Sitting alone on a cold park bench, Yoko's hand still clenched, staring intently at her darkened phone screen. As if feeling Yoko wasn't lonely enough, sad enough, or broken enough, the sky decided to pour down an unseasonal night rain.

The rain started slowly, then gradually intensified. Yoko barely reacted, and it wasn't until she was already soaked that she slowly stood up, walked to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and left.

Without notifying anyone, Yoko took a taxi for an hour, going straight to her parents' house in the city's suburbs. The taxi stopped at the gate, and Yoko walked through the rain from the gate into the house.

Greeting Yoko was her mother's surprise and worry, but Yoko seemed like a ghost, ignoring her rain-drenched body, the chilling sensation from head to toe. Yoko went straight into her father's study, opened the door, and walked in.

"Yoko?! When did you get back..."

The scene Chief Justice Lertprasert saw when he looked up was his beloved daughter, pampered like a princess, the cute girl who always brought positive energy to everyone, the daughter who wouldn't ask her family for anything even if the sky fell, that once bright, sun-like child, walking through the door and immediately kneeling down.

"Dad, save her, save Faye..." Yoko knelt there and cried, she cried heartbreakingly, crying as if she hadn't cried once in the past two months, crying so painfully that anyone who heard it would feel their heart ache: "Dad, save Faye, I can't bear it anymore... I can't bear it anymore..."

Yoko's mother immediately embraced her in pain, and Yoko's father also rushed over, standing beside them.

Both were utterly surprised by their daughter's actions.

"Don't cry, my good girl, don't cry." Yoko's mother started crying along with her daughter.

"I tried to endure it, waited for Faye to come back. But it hurts so much... It hurts so much..." Her face was covered in tears, Yoko sobbed, grabbing her father's clothes: "Dad, save her, save Faye..."

Yoko knelt there, crying resentfully. Yoko's mother held her tightly and comforted her, looking at her husband and shaking her head.

Which parent would want to see their child suffer so much?

Chief Justice Lertprasert frowned tightly, his posture still straight, looking down from above, his gaze stern.

"How long do you plan to be like this?" The Chief Justice coldly looked at his daughter, ignoring his wife's warning glance, he continued: "What if Faye disappears for one year, two years, or three years? Will you always live so haphazardly?"

Hearing her father's cold words, Yoko didn't know how to answer. She just sobbed with resentment. She was so tired, truly exhausted, but how could she accept a life without Faye by her side? She didn't want to live like this, but she was tired, her heart was so tired, so exhausted.

"If you want to find Faye, you must get better quickly. It is you who must go find Faye. Everyone has their own life, everyone must face their own challenges. If you keep going like this, how will you overcome it?" Chief Justice Lertprasert said sternly.

"Will you stop it? Our daughter is already in so much pain!!"

Unable to bear her husband's sternness any longer, Yoko's mother hugged her little daughter tightly, deeply pained. She helped Yoko stand up, lovingly wiping away the rain and tears from her face: "Go to your room, child. Come with mom, my good girl. It's okay, everything will be fine..."

"Dad..." Yoko still tried to plead.

"If I could help, I would have already helped. If you want more, be strong and do it yourself. The road ahead is long, no one will walk it for you." Chief Justice Lertprasert said coldly, then, not wanting to see his utterly miserable daughter, he turned his back and went upstairs to his room.

Yoko's mother was deeply pained, her eyes welling up with tears for her daughter. Her daughter, who had always been as bright as the child of the sun, now had no vitality, drenched in rainwater, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment and spreading pain.

"Go, go to your room, child. If you stay like this, you won't last until Faye returns. Go up and rest."

"Mom." Yoko weakly stood up, embraced by her mother.

Yoko's mother helped her up to her room.

Neither mother nor daughter knew that in another room, Chief Justice Lertprasert was standing, smoking a cigarette, sighing heavily. His gaze was no longer cold at all, but instead filled with boundless worry for his daughter. He picked up his phone and called Thien.

