As Kyra's world went black and she fell unconscious, Lucifer stood there, shocked and frozen.
He stared at his own raised hand as if it belonged to a stranger, trying to process the sudden collapse of the girl he had just been terrorizing.
"Kyra... Kyra!! Wake up!" Ashley screamed, skidding to a halt and bending down as she tried to rouse her friend.
Sam move instinctively, grabbing the water bottle from Kyra's bag and splashing the cool water over her pale face.
Seeing no reaction from Kyra, Ashley said as she looked up to Sam, her face etched with worry and concern, "Sam... she isn't waking up. Let's take her to the hospital, now!"
"Yes... yes," Sam agreed. He reached down, hoisting Kyra from the ground in a protective princess carry and began walking rapidly toward the parking lot.
Lucifer finally snapped out of his trance. Realizing they were taking her away, he stepped forward to intercept them. "Who are you?! Give me my Kyra back..."
Before he could lay a finger on her, Ashley turned around and delivered a stinging slap that echoed across the clearing.
SLAP!!
"If something happens to Kyra... listen well, I am not done with you!" Ashley said angrily as her eyes narrowed, flickering with a dangerous, predatory light that actually made Lucifer flinch.
Without another word, she turned and ran after Sam.
As they reached near the lot,Ashley increased her pace as she shouted,"Brother, open the door... hurry, we have to go to the hospital!"
Ashley shouted as they reached the sleek Bentley. Charles, who had been waiting in the driver's seat, reacted instantly to his sister's panicked voice and opened the lock of back door.
Looking at Ashley as she opened the door and Sam as he carried Kyra inside.
"What happened to her? Didn't you just go to call her back?" Charles asked, his brow furrowed as he watched Sam settle the unconscious girl inside. He shifted the car into gear and roared out of the lot.
As Ashley helped Sam get positioned and slid in beside them, she panted, "We didn't know... when we reached her, we saw her arguing with that bastard boyfriend. He raised his hand to slap her, and Kyra seemed to be stimulated by something... she just fainted on the spot."
"Brother, hurry... I'm so worried," Ashley pleaded, looking down at Kyra, who even in her unconscious state was crying, her brows tightly furrowed as if she were fighting a war inside her own mind.
Meanwhile, deep within the darkness of her mind, Kyra drifted backward through the years.
This time, she wasn't merely remembering — she was forced to watch her own life unfold like a vivid, haunting film.
She watched a younger version of herself, desperate and small sitting beside the bed crying like a small trapped animal but suddenly stopped crying as she looked at her desk where books were still opened.
"Yes...Money... if my mom and dad get the investment... they won't marry me off, right?! I will definitely get the investment for them." Little Kyra whispered to the empty room. She stood up hurriedly and ran to her desk.
"Where is it? Ahh... where did I put it!" She searched frantically, tossing books aside as she looked around her room.
Finally, she dove toward her bed and pried open a hidden secret drawer. She pulled out a thick, heavy laptop that looked more like an old encyclopedia than a computer.
"Thank God! I found it," Kyra said. A relieved, almost crazed smile spread across her young face.
She powered it on, her small fingers flying across the keys with a speed no child should possess. She didn't go to a normal search engine.
Instead, she bypassed the standard protocols, entering a series of command lines that opened a gateway to a hidden, encrypted website.
She entered a high-stakes "Black Hat" coding competition—a digital arena for elite hackers. The challenge was to breach a multi-layered firewall of a dummy corporation within thirty minutes.
Little Kyra didn't hesitate. She began writing a custom "brute-force" script, her eyes reflecting the scrolling green code as she exploited a kernel-level vulnerability. Within minutes, the "Access Granted" signal flashed across the screen.
After completing the task and claiming the prize money in an anonymous offshore account, she shut the laptop.
She leaned back and laughed happily, even as tears fell like pearls down her cheeks.
"Finally... I won't have to marry. With this money, Dad can compensate for the loss and even restart the business."
Looking at this "Little Kyra"—those fuzzy memories that were now becoming terrifyingly clear—the adult Kyra felt like she was on a sickening roller coaster.
But before she could process the fact that she possessed skills she had completely forgotten, the scene shifted.
