed to stand still. ... Addison, still speaking on the phone, walked toward the main entrance of the Daves Residence. She didn't notice Lance and Virginia standing off in the distance, her head bent as she softly spoke into her phone. A smile that could not be contained spread across her face, warm and bright like a gentle spring breeze. It was clear the person on the other end of the line had said something that made her happy. The voice on the other end belonged to Ryan—his tone lively and filled with excitement, as if greeting an old friend after a long separation. Addison couldn't help but smile wider, caught up in his infectious joy. But as she smiled, she suddenly felt the weight of someone's gaze on her. Instinctively, she turned her head.The moment she turned, her gaze met the man's deep, dark eyes. In that brief moment of eye contact, the woman's expression was filled with surprise, while the emotions in the man's eyes were much more complex ... So complex that Addison couldn't begin to decipher them. They both froze at the same time. Addison's warm smile faltered instantly, the happiness draining from her face. In that brief moment, one thought consumed her mind. Is that really Lance standing here? How could he be here, at the Daves Residence? And what were the chances of him seeing me?