From the beginning, he had never neglected this matter; he always knew what problems Yoko was facing and her condition. He closely followed all investigation activities, and Thien reported to him very frequently. It was just that Chief Justice Lertprasert couldn't say it, because if he did, it would reveal that he had fully participated but still couldn't find Faye, which would truly make Yoko lose all hope and collapse even more severely.

"Thien? What happened today?" The Chief Justice said on the phone; something must have stimulated Yoko to be like this.

On the phone, Thien immediately reported to his mentor about Faye's appearance via live broadcast, which lasted only 20 minutes before she disappeared again. Thien's side was also frantically tracking the broadcast address but faced many obstacles.

Chief Justice Lertprasert frowned, something wasn't right. All this time, Thien had seemingly turned over every city along the train route Faye had taken to leave, but was that even correct?

"Something is leading us in the wrong direction. Thien, let go of old assumptions, retrace everything from when this began. Your approach might have been wrong from the start. A person cannot just disappear like that."

Her mentor's words seemed to awaken Thien, and Thien fell into contemplation.

Could it be that Faye had never truly left this place? But because the layers of protection were too deep, no one could trace Faye. Had Faye never left the city?

"Yes, master, I will retrace everything. As for Yoko..."

"Let the child stay here. She has to stand up on her own. No one can help her climb out of that deep hole."

Chief Justice Lertprasert extinguished his cigarette, listening to the sounds of his wife and daughter in the next room, crossing his arms over his chest, and spoke calmly.

The child must stand up on her own.

...

Yoko fell ill and developed a fever, then lay bedridden for the next six days, unable to move. The phone in her hand repeatedly played the video clip of Faye's broadcast. She didn't say a word, her condition as dire as it was two months ago when Faye first disappeared.

Then, at some point, a person has to strive to recover, to elevate themselves to a new level of endurance to overcome old pains. As if the Heart and Brain no longer held the power of decision, but rather the Soul.

The Soul told both of them: Enough already, you cannot continue like this. It's too much, if you continue to sink into the thoughts of the Brain and the emotions of the Heart, you will truly die. Get up. Wake up.

On the morning of that seventh day, Yoko woke up, bathed, put on comfortable clothes, and went downstairs.

Yoko greeted her parents, sat at the table, and ate breakfast with her family. Yoko's family was also happy, serving her food, and continuing their conversation.

Yoko remained quiet, still not smiling, but something was truly different now. Yoko looked around, listened to everyone talk, nodded, and absorbed her surroundings.

Between dying and letting her body drift into the darkness, Yoko finally chose the opposite. No longer isolating herself and shutting people out.

Yoko tried to bring herself back to normal life, slowly returning to a better state. Going back to work, back to society, trying to ignore the negative things that constantly lurked.

But deep down, Yoko always understood one thing:

Yoko was waiting for Faye to come home.

Faye, please come home soon.

....

The rainy season arrived in the capital city with an almost sudden abruptness. The day before, it was scorching hot; the next day, continuous rains began. The afternoon sky was gloomy, exuding a sense of urgency, urging people to rush home after a tiring day's work.

The entertainment industry in this country remained bustling, with shows, films, and events by artists one after another. New things emerged in layers, quickly overshadowing the old and moving forward. Nearly three months ago, the shocking news of a beautiful screen queen and beauty queen suddenly disappearing after an awards night. That earth-shattering news, though now overshadowed by countless other news, still undeniably lingered in the hearts of fans. Everyone was waiting for that queen to return.

Even the queen's lover, a talented and equally beautiful young actress, had similar thoughts. Yoko Apasra – Faye Peraya's official girlfriend – for nearly three months, from initially being in distress due to heartbreak to now having stabilized, has gradually participated in various entertainment events. Although Yoko was limited, even avoided mentioning Faye. But everyone understood that this was Yoko's way of protecting herself, to continue living, to strive and hope for the future. Because whenever something related to Faye appeared, Yoko would quietly watch for a long time.

