"Finally... I get a mont to breathe," Anna sighed, slumping back against the car seat.
She rolled her shoulders, exhaustion evident on her face. "I never realized being a celebrity could be this draining."
Kevin, seated in the front, glanced at her through the rearview mirror and chuckled. "You’ve only just begun, Anna, and you’re already worn out. Just wait until you really take off—there’s no turning back after that."
Betty, sitting beside her, nodded in agreent. "Sir Kevin is right, Big Sis. That’s why you need to eat properly. You can’t afford to collapse halfway through your rise."
"...Is that really a concern right now?" Kevin asked casually.
Anna shot him a sharp glare.
"My mistake," he said instantly, lifting his hands in surrender and pretending to zip his lips. But the seriousness returned just as quickly. "Still, there’s sothing we need to talk about."
Anna raised a brow.
"The action-packed movie you signed," Kevin continued. "You’ll need intense training for that role. Physical conditioning, stamina, discipline. It won’t be easy."
He had deliberately kept that script for last, assuming it would charm her once she was ward up. What he hadn’t anticipated was Anna’s unpredictable personality—she had picked the final script first, without hesitation.
"Yes, Big Sis," Betty added hesitantly. "Are you really going to sacrifice food for the role?"
Anna blinked at them both.
If only they knew.
In her past life, she had been frighteningly good at losing weight—too good. She had starved herself under the excuse of discipline until her body rebelled. Even when she later tried to eat, everything ca back up. The damage had been irreversible.
She wouldn’t walk that path again.
"That’s not a concern," Anna said calmly, her voice firm. "I can manage."
Kevin and Betty exchanged a glance.
They both knew how stubborn Anna could be once she made up her mind—and how hard it would be to change it.
The car continued down the road, unaware that behind Anna’s composed expression lay mories she refused to relive... and a promise she silently made to herself never to beco that person again.
"I wonder what Kathrine is doing..." Anna murmured to herself, scrolling through her phone.
Her thumb slowed, then stopped at a familiar na. She stared at it for a long mont, hesitating.
She still hasn’t reached out after Ester was taken by the cops.
Anna sighed softly, leaning her head against the window.
I just hope she’s not trying to handle everything on her own.
She had never expected Kathrine to step in for her—not after everything. But now that she had, Anna wanted only one thing for her: safety.
She didn’t want Kathrine digging into matters that hadn’t been discussed with her first, matters that could spiral out of control far too easily.
What Anna didn’t know was that Kathrine had already uncovered sothing—sothing so unsettling that it left her restless, confused, and desperate for answers she couldn’t find alone.
The car drove on for another twenty minutes before slowing to a stop in front of Wilsmith’s office building.
Anna straightened instinctively.
Since the trailer’s massive success, Wilsmith had insisted on eting her in person to congratulate her. She had expected a brief eting, maybe a few formal words. What she hadn’t expected was to see Ethan already there when she stepped into the office.
Her brows lifted slightly in surprise, but she masked it quickly.
"Thank goodness the audience has finally shifted their attention from Fiona and is focusing on the movie," Wilsmith said with a deep breath, clearly relieved.
Anna listened quietly.
When the trailer had first dropped, backlash had been brutal. Viewers had cursed the production team endlessly for casting Fiona, demanding her removal, even calling for a boycott.
But the film was already completed, and Fiona played a pivotal role. Re-shooting her scenes would have ant massive delays, enormous costs, and the risk of derailing the entire release.
Now, with the trailer breaking records and public opinion slowly changing, the storm had finally begun to settle.
Anna smiled politely and nodded at Wilsmith’s words, though her thoughts were far from the discussion at hand.
"The premiere is scheduled for three days from now," Wilsmith announced confidently. "So let’s all co together and celebrate our success."
There was no doubt in his voice. Wilsmith had a keen eye for projects that would shine, and he knew the cast had delivered beyond expectations—exactly what he had envisioned when the film first took shape.
As the three of them continued talking, Wilsmith’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen, apologized, and stepped aside to take the call—leaving Anna and Ethan alone in the room.
Anna didn’t waste a second.
"Is everything okay with Kathrine?" she asked quietly but firmly. "She’s completely disappeared on ."
Now that Anna knew Ethan and Kathrine were taking their relationship seriously, she had assud they were simply spending more ti together. Still, the silence unsettled her.