She was back in the nightmare of Mille and Andrew.
"No... please let me go! Mille, why? I have treated you with the utmost sincerity, but you—" Kyra's voice in the dream broke as she tried to shake off the hands gripping her waist. She looked at Mille, who was calmly lighting a cigarette.
"Why? Haven't I made myself clear, Kyra? It's because I don't like you," Mille said, stepping closer. She gripped Kyra's chin, her usually bright smile twisting into something demonic.
Her eyes were filled with cold calculation and burning jealousy. "Because whenever I am with you, I am just 'Kyra's best friend.' Because even when your parents are about to sell you... you still maintain that facade. You can still smile."
"You know what I hate most? These eyes... they are too clear, too bright. I want to see the moment they extinguish... haha!" Mille pressed her nails into the skin around Kyra's eyes, leaving deep, painful bruises.
Why… if you hated me so much… why pretend for all those years?
The thought tore through Kyra's mind, heavy with the ache of betrayal.
Memories of their friendship flashed before her eyes like a cruel montage:
"Kyra... Come with me!"
"Mille... I brought you chocolates."
"Don't cry, dear; I'm with you." "Kyra... let's bunk the class."
"Let's go to amusement park." "Don't cry...dear; I'm with you"
"Hey, I don't have much money...but look I have made these cards with my hands... Happy Birthday.."
"Ouch.... don't laugh..we will be caught."
"Haha..."
"I will help you with the homework..you just make me a drawing."
"Let's go...I will paddle the cycle here..and after some you will.." "It is my best decision to be friends with you...Mille"
"Kyra… we don't need boyfriends. As friends, we're already the best pair."
"We'll be best friends forever.."
"Yes..sure..we will be"
"Shh..." Kyra inhaled sharply in her sleep, snapping out of the memories.
Her eyes blurred with tears as the vision shifted to the moment Mille tore her top and began placing the burning cherry of the cigarette against her bare shoulder.
Andrew stood there, filming the entire thing, their mocking laughter ringing in her ears.
And finally, the eyes that once shone like stars turned into a dead pool — deep, dark, and empty, as if she had even forgotten how to feel pain.
__
"Mmh… why? Why, Mille…" Kyra murmured, her voice trembling as if the pain still clung to her.
"Doctor... what happened to Kyra? Why isn't she awake?" Ashley asked impatiently. She hovered over Kyra, who was crying and mumbling even in her sleep.
"Don't worry, Ms. Bennet. We have checked everything," the doctor said, looking at the chart. "She has some malnutrition and several old scars that appear to be from past abuse. It seems your friend is under immense psychological pressure. Furthermore, her brain structure—her neural activity—seems different than others, more hyper-reactive. We can't say more until we have a full history."
"What kind of—" Before Ashley could finish her angry slang, Sam placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"Okay, thanks, Doctor. We understand," Sam said. He turned to Charles. "Umm... Brother, have you contacted Kyra's parents?"
Charles looked at Sam, slightly annoyed at the boy shamelessly calling him 'brother,' but before he could speak, Ashley interrupted.
"What kind of parents are they?! I called them the second we entered the hospital... it's been more than two hours and they aren't here yet!"
"Okay, okay, calm down. They should be here soon," Charles said, trying to soothe his sister who was puffing her cheeks like a frustrated hamster.
"But do you know what her family situation is?" Charles asked, looking at them both. "I mean, as you said, she is the famous pastries maker 'Serein,' but neither her parents nor her boyfriend seem to know. And that name she keeps mumbling... Mil... no, Mille?"
"We don't kno—" Sam started, but Ashley slapped his hand to silence him.
"What do you mean 'we'? It's just you who doesn't know! Kyra explained to me that no one knows she works at the cafe," Ashley said, rolling her eyes.
"When?" Sam was puzzled. How had he missed that conversation?
"About two months ago, When her mom called, Kyra lied and said she was at the library. I was puzzled so she explained then that her parents and boyfriend have no idea she works. She even told me that if there was ever an emergency, I should pretend I don't even know her." Ashley looked back at Kyra, whose eyelashes were finally fluttering.