Their feelings for each other always remained, never faltering or being replaced. Everyone was trying to get through this phase, even though their positions were different, but when Faye left, everyone felt an empty space in their hearts. And that empty space was waiting to be filled.

A brightly lit apartment. After a tiring day of events, Yoko Apasra got out of her manager's car, bid farewell to her assistant, and returned home.

She never expected someone to be waiting for her at home.

Yoko looked at the person sitting in her living room, blinking in disbelief. But it was only for a fleeting moment. Then she calmly walked closer, pulled up a chair, and sat directly opposite. Throughout the past time, what Yoko had to go through and endure had made her mature greatly. She was no longer the shy young girl who faltered at everything. Yoko was forced to be brave and had become much braver.

So Yoko calmly sat down, directly opposite, and stared at the woman.

She was Danny, the one who had taken Faye away nearly three months ago. Today, she was confidently and inexplicably sitting in Yoko's living room.

Danny looked at Yoko, raising an eyebrow slightly in surprise, then curled her lips into an uncaring smile.

"You're doing better than I thought." Danny began with an innocuous shrug.

God knew how much Yoko hated this woman; she was the one who created all of this.

"I wonder if I immediately called my dad and mobilized an entire special forces unit to surround this place, where would you run?" Yoko said with hatred. Her sweetness, kindness, and patience had been worn away over the past three months. In Yoko's heart, a smoldering fire wanted to erupt.

Danny rested her chin on her hand, slowly sipping tea from a teapot that Yoko didn't know when she had brewed.

"Am I that useless, to just sit still and let you do whatever you want?" With sharp eyes, Danny glanced at Yoko: "You can try calling anyone you want. Don't be so confident that I can only control Mali."

So, she could control her the same way she did Faye?

Yoko immediately drew a conclusion, then intently looked at Danny, guessing and remembering every detail, because Yoko wanted to figure out where Danny had been all this time, where she had held Faye captive. Any detail was crucial.

"What do you want?" Yoko tried to provoke the conversation as much as possible.

Danny, in contrast, showed no sign of being a hunted criminal, calmly drinking her tea.

"Don't you want to know how Mali is doing right now?"

Yoko unconsciously clenched her fists, frowning. This image, of course, did not escape Danny's eyes, and she smiled.

"Mali is doing very well, quite homesick... but if she wants to, she'll come back on her own after some more time. As long as she wants to, I'm willing to bring her back..." Danny said haughtily.

Thinking of Faye's live broadcast appearance, Yoko's eyes reddened with anger. This woman could control her, make her do whatever she wanted. Last time it was just a livestream and playing music, but who knows what will be next?

Faye wasn't safe, Faye wasn't free at all.

Throughout the past time, from initially wanting to completely break down to slowly picking herself up due to the belief that Faye would return, and also thanks to talking with Dr. Tan, Yoko had learned a lot. At this moment, seeing the confidence of a cruel person like Danny, Yoko tried to stay calm and not get drawn into what she was saying.

"Mali is very good, also quite homesick... but if she wants to, she'll come back on her own after some more time. As long as she wants to, I'm willing to bring her back..."

Yoko listened, but her mind churned. If she had successfully manipulated Faye, she wouldn't need to appear here. A narcissist like her wouldn't need to care about Yoko or anyone else. But she appeared, pretending to be fine, pretending Faye was fine, as if only Yoko and everyone else were overreacting.

"The place where Faye and I live is very spacious and free. Perhaps with old relationships like yours, silence is the best answer. You don't need to do things like waiting hopelessly..."

She kept showing off, repeatedly claiming Faye was fine. But no, if Faye was truly fine, Faye would have returned to her family. It wasn't up to a stranger like her to deliver news.