Ethan, who had been lost in thought, looked at her blankly.
Anna frowned. "Wait... don’t tell you don’t know where she is either?"
Her eyes widened dramatically, though she quickly masked it with a teasing scoff. "Wow. That’s impressive—even for you."
Ethan blinked, then exhaled softly, realizing Anna was exaggerating—at least on the surface. But the mont her question truly registered, his expression shifted.
Did Anna know anything about what Kathrine had told him?
After all, they were sisters. They shared everything—or so he thought.
"Anna," he said carefully, "that night at the bar... why were you and Kathrine crying?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
Ethan had no intention of dropping a bomb about Kathrine seeking dical help to recover mories Anna knew nothing about. That was not his secret to reveal. Instead, he chose the safer ground—the night when the two sisters had broken down, clinging to each other and pouring out emotions they had clearly been suppressing for far too long.
Back then, he hadn’t questioned Kathrine. She had woken up the next morning with no recollection of what had happened at the bar.
But Anna...
He doubted she shared that particular trait.
And judging by the way her expression stiffened, he suspected he had just touched sothing far deeper than he intended.
"Haha... were we crying?" Anna laughed lightly. "I—I don’t rember anything."
The words sounded innocent enough, but Ethan wasn’t fooled. He studied her for a long mont, then spoke calmly.
"So that ans you do rember."
"...What?" Anna blinked.
"Kathrine told ," he said evenly. "Whenever you’re hiding sothing, you laugh awkwardly. Exactly like you’re doing now."
Silence.
Anna’s smile faltered. She hadn’t realized how many of her habits Kathrine had casually exposed to Ethan. Judging by his unwavering expression, he wasn’t bluffing.
He took a step closer. "So tell ," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "What happened that night?"
There was no room left for lies.
Anna swallowed.
She couldn’t tell him. Not about rebirth. Not about past lives, deaths, or mories that shouldn’t exist. She had barely managed to make Daniel believe her the night before—and that conversation had nearly shattered her.
One person knowing was already too much.
Two would only make her sound insane.
So Anna exhaled slowly, steadying herself, and chose the only truth she could safely offer.
"We were overwheld," she said quietly. "Too many things we’ve buried for too long ca rushing back at once."
"And what exactly are those too many things?" Ethan asked, his voice steady but unyielding. "Because if you tell what they are... I’ll tell you where Kathrine is."
He didn’t soften the words. This wasn’t a threat—it was a line drawn clean and clear.
Ethan could feel it now. Anna knew sothing. Sothing that mattered. Sothing that could explain Kathrine’s sudden silence.
His gaze stayed locked on her, searching, assessing. "You’re worried about her," he continued. "So am I. And right now, we’re both standing on opposite sides of the sa truth."
Anna’s breath stilled.
"If you want my trust," he said quietly, "then trust enough to et halfway."
The room felt heavier, the unspoken pressing in on them both as they continued to stare at each other.
***
anwhile, inside Jason’s clinic, Kathrine sat on the recliner, her hands clasped tightly together, eyes fixed on her fidgeting fingers.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
"Miss Kathrine, are you ready?" a calm voice asked.
She looked up to see Jason standing nearby, his expression composed, his eyes steady and reassuring. He offered her a small nod, one ant to ground her.
Kathrine inhaled deeply.
"I’m ready," she said, her voice soft but resolute.
She had thought this through—every sleepless night, every mont of doubt. Too many mories had been erased from her mind, fragnts torn away and replaced with confusion and guilt. If she wanted answers, she had to face whatever waited in the shadows of her past.
She knew it wouldn’t be easy. Nothing about this was simple.
But she wasn’t alone.
She had Ethan.
He would help her search for the people she believed she had wronged. And deep down, she knew Ester’s words hadn’t been the full truth. There were cracks in that story—details that didn’t align, emotions that felt misplaced.
There was sothing more. Sothing hidden.
And whatever it was, Kathrine was ready to uncover it—even if the truth hurt more than the lies she had been living with.
Jason adjusted the equipnt beside her and spoke gently. "Just relax. Let your mind guide you."
Kathrine closed her eyes. And for the first ti, she stopped running from her mories—and allowed herself to fall into them.
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