"Now, stay silent... I think she is waking up. Brother you go outside otherwise Kyra will be shocked seeing you here."
As Ashley gestured for quiet, Kyra's eyes snapped open.
For a split second, her eyes radiated a chilling, murderous intent, making the air in the room feel heavy. Then, just as quickly, it vanished.
Her gaze snapped across the unfamiliar ward, and sat upright in alarm.
"Wait... don't! You have an IV drip in your hand... it will hurt," Ashley said, hurrying to ease Kyra back onto the pillows.
The moment Kyra recognized Ashley's voice, the tension in her shoulders finally eased.
"Umm... thank you for bringing me to the hospital. But how come you were in the park near the library?" Kyra's voice was hoarse and confused.
"Well... we went to call you. Mrs. Morgan said the judges have something they need to discuss with you," Sam said, bringing her a glass of water.
"Yes, but we saw you arguing..." Ashley added, taking the glass from Sam and holding it to Kyra's lips.
As Kyra drank, preparing to answer, the door to the ward swung open. Mr. and Mrs. William walked in, followed by Lumina, who was staring at her phone, looking bored.
"What happened, dear? Why are you in hospital!!" Mrs. William asked, walking straight to the bed.
"Nothing, Mom. I was just dehydrated... I fainted while studying," Kyra said, her voice neutral as she looked at her mother.
"Why don't you drink water properly? Do you know how panicked your mother was when she heard you were in the hospital!" Mr. William said. His voice was stern, carrying a subtle blame that was hard to ignore.
"Yes, Sis. Do you know Mom was in such a hurry she didn't even let me change my clothes? And why didn't your friend who called tell us it was just dehydration?" Lumina asked her voice slightly sharp.
"Lumina...!" Mr. William said as he looked at her with warning in her eyes.
"All this fuss for nothing," Lumina muttered, clearly more annoyed that her day had been interrupted than worried about Kyra.
"Lulu... don't talk to your elder sister like that," Mrs. William scolded softly easing the atmosphere between father and daughter then turned to Ashley and Sam. "And you two are...?"
"Mom... these are my classmates, Ashley and Sam," Kyra interrupted.
"Oh... classmates. Well, hello. I'm Kyra's mother. Thank you for bringing her here," Mrs. William said with a polite, practiced smile.
Ashley was fuming. These people were like those relatives who only cared about maintaining a perfect facade.
Before she could snap, Sam squeezed her hand and nodded to the parents. "It's okay, Aunty, Uncle. Kyra often helps us with our studies."
"Umm... yes, our Kyra is just that helpful," Mrs. William said, her voice filled with a smug pride, as if she were the one who had helped them.
Ashley nearly went berserk at the woman's arrogance.
"Well... Kyra, this isn't a regular ward," Mr. William said, scanning the expensive room. "Who booked this? What about the cost?"
"Ashley's father has business dealings here," Kyra said, looking at Ashley pleadingly. "She booked it. Don't worry, Dad, I asked her—it's free for them."
"Yes... Uncle, you don't have to pay," Ashley said, forcing the words out through grit teeth for Kyra's sake.
"Oh... okay. Thank you, dear, for taking care of our daughter," Mr. William's tense expression finally eased when he realized there was no bill to pay.
"Kyra, when can you be discharged? What did the doctor say? Any medicine?" He asked after waiting for a few minutes as he looked at Mrs. William who has started asking various questions.
"Huh...I can leave now. The doctor just said I need glucose drinks and more water," Kyra replied softly.
"Fine, let's go then. I have to get back to work," Mr. William said, checking his watch.
"Yes... Ash, Sam, you both should go," Kyra said as she stood up calmly, pressed the cotton against the needle, and pulled the IV from her hand herself.
"I'll be at the library again tomorrow. We can talk then." She turned and walked toward the bathroom.
Ashley hesitated, watching Kyra's retreating back. She felt something different about her friend but in the end said nothing.
She snorted at the parents one last time and walked out.
Inside the bathroom, Kyra splashed cold water onto her face. When she looked up, her reflection stared back at her — unfamiliar, controlled, awake.
The sadness that once clouded her golden eyes had vanished, replaced by a cold indifference that felt frighteningly calm.