What she wanted was not that simple; what she wanted was the reason she came here. She overcame danger, returned here, appeared in this apartment, showing off like this, precisely because...

"...Your purpose for being here is me..." Yoko broke the silence, forcing the words out: "You want me to actively give up on Faye."

Danny's eyes flashed with surprise, then that intellectual face burst into laughter, a distorted and cruel laugh, then she suddenly stopped laughing, looking deeply into Yoko's eyes.

"Little girl, if you hadn't crossed the line, wanting what you don't deserve and aren't allowed, then none of this would have happened. Faye could have been happy."

"Faye chose me, not you." Yoko said calmly. She was much stronger now; she knew Danny was using her manipulative tricks again.

Danny smirked, pushing her glasses up on the corner of her eye:

"Wrong, I chose you. I salvaged your terrible profile to get into the final selection round. It was also me who boosted your scores so that your compatibility with Faye was better than others. You and Faye thought it was fate choosing you two..." With malicious and cruel eyes, Danny always viewed those around her as mere trash: "...but it was all me. I chose you to be Faye's co-star, simply because on some live broadcast, Faye said she wanted a cute co-star. You just accidentally matched what Faye wanted. You are a toy I chose for Faye."

No matter how prepared Yoko was mentally, she was still too young. Danny's words were like sharp knives.

"I will not actively give up on Faye. Never." Yoko growled. She knew she was young, her psyche wasn't as tough or as cruel as that woman's, but she absolutely had to try her best, not allowed to give up easily, especially not on Faye.

Danny suddenly stood up, walked closer, her face pressing close to Yoko's. With slender hands, she caressed Yoko's youthful face.

Yoko tried to suppress the feeling of disgust in her heart, the urge to vomit as the woman drew near.

"Faye is very sweet, do you know that?" Danny whispered.

Just a few words, and Yoko was utterly furious, unable to control herself. She swung her arm, pushing the perverse woman away, and her other hand wanted to swing up to slap her.

"You bastard!!"

But Danny was quicker; she grabbed Yoko's hand, pulling Yoko close to her.

"Haha, you foolish little girl waiting. For three months, did you think nothing happened? Faye is mine, very soft..."

Yoko stepped back, her eyes hateful and filled with disgust. She took out her phone, intending to make a call.

Just then, all of Yoko's movements stopped; a feeling of immobility and loss of control over her body spread.

Danny's face was emotionless. She took Yoko's phone and threw it into the corner of the room.

"Sit down!" The command was given, her tone flat and emotionless.

Yoko's face was full of anger, but her body didn't obey her own will, obediently sitting back down on the chair.

"Do you want me to tell you in detail what Mali and I did?" Danny smirked, her tone contemptuous and confident, every word solely aimed at torturing Yoko, breaking down her defenses.

She took out a phone, scrolled, and turned the screen towards Yoko, where there was an image of her and Faye lying in the same bed.

"Give up. It's easier for both of us."

Yoko closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer.

No, that's not true. Faye will be fine,

Faye will be alright.

She didn't want to hear this madwoman's words anymore. Yoko wanted Faye, only needed Faye.

Her eyes still closed, tears streaming from the corners, but Yoko bravely said:

"If your goal is to shake me, to make me lose faith in her, to make me give up. Then you are wrong. You cannot achieve your goal, and I will never give her up." Yoko said seriously through her tears. What if she cried? Even if she cried from heartbreak, she had to speak strongly.

"No matter what happens, no matter how much you try to tarnish her. As long as Faye returns to me one day, I will always cherish her. Faye is Faye, and my love for Faye has never changed. You took her away, tortured her, manipulated and forced Faye to do things Faye didn't want to do. But after all, no matter how hard you try, you cannot change the fact that Faye doesn't love you. Whether I appeared or not, Faye would never love you..."

Yoko opened her eyes, looking directly at Danny, regardless of the dangerous consequences:

"What you did to Faye doesn't affect my love for her. Do you think saying those things, doing those things, can make me jealous and give up? No, will never. To me, she is always the most beautiful, the best, and I will always respect and love her, never give up."

Danny stepped back, frowning, concealing her anger.

Clink!!

A sound echoed through the space. Yoko held her head with both hands due to a pounding headache, then suddenly looked up and opened her eyes again.

No one was around, only an empty silence permeated the air.

Danny had left at some unknown time, or perhaps, she was never there to begin with.

.....

That very evening, Yoko immediately informed Thien about everything. Throughout the entire conversation with Danny, what Yoko paid most attention to was trying to remember every detail, so that as soon as Danny disappeared, Yoko recorded everything and transferred the information to Thien. However, some detailed content related to Faye, Yoko did not reveal, and Thien also realized Yoko didn't want to tell everything.

After hearing Yoko's report, Thien immediately rushed to the location, then contacted the building management to check all cameras leading to Yoko's apartment. The scary and confusing thing was that Danny did leave images of her appearance at Yoko's house, but that was 24 hours earlier. More precisely, Yoko had almost lost consciousness of time for a whole day, and then only regained clarity to report to Thien.

Nevertheless, through what Danny had said to Yoko, Thien was able to deduce a few details.

Assuming everything she said was false, then the opposite of her words would have a higher probability of being true. She said that Faye was in a very spacious place, which implies that Faye's place was very small, even confined. She said Faye was free, which implies that Faye was definitely not free at all.

Regarding her claim that Faye and she had a relationship, this matter Yoko kept to herself. Because whether it was true or false, Yoko did not want this information to be spread.

Furthermore, the image that Danny forced Yoko to see, showing Danny and Faye in a room. Yoko remembered it clearly; she recognized it as a room with wood-paneled walls, indicating an old house.

Thien thought more carefully about everything, combining it with what Yoko's father had suggested earlier. Thien immediately contacted the police, beginning to narrow down the search area. Perhaps the direction Thien had been searching for the past three months was wrong from the start. Perhaps Faye had never truly gone as far as the traces Danny deliberately left.

And everyone, upon hearing about Danny's appearance at Yoko's house, shared the same thought: Faye must have put up a fierce fight. And her appearance like that was not simple at all. It was like one of her last cards. As long as Yoko faltered, she would win, and if Yoko remained steadfast in her heart, unwavering and trusting Faye, then the result might be about to appear.

The End was approaching.

Three months, three months of mental torture and endurance. Not a single day passed that Yoko didn't pray for it to end. Praying for Faye to return safely, that would be enough.

But even in her dreams, Yoko could never have imagined that just two days after Danny's appearance, things would take an unexpected turn.

That evening, after a tiring day of event practice at the company, Yoko returned home exhausted. And as if understanding her heart, the sky poured down heavy rain that night.

Another rain.

Yoko thought to herself and trudged up to her apartment. She never expected that an hour later, someone would knock on her apartment door.

"Why you?"

Of all the people who could come to her house, Yoko couldn't understand why it was Neko Naerun – her sister.

Contrary to her usual cheerful and positive personality, Neko's eyes were heavy with worry.

As soon as she saw Yoko, she knew something big had happened. Neko would never overreact like this if everything was okay.

"Yoko, I need you to change and come with me right now." Neko said with difficulty.

Though she didn't want to be there, Neko understood that no one was more suitable to see Yoko at this moment than her. Because the news she brought would surely strike Yoko severely.

"What is it?" Yoko stepped back to let her sister into the house. But her cautious gaze was enough to show how worried Yoko was.

Neko struggled to say something that felt like a lightning strike to Yoko.

"You have to come with me right now. Thien found Faye!" Neko grabbed Yoko's hand, wanting to pull her along.

"...."

"You have to go now, Yoko. Something happened to Faye!"

Yoko Apasra's just-temporarily-patched-up sky collapsed